Free Software - A Slice of things to come - I have been reading very interesting ideas on free software in context of market economy. I feel that the arguement on the validity and sustainability of the free software model in context of market economy is valid only when we regard that the market economy is the ultimate and highest form of evolution of human society. The concept of Intellectual property rights has a major problem. It seeks to divide the world in basically two groups - One being Inventive, Innovative and Technologically forever evolving. I refer to this group as the world driver. It drives the technological and evolutionary momentum of the World. It creates concepts and to be forever at the forefront re-creates new concepts. Here the fundamental principle is domination through technological superiority. The Other group being of technologically poor societys. Here there is very little Innovation and Invention due to limitation of resources. Ironically, limitation of resources is due to poor technological leadership. In such pockets of world, the flow of new Ideas is next to none. Also, technological assimilation and adaption is poor. Hence, its like a vicious circle. Now, in current scenario, the technologically superior group through never ending Innovation limits the Innovative space of the technologically inferior follower group. These days most Innovations are at the high end. Work at such a level requires a certain set of resources which the technologically inferior group can't provide. This is creating a deep disparity in the World. The disparity is further deepened by the instruements of market economy like Patents or Intellectual property(IP). IP has created a new form of imperalism, which can be referred to as Technological imperialism. Big corporations are creating new products and selling them at higher and higher prices. Take the example of AIDS drugs cocktail in case of Africa. Such a state of affairs is creating a deeply divided and poor world. Technology is proving to be new master. Its deputies are its facilitators. They are facilitating it for world technological domination. Big corporations are becoming more powerful than world governments. Such a state of affairs is not sustainable. I feel technology will lead to creation of an alternate economic system. A system better than the present profit driven market economy system, which is based on Darwinian concept of survival of the fittest. It will be more open system. I think Open and free software movement is the precursor to the type of things to come. In new knowledge society man will be able to transcend the grossness of material sphere of existence. To end it, I just want to say that market economy like every other economic system before it is a stage of evolution and social transition. A new and better system is in wings where knowledge will be more easily available and technology more humanised. With Regards, Aditya Okhal ------------------------------------------------ The mailing list archives are available at http://lists.linux-india.org/cgi-bin/wilma/linux-delhi
