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  • From: "tompoe AT renonevada.net" <tompoe AT renonevada.net>
  • To: Michele <micheleisernia AT yahoo.com>
  • Cc: mik63 AT attbi.com
  • Cc: community_studios AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Community_studios] Re: Linux Economy
  • Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 09:36:56 -0800

Hi: Your points and concerns are well taken. Here's something that I think might be of interest.

If you agree we have entered the Digital Age. The Digital Age loosely defined, is when all content and creativity and innovation boils down to a digital file. At the extreme, we have an example of some scientists that placed raw materials in a box. They put an object made out of the raw materials in another box. They hooked up the two boxes by a phone line. Then, on the appointed hour, the folks at the box with the object pushed the button, and the object was measured and converted those measurements into a digital file. They sent that digital file to the other box through the phone line, and then pushed a button at the other end to have the digital file read, and processed through a software program that combined the raw materials to create an identical, not similar, object. When the time was up, they opened that box, and the object was ready.

Taking that example, as evidence of the power of the Digital Age to change how things are done, let's add the human variable. In the Digital Age, we, as individuals can use the Internet to market our products. The product might be a basket for one person, a programming capability for another, a music collection of original works for another, a painting for yet another. Try to imagine someone who makes sausage to sell, someone who buys cars and resells them to others. Each individual has the empowerment of the Internet to afford to start a business without much money up front.

Open Studios assists communities to start community-based recording studios that provide free recording services for folks that want to make songs, music, want to create CD's with their paintings, and writings, and discussions about their personal lives. These facilities also provide a means for homeless people to create videos, make movies, recordings, develop market strategies using the Internet, contact and work with manufacturers to put their works in electronic devices that people can purchase as well, like teddy bears with special songs, necklaces with special recordings, whatever creative combination they come up with. Communities can develop markets through the Internet that draw people from all over the world, instantly. I can purchase a very fine fruitcake from a monastery in Missouri. I can purchase arts and crafts from every region, every corner of the world. I can purchase food products that can reach me no matter where I am.

An economy can thrive and grow and be very prosperous without large international corporations. The Digital Age promises everyone has an equal opportunity to compete and earn a living without finding a job from among the few corporate giants that want to control the world community.

Having said that, it's not so easy for now. Soon, though, there will be so much joy and interesting activity for those who seek to make their way without doing what the greedy corporate giants think is proper.

Why don't you start a community-based recording studio in your community? One of the possibilities is that the volunteer work you do now, will turn into consulting work for businesses that want to market and make advertising campaigns to attract markets for their products. They'll ask Michele to help them. You'll be fabulously rich, and then you can donate some money to Open Studios to help others. :)
Thanks,
Tom Poe
Open Studios
Reno, NV

Michele wrote:
Hi,

I have read some of your articles and other people
articles on the Linux Business model subject.
I have not found anybody that has truly looked at the
medium and long term consequences to the whole economy
if (when) the Linux model will succeed.
Everybody is excited about the damages Linux can do to
Microsoft and other large monopolies, as well as
opening up the creative spirit and innovation of many
people...
My concearn is the following: even if I agree about
some of the limitations posed by the monopolies and
all the risks connected to this, these large
corporations keep a lot of people employed.
In fact the whole IT economy is based on certain
economical laws and trends; there are already several
major trends that are making people loose their job;
for example the trend to commodity HW that has driven
the margins of HW to almost negative levels.
Such a trend is positive if it reaches an equilibrium,
otherwise is plainly distructive.
I would bet that at least 50-70% of the Linux public
domain developers work for companies in the current IT
economy, and at night (or even during their working
hours) they develop open source technology.
In the past this role was only exercized by the
Universities; but the University was only lasting 5-6
years, then people were moving on into the economy and
contributing their knowledge into a balanced
economical model, where you are paid for your
contribution, and so what you create has a value
attached to your salary.
Some of the open source technology will end up adding
value to the company this people work for, but in many
cases it will serously damage the whole business model
that is currently keeping them employed.
It's like a sone living with his parents and being fed
by his father's job, while the son is working on
putting his father employer out of business...
With my question, I am not trying to shoot down Linux
and the open source community, but it would be great
if we could understand the long term consequences.
The time of exploration, when Europe was looking for
new territories has had several positive as well as
negative impacts to world history.
One of them was the Black Plague in Europe...; let's
make sure Linux is not going to accelerate the "job
death" of millions of IT people...

I wonder what is your opinon on this and if you know
of anybody else that is working on figuring this out
or if we could start this study/discussion...

Thanks.

Mik

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  • [Community_studios] Re: Linux Economy, tompoe AT renonevada.net, 02/22/2003

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