Re: [ox-en] Re: Free Software is not a gift
- From: "George N. Dafermos" <georgedafermos yahoo.com>
- Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2006 08:54:36 -0800 (PST)
Hello Stefan, Gregers, and friends,
3 weeks (23 days) ago Gregers Petersen wrote:
I will actually be talking on this subject at 23c3
(on the 27.12) in
Berlin - if anybody feel interested then I would
be happy to respond
further :)
Though I always love to meet Oekonuxis in person I'm
sorry but this
years my plans are different :-/ . May be other
Oekonuxis are at 23C3?
I'll be there. Am looking forward to your "the gift of
sharing" talk.
On a related note, I don't think it's constructive to
conceptualise free software on the basis of a gift
economy - whether archaic or modern. Please don't take
me wrong: while there are numerous examples of social
production that are not or cannot be mediated through
the market (Stefan recently mentioned here the "Code:
Collaborative Ownership and the Digital Economy",
edited by Ghosh, which brings to the fore numerous
sites and modes of production, as well as onwership
that are incompatible with the scope of
post-industrial capitalism), metaphors are useful when
used on their own level, when used as vehicles to
further the discussion, rather than to force it within
a conceptual shell that stiffles its historical and
material specificities. In other words, I think it's
hightime we concentrated on the dissimilarities
between the concept of the gift and the reality, that
is, the practice of free software and open source
production. And I am glad that your presentation
starts from the notion of the gift as its reference
point, but goes much further than that, to question
the underpinning organisational principles. As said,
I'm looking forward to your talk:-)
Cordially,
george
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