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Subscribe!Fri - Jan 11, 2008 : 10:24 am
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Linux Babblings
I just got done reading a wonderful article in which the author tries to describe the core differences between the "open source" mentality and the proprietary one. He does a great job of being objective and is generally well-thought out.
Since I began using Linux, being myself a capitalist, I've battled the idea that the open source ideology is somewhat like unto socialism. I didn't give it much thought, but it kept pestering me.
I thought that because you didn't have to buy Linux, it wasn't a very capitalistic approach to computing. That's all well and good.
The world of proprietary software is, to a large degree, a spoon-fed world. People who liken their computer to a washing machine are perfectly happy with their proprietary software. It does what they need it to, and they don't care how. When it breaks, they expect to call someone and pay them to come over and fix it.
They don't want to think about having options. They just want to use what everybody else uses and get on with life.
Ya know, I don't have a problem with this at all, in fact - that suits me just fine.
Proprietary software is built for people who don't really care about the "how". They want stuff to work like their washing machine: You buy it, it comes with a manual and intuitive controls, and you use it the same way day in and day out.
The problem with this mentality is, I believe quite simple: Some people realize that computers can be much, much more than a washing machine.
Some people realize that computers are much, much more than what Microsoft tells them they are.
Example:
My brother is in a situation where he really, really needs to record all phone calls coming in and going out of his house. He doesn't, however, want to pay someone to come in and do a custom job and install a bunch of hardware which was specifically built to do the job, mostly because it's so costly.
So, he did a lot of research from the angle he knows ("let's go buy a software solution at the store") and the best he came up with is a modem which hangs up on him, or leaves the line open more than 50% of the time.
So, knowing that I know a bit about computers, he came and asked me about an alternative. Instead of doing the whole "let's see what I can go out and buy", I started thinking about ways OS software could be a solution. I quickly figured out that asterisk can do exactly what he needs for the cost of a PBX board and a very cheap computer. I don't know *how* to do it, but I know it can be done, and I know that I can learn how to do it - without knowing how to program a computer.
I'm not exactly sure entirely what I'm trying to say here, but I just thought a lot of the points of the article I just got done reading were spot on. That's all.
Maybe I'll re-read this and wonder why I posted it. :) Ta-ta!
Since I began using Linux, being myself a capitalist, I've battled the idea that the open source ideology is somewhat like unto socialism. I didn't give it much thought, but it kept pestering me.
I thought that because you didn't have to buy Linux, it wasn't a very capitalistic approach to computing. That's all well and good.
The world of proprietary software is, to a large degree, a spoon-fed world. People who liken their computer to a washing machine are perfectly happy with their proprietary software. It does what they need it to, and they don't care how. When it breaks, they expect to call someone and pay them to come over and fix it.
They don't want to think about having options. They just want to use what everybody else uses and get on with life.
Ya know, I don't have a problem with this at all, in fact - that suits me just fine.
Proprietary software is built for people who don't really care about the "how". They want stuff to work like their washing machine: You buy it, it comes with a manual and intuitive controls, and you use it the same way day in and day out.
The problem with this mentality is, I believe quite simple: Some people realize that computers can be much, much more than a washing machine.
Some people realize that computers are much, much more than what Microsoft tells them they are.
Example:
My brother is in a situation where he really, really needs to record all phone calls coming in and going out of his house. He doesn't, however, want to pay someone to come in and do a custom job and install a bunch of hardware which was specifically built to do the job, mostly because it's so costly.
So, he did a lot of research from the angle he knows ("let's go buy a software solution at the store") and the best he came up with is a modem which hangs up on him, or leaves the line open more than 50% of the time.
So, knowing that I know a bit about computers, he came and asked me about an alternative. Instead of doing the whole "let's see what I can go out and buy", I started thinking about ways OS software could be a solution. I quickly figured out that asterisk can do exactly what he needs for the cost of a PBX board and a very cheap computer. I don't know *how* to do it, but I know it can be done, and I know that I can learn how to do it - without knowing how to program a computer.
I'm not exactly sure entirely what I'm trying to say here, but I just thought a lot of the points of the article I just got done reading were spot on. That's all.
Maybe I'll re-read this and wonder why I posted it. :) Ta-ta!