Jussi Silvonen * Linux User Groups and the 'Linux Community' (was: [ox-en] Conference documentation)
- From: Stefan Merten <smerten oekonux.de>
- Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 21:39:01 +0200
Linux User Groups and the 'Linux Community'
===========================================
Jussi Silvonen [jussi.silvonen helsinki.fi]
University of Helsinki
Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research
Original version at
http://home.edu.helsinki.fi/~jsilvone/Oekonux/OekoN03_JS.html
General ideas: contradiction, history, and every day practices
==============================================================
Three aspects
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o Economic aspect: Free software vs. proprietary software.
o Community aspect: Open, decentralized, global Bazaar, a virtual
community vs. Hierarchical Cathedral
o Innovation aspect: New development model restructuring the
developer-end-user relation.
Technical and Social in Linux?
------------------------------
A Code / Program A License
.................................. ..................................
UNIX like operating system GPL licensed free / open source
software
invented by Linus Torvalds in 1991 FSF founded in 1984 by Richard
Stallman.
Mode of development Mode of production
How do they relate?
Dimensions of `free' and `open'
-------------------------------
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Radical localism
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Fundamental societal contradictions of the given socio-economic
formation are present in local activity of that society. Impersonal
societal structures can be seen as consisting of local activities
carried out by concrete human beings with the help of mediating
artefacts. Look at society more as a multi-layered network of
interconnected activity systems and less as pyramid of rigid
structures dependent on a single centre of power.
(Engeström 1999, 36)
Expansion of the `Linux Community'
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Linux kernel hackers
--------------------
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Kernel developers in Credits files
----------------------------------
PRIMARY DOCS
CODES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Totals
...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
*SUB 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2
Africa
*SUB 3 8 13 13 18 18 23 20 116
Asia
*SUB 38 58 92 97 135 144 175 191 930
Europa
*SUB 33 51 69 73 90 93 126 137 672
North
America
*SUB 0 0 2 2 3 4 8 12 31
South
America
Totals 74 117 176 185 246 259 333 361 1751
Distributions
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Linux User Groups
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495 user groups in 69 countries http://lugww.counter.li.org/ (August
2002).
LUGs by Continent (members)
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In total:
o 495 LUGs
o 69616 individual members
LUGs by Language
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LUG inside the Community
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The `Community'?
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o Communities are networks of interpersonal ties that provide
sociability, support, information, a sense of belonging, and
social identity. (Wellman 2001, 1)
o Transition from strong ties to weak ties
o Networks instead of traditional communities and/or hierarchies
The case: Finnish Linux User Group
==================================
FLUG - Finnish Linux User Group
-------------------------------
o In 1997, an informal group; in 1999 first Install Fest; in 2000,
formal nationwide association. Appr. 250 formal members, 99 %
male.
o Main activity: flug-l e-mail list - about 1800 subscribers, 289
active participants (9 hotmail users).
o Regular meetings, annual LDD.
o `Linux Goes Schools' campaign + local groups.
flug-l
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Steps in analysis
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o Classification of all messages by four main topics
o Identifying 236 individual threads
o Identifying the main groups of discussion participants.
o `Thick description' of discussions peaks.
Discussion topics by month
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Young hackers vs. old gentlemen
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o Linux-portal thread: 97 mails, 34 participants, 13 days.
o `Adjacency pairs' = 51. `Nodes' = 8. Subjects = 7. `free flouting
mails' = 2.
o Opening: recommendation to visit a Finnish Linux portal. Thread
transforms to a dispute about the nature of programming Linux.
Opening (ap1)
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P2486 + *Date*: Sat, 9 Dec 2000 22:16:53
Has anybody noticed the portal http://www.linuxonly.cx/, it seems to
be quite promising. I recommend everybody to visit.
P2487 + *Date*: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 18:07:45
I have been there and even sometimes produced a few pieces of news but
the site is so amateurish and the language skills of the editor is so
weak that it does not impress as a portal.
Young Hackers (ap 3)
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P2493 + *Date*: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 11:51:39
Tell me, old gentlemen, is Linux itself created by profs or by
amateurs? So many times have we noticed how much better the programs
written by amateurs are, compared with proprietary ones. So, a little
bit amateurship should be accepted, at least in our circles.
P2522 + *Date*: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 14:38:35
In these circles only so called amateurs are professionals, and
professionals are bunglers. You can't learn these things at school, at
all.
Old gentlemen
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P2533 + *Date*: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 12:56:18
I'm 17 (---) and I have to go to imho totally futile high
school.
Don't dress yourself in the sack. High school math and physics are a
real good base for programming.
P2534 + *Date*: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 13:03:09
I'm 17 (---) and I have to go to imho totally futile high
school.
High school is for general education. Coding of a program is not
separated from the real life. On the contrary.
Tensions in the thread
----------------------
Amateur vs. professional
Skilled vs. wage labour
Young vs. old
Open vs. closed
Freedom vs. control
Self-learning vs. formal education
Discussion themes by subgroup
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Local practices
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o Linux Demo Days (2000, 2001
[http://home.edu.helsinki.fi/~jsilvone/LDD_Lahti/index.html],
2001 [http://home.edu.helsinki.fi/~jsilvone/LDD_Vanha/index.htm],
2002)
o Monthly meetings ("miitti")
o Excursions to Valamo (and other places)
o Linux Goes School
o User Meetings
Ulvila Install Fest 1999
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Otaniemi 1999
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LDD at "Vanha" 1999
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LDD 2001 in Lahti
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FLUG
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o FLUG is a community of active and highly skilled Linux users
(educational function)
o FLUG as a Finnish-language organization is closely connected with
the global www-networks (translation function)
o FLUG has a moderate political profile (Linux instead of
GNU/Linux) being active in such cases as software patenting
o FLUG hosts on-line and real-life activists as well as radical and
moderate hackers. The meaning of `Linux' is being constructed in
continuous debates between these groups
Some functions of FLUG
----------------------
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Some conclusions
================
o The `Linux community' is a complicated network of different
communities. They are 'virtual' and they are anchored in local
social activities.
o Linux user groups are an essential part of the whole network
making Linux possible. They are `translators' between developers
and lead users, offering an arena for local articulations of
`Linux'.
o Linux communities are not simply `open' and `decentralized'. They
have their own hierarchies, and divisions of work. Communities
are led by rather small group of activists.
_______________________
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