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Software as an abstract gamespace that is not about Software (michaeldehaan.net)
Michael Dehaan muses about
the future of open source software. "In the future 1000 years
from now, was it more important to have worked on Web App X or Database
Engine Y? Neither. Because that can't be what matters. Theory: The power
of OSS tech is not in technology, it is that it crosses boundaries. It is a
system, an ideal. The tech does not matter. OSS is not about software.
Software is an abstract playing field in which we teach ourselves how to
collaborate. One of many such fields. Maybe not even the most efficient.
Computer Science is just about logic anyway. It was never about
computers." (Thanks to Paul Wise).
(Log in to post comments)
Software as an abstract gamespace that is not about Software (michaeldehaan.net) Posted Jun 25, 2009 5:07 UTC (Thu) by shieldsd (subscriber, #20198) [Link]
To quote the author:"OSS is not about software."
This is ludicrous mush! Rubbish!
Open-source software is just the application of the scientific method to the construction of effective computer software.
All the rest is detail.
dave
Software as an abstract gamespace that is not about Software (michaeldehaan.net) Posted Jun 29, 2009 13:18 UTC (Mon) by dmag (subscriber, #17775) [Link]
> 1) This is ludicrous mush! Rubbish!
> 2) Open-source software is just the application of the scientific method to the construction of effective computer software.
Just because point #2 is true, doesn't mean point #1 is true. I think Mr. Dehaan is just taking a step back and asking "what will OSS do to society that commercial software could never do?"
Correctness - If Windows were open-source, how many people could have fixed fundamental design flaws ("any user can write anywhere on the hard drive in Windows NT") a decade before Microsoft got around to addressing them? ("The Microsoft solution: every program gets their own copy of the hard drive so programs won't interfere with each other. Oh, and every 60 seconds, we scan the core OS looking for drivers that were maliciously overwritten.")
Efficiency - If the point of software is to move forward in technology, then OSS is certainly the most efficient way to do it. How many millions of programmer-hours were wasted in the UNIX vendor wars when they refused to share core technology?
Inclusion - Is programming only for the Rich with Idle time? Or could some kid in Africa with barely enough food on the table become the next Linus Torvalds with a solar-powered laptop?
If you think about what OSS could do, then maybe that will change what you think is most valuable, which might actually affect the way you program. I think that's some seriously deep thinking, not rubbish.
Software as an abstract gamespace that is not about Software (michaeldehaan.net) Posted Jun 29, 2009 15:39 UTC (Mon) by ralphdegennaro (subscriber, #35718) [Link]
A rather limited view. I'd venture that some think its a way of life. Or that its an investment strategy in society and not the market. So while what you say (at least the second comment) is not untrue, you miss a lot about FOSS. And you miss the point of the post.
*sigh* Posted Jul 4, 2009 16:50 UTC (Sat) by gvy (guest, #11981) [Link]
> It is a system, an ideal.
Nope.
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