Peer-to-peer (was: Re: [ox-en] linux & manufacturing)
- From: Stefan Merten <smerten oekonux.de>
- Date: Sun, 06 Oct 2002 10:41:44 +0200
Hi Michel and list!
3 months (90 days) ago michel bauwens wrote:
- if one extracts from the free software phenomena the peer to peer
way of producing knowledge
- then one can really see how today, capitalism is based on increasing
forms of cooperation, and in fact, the very model of one to one
production and mass-customised forms of manufacturing, are based on
the externalising of production to clients themselves. See how
Mindstorm and Aibo clients are extending the possiblities of their
favorite products. Hence my conclusion: peer to peer is really the
emerging form of social production, though the system does not
recognise it, and tries to encapsulate p2p in classic forms of
domination and exploitation, but that tension is becoming greater by
the day.
On the German list the term "prosumer" appears from time to time. In a
way this seems to be similar to what you understand by peer-to-peer -
if I understand you correctly.
Indeed there is some research about that in the US AFAIK. Check out
http://opensource.mit.edu/ and especially the works of Eric v. Hippel
[http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/].
I am in the process of writing an essay, and the main gist is that
we extract peer to peer from free software, as a more enduring and
generalised paradigm, then that gives not only extraordinary
descriptive force to describe what's going on, but also prospective
force, as peer to peer really is an emerging value and form of
subjectivity that can be promoted and has enormous consequences ...
I'm looking forward to your contribution to the conference (hoping I
can attend it ;-) ).
Mit Freien Grüßen
Stefan
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