Talks/FLOSS Overview: Difference between revisions

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''This talk was initially given at [[given at::Knight News Conference]]'' on [[delivered on::June 18, 2009]]. The talk was [[length::45]] in length.''
History


I. Early History
This talk tries to give a comprehensive overview of free and open source software. The talk is framed in terms of a historical narrative but the focus, in terms of content, tries to focus on the concepts, principles, projects, and people at the heart of free and open source software. 


  - printer / AI lab
My background is in work on free software projects over 17 years(!) in a variety of projects:
  - software sharing commune
  - reclaiming movement for freedom


II. Early Structure
* [http://www.debian.org Debian]
* [http://www.spi-inc.org Software in the Public Interest]
* [http://www.ubuntu.com Ubuntu]
* [http://www.fsf.org FSF]


  - Free Software Definition
=== Early History ===
  - Free Software Doundation
  - Copyleft
  - GPL
  - Strong orientation as social movement
  - GNU Project and Replacement for UNIX


III. Moving Beyond GNU
* RMS Printer story / MIT AI Lab (familiar to many people)
* [http://www.novalis.org/history-of-fsm/slide-24.html Emacs Software Sharing Commune]
* Free software was a ''reclaimist'' movement for freedom


  - BSDs, Minix, and the HURD
=== Early Structure ===
  - X Windows and struggles with commericialization and openness
  - Linux Torvalds and Linux
  - Distributions
  - Apache Web Server


IV. Open Source
* [http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html Free Software Definition]
* [http://www.fsf.org Free Software Foundation]
* [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/ Copyleft]
* [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GPL]
* Strong orientation as social movement
** Free software people are not always great at conveying this, but free software can be understand as a powerful call for user control over their own technology
* [http://www.gnu.org GNU Project] and the creation of a replacement for UNIX


  - frusteration with free software personality and posturing with
=== Moving Beyond GNU ===
    business interests and the late 90s tech bubble and dotcom boom
  - Eric Raymond and CatB, Bruce Perens
  - OSD Creation
  - Motivations epmhasizing the pragmatic beneifts of ree software
  - Opposite of a schism


V. Going Mainstream (ups and downs)
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSD BSDs], [http://www.minix3.org/ Minix], and the [http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html GNU HURD]
* [http://www.x.org X] and early struggles with commercialization and openness: permissive versus copyleft licensing
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds Linus Torvalds] and Linux
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_distribution Distributions]
* [http://www.apache.org/ Apache] web server


  - Breakthrough was with Netscape Navigator releasing code to their
=== Open Source ===
    browswer
  - Many other companies ended up getting carried away in the boom
  - Dotcom bust
  - Remergence of people who care about liberty and freedom
    - Social movements again
    - Governments in Europe/S. America/etc.


VI. Adapting FOSS Principles
* Open Source is born of frustration with free software personality and its posture with business interests and the late 90s tech bubble and the DotCom boom
* [http://opensource.org/ Open Source Initiative] started by [http://catb.org/esr/ Eric Raymond] (author of [http://catb.org/esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/ Cathedral and the Bazaar]),  [http://perens.com/ Bruce Perens] and others
* [http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php Open Source Definition]
* Motivations emphasizing the pragmatic benefits of fee software
** OS can be seen as a development methodology
** "A inherently better way to produce better software"
* "Opposite of a schism"


  - Many groups have been explicity inspired and have created lots of
=== Going Mainstream (ups and downs) ===
    other "open source ___" (medicine, invention, literature, music,
    etc).


  - Often inspired by ideas of:
* Perhaps the major breakthrough was with Netscape releasing code to their browser in 1998
    - massively parallel production
* Many other companies ended up getting carried away in the boom (VA Linux (LNUX has single biggest IPO) (Krantz and Henry, 1999)
    - large volunteer communities
* Dotcom Bust
    - high levels of "user innovation" and lead user
* Reemergence of people who care about liberty and freedom (or institutional independence and autonomy)
** Social movements again
** Governments in Europe/S. America/etc.


  - buildings most frequently on licenses of FOSS
=== Adapting FOSS Principles ===
    - copyleft and gpl style legal mechanisms
  - in some cases, making mroe normatively sort of descriptions and
    calls for free things


VII. What does FOSS production means?
* Many groups have been explicitly inspired and have created lots of other "open source ''blanks''" (e.g., medicine, invention, literature, music, etc).
 
* Most groups take inspiration from:
  - A social movement?
** Massively parallel production
  - An adherence to some conception of openness
** Large volunteer communities
  - An attempt to harness certain types of work
** High levels of "user innovation" and lead users
  - An attempt to challenge/change the nature of production in a
* Most buildings on ''licenses'' (esp. copyleft) of FOSS but it's important to realize that these are instrumental in some cases, making mroe normatively sort of descriptions and  calls for free things
    depper/more general way


</pre>
=== New Developments ===
 
* Network services produce a number of important challenges related to data and deep problems associated with shared ownership of a shared resources (free software is actually deeply troubled)
** [http://autonomo.us Autonomo.us]
** [http://autonomo.us/2008/07/franklin-street-statement/ Franklin Street Statement]
* Software Patenting
** [http://endsoftwarepatents.org End Software Patents]
* New business models
** MySQL, dual mode system
 
[[Category:Talks]]

Latest revision as of 15:46, 17 June 2012

This talk was initially given at given at::Knight News Conference on delivered on::June 18, 2009. The talk was length::45 in length.

This talk tries to give a comprehensive overview of free and open source software. The talk is framed in terms of a historical narrative but the focus, in terms of content, tries to focus on the concepts, principles, projects, and people at the heart of free and open source software.

My background is in work on free software projects over 17 years(!) in a variety of projects:

Early History[edit]

Early Structure[edit]

Moving Beyond GNU[edit]

Open Source[edit]

  • Open Source is born of frustration with free software personality and its posture with business interests and the late 90s tech bubble and the DotCom boom
  • Open Source Initiative started by Eric Raymond (author of Cathedral and the Bazaar), Bruce Perens and others
  • Open Source Definition
  • Motivations emphasizing the pragmatic benefits of fee software
    • OS can be seen as a development methodology
    • "A inherently better way to produce better software"
  • "Opposite of a schism"

Going Mainstream (ups and downs)[edit]

  • Perhaps the major breakthrough was with Netscape releasing code to their browser in 1998
  • Many other companies ended up getting carried away in the boom (VA Linux (LNUX has single biggest IPO) (Krantz and Henry, 1999)
  • Dotcom Bust
  • Reemergence of people who care about liberty and freedom (or institutional independence and autonomy)
    • Social movements again
    • Governments in Europe/S. America/etc.

Adapting FOSS Principles[edit]

  • Many groups have been explicitly inspired and have created lots of other "open source blanks" (e.g., medicine, invention, literature, music, etc).
  • Most groups take inspiration from:
    • Massively parallel production
    • Large volunteer communities
    • High levels of "user innovation" and lead users
  • Most buildings on licenses (esp. copyleft) of FOSS but it's important to realize that these are instrumental in some cases, making mroe normatively sort of descriptions and calls for free things

New Developments[edit]

  • Network services produce a number of important challenges related to data and deep problems associated with shared ownership of a shared resources (free software is actually deeply troubled)
  • Software Patenting
  • New business models
    • MySQL, dual mode system
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