[SLUG] re: last eve's meeting

[Martin Webb]

The exchange went on.  Most of it is below:

 >john at johnallsopp.co.uk wrote:
 >
 >>>>>>An
 >>>>>>ethic of you're developing through my work and its accessability,
 >>>>>> and
 >>>>>>I
 >>>>>>through yours.
 >>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> You might have to explain that more clearly for me, I'm missing your
 >>>> point I think.
 >
 >>
 >> The immediate point, was something like this.  I think there's a good
 >> parallel concerning conditions of heavy traffic and congested roads.
 >> Research (I don't have any citations to quote, hence disqualifying my
 >> point) suggests that where drivers compete for road space, all the
 >> traffic is slowed down.  The motorway weaver, going from lane to lane,
 >> slows the rest of the traffic, and gains no advantage him/herself, but
 >> only goes through any section of road in the same number of mins/secs
 >> as
 >> everyone else, who has already been slowed down.  But when drivers
 >> co-operate, the traffic moves at an optimum speed, and all pass
 >> through
 >> more quickly than in the opposite case.
 >>
 >> Analagously (and I believe this does transfer from Stallman's ethic,
 >> whatever he says himself), people/nations, trying to make a living, do
 >> better when they co-operate than when they compete.


So, that's an argument for being in the EU rather than leaving it. I
don't know whether it's true, but I suspect competition and
co-operation both have their place.


 >> I do however agree with him that yer do this where you are, locally,
 >> without any grand world ideas (unless you are one of the greats, like
 >> Stallmam - given his stated views, this is an interesting paradox).


It occurred to me while I was in town today, just while I'm
remembering it, that the rule about working within your sphere of
influence isn't quite it. It's about being the best you can be.
Stallman is an olympic programmer. He's world champion for at least
one year. He's Bjorn Borg. He's Steve Davis. Being the very best is
part of specialising, of realising what you are going to be able to
make your mark in.

Just thought I'd get that out while it was on my mind.



 >> I know this is all idle speculation, but I'm aware how great political
 >> movements/changes come about, at a time when critical momentum has
 >> been
 >> achieved, by the interplay of gradual, changing, big ideas plus
 >> changes
 >> in economic circumstances


I can't remember whether I said this at the meeting or later to my
partner, but I feel that too. Free software is growing, and on the
other side is Microsoft, struggling to get Vista ready for release,
and what new features will it have? Digital Rights Management, a
system no customer has requested, but which is being imposed by big
money business. I feel the switchover coming.



 >>(feudalism and authoritarian government by
 >> church and monarchy changes to enlightenment, individualism, freedom,
 >> democracy, through the interplay of economics and the great ideas of
 >> scientific discovery, truth=observation, etc., e.g.).


Sounds like you know more about that than I do, but I'm happy to discuss.


 >> The power of international, uncontrollable communication, with
 >> co-operation over e.g. GPL/Linux-like stuff, seems to me to be "a big
 >> idea" in the same vein.


Yes, I'd like to wonder what would happen when the methods of
international co-operation which free and open source software
development has created become established enough to be applied to
other things: business, politics, terrorism, protest, grey power. That
interests me. In fact, I have on my Amazon wish list a book that will
explain how the open source development thing works, so when I've
worked through a chapter or two of that maybe it'll be time for
another presentation.

If you're happy to bring this back to the list, then do, it might be
better there where people can join in the Stallman discussion.

Cheers
J