Guest1
19th November 2004, 16:48
Alot of people seem to ignore the role of technology in change. Here's an article on how the net is making possible socialist means of production here and now.
Apache's free-software warriors (http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1997/11/cov_20feature.html)
Market share isn't the only yardstick by which to judge Apache. Its success pays tribute to the utopian ideals of the whole "free software movement" -- and testifies to the enduring vigor of the Internet's cooperative, distributed approach to solving problems. Never mind the buzzword-hyping marketroids endlessly pushing the latest shrink-wrapped solution to all software problems. The Net offers a better way, as even Apache's competitors will concede -- off the record.
I urge you all to give it a read, it's two pages long.
And another more specifically Marxist one:
Programmers of the world, you have nothing to lose but your chains! (http://www.marxist.ca/Documents/04nov_linux.htm)
Defenders of capitalism enjoy the notion that humanity cannot progress without a profit motive or some form of wealth incentive. This is common among their 'human nature' arguments that forget about the entire development of humanity prior to capitalism. Despite these cynical attempts to subordinate human progress to the profit motive, there exist many examples that give us a glimpse into the real capacity of human creativity outside of a framework of crude capital-driven competition.
One notable example is that of Linux-an operating system used for computers. In laymen terms, it manages the interface between your computer and the user (i.e. manages files, drives, and memory). Windows is the most popular operating system of our time, and like capitalism it is far behind the times and the potential productive capabilities of society.
Technology is developing to the point that, once again, it is forcing a realignment of the methods of production, while the ruling class is pushed kicking and screaming to see the future grow before their eyes. For now, they've been attempting to stifle it, Microsoft is famous for its policy that the browser is irrelevant, in an attempt to reign in the open internet. But technology is an impatient creature, and the harder a ruling class pushes to hold it back, the harder it pushes to throw them into the dustbins of history, as the aristocracy learned in its turn.
So what do you guys think of this?
Apache's free-software warriors (http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1997/11/cov_20feature.html)
Market share isn't the only yardstick by which to judge Apache. Its success pays tribute to the utopian ideals of the whole "free software movement" -- and testifies to the enduring vigor of the Internet's cooperative, distributed approach to solving problems. Never mind the buzzword-hyping marketroids endlessly pushing the latest shrink-wrapped solution to all software problems. The Net offers a better way, as even Apache's competitors will concede -- off the record.
I urge you all to give it a read, it's two pages long.
And another more specifically Marxist one:
Programmers of the world, you have nothing to lose but your chains! (http://www.marxist.ca/Documents/04nov_linux.htm)
Defenders of capitalism enjoy the notion that humanity cannot progress without a profit motive or some form of wealth incentive. This is common among their 'human nature' arguments that forget about the entire development of humanity prior to capitalism. Despite these cynical attempts to subordinate human progress to the profit motive, there exist many examples that give us a glimpse into the real capacity of human creativity outside of a framework of crude capital-driven competition.
One notable example is that of Linux-an operating system used for computers. In laymen terms, it manages the interface between your computer and the user (i.e. manages files, drives, and memory). Windows is the most popular operating system of our time, and like capitalism it is far behind the times and the potential productive capabilities of society.
Technology is developing to the point that, once again, it is forcing a realignment of the methods of production, while the ruling class is pushed kicking and screaming to see the future grow before their eyes. For now, they've been attempting to stifle it, Microsoft is famous for its policy that the browser is irrelevant, in an attempt to reign in the open internet. But technology is an impatient creature, and the harder a ruling class pushes to hold it back, the harder it pushes to throw them into the dustbins of history, as the aristocracy learned in its turn.
So what do you guys think of this?