Section 24.3. Came the Revolution

24.3. Came the Revolution

A lot of people write about Free Software and Open Source in terms ranging from economic history to political revolutionary rhetoric. One of your present humble authors has even written the phrase "economic inevitability" in a weak moment. And while there is ample room to speculate on the future by looking at the past, and while there actually are legitimate issues of liberty, rights, and politics in the mix, it is always shaky when an argument veers close to tautology ("Free Software is right because it is right").

Some people will actually choose Free Software for political reasons, just as some Americans chose rebellion for political reasons. But the majority of Americans in 1776 were not revolutionaries, and the majority of people using Linux are not either. We have other concerns. In both cases, keeping bread on the table is a greater concern for most than the revolutionary issue.

Read Richard Stallman's writings if you are interested in the revolution. Read Lawrence Lessig^[2] if you are interested in the politics and legal issues. Most of us, however, will be asking how these technologies can put bread on our table.

^[2] A Stanford Law School professor and founder of the Center for Internet and Society, Lessig is the author of three remarkable books: Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World, and Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity.

The key is lifelong learning. And that is where Open has a distinct advantage. You want to know how it works? Look. There is a lot of good code (and some very bad code) out there, free for the taking, analyzing, and for certain uses. One of the arguments made for closed code is a quality argument. But as programmers who have worked on closed systems, we can tell you that we have seen plenty of bad code out that is closed and proprietary. You just have to look at news about viruses and worms to know that. The point is that Open Source and Free Software are a safer investment. In closed systems there is always pressure to "churn" the APIs so that new OS versions and new development tools can be sold. There is some of that in Free Software too, but you can watch it as it happens, and if a program is your bread and butter, you can participate.

In any revolution, there are the brave and foolhardy rushing to the barricades, banners in hand. But the sensible are keeping their heads down and trying to figure out how to get through it all. We hope our modest contribution helps the latter.