[GRASS-user] Off/On-Topic

[Nikos Alexandris]

On Thu, 2009-01-08 at 14:46 +0000, Benjamin Ducke wrote:
> Hi Nikos,
> 
> these are important issues that are being evaluated and re-evaluated
> all the time. If your university library has it, then this publication
> might 
> be an interesting read for you:
> 
> Joseph Feller (ed): Perspectives on Open Source Software (MIT Press 
> 2005).
> 
> It looks into pretty much all the questions you have posted here.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Ben

I got the book. I admit I didn't expect a book which expands on a
variety of issues and, more important, that it does present
argumentations for/by both open and closed source *stuff*. I even was
impressed by the term "shared source" which I've heard only once before.

Oh, really, the questions are too many. But it's worthwhile (actually I
would say it's an absolute *must*) to invest time to deal with "basic
questions".

One more comment:

The book starts with Part I (4 Chapters): "Motivation on Free//Open
Source Software Development" which is (should), in my humble opinion,
(be) a *key* political question.

The big misconception(s) of todays societies, if of course one accepts
that there are such, might be(is) exactly that: the established systems
_fail_ to capture the human entity in its totality (needs, desires,
dreams, creativity, etc.) and, equally important, fail to recognise (the
fact of) our *social* nature. That is, they fail to understand  the
"motivation" which keeps persons going.

Due to ignorance, due to foolishness or on purpose?

While I can't judge the (collection of articles of this) book in its
totality (since I just got it), I have the impression that some ideas
presented are exactly based on such misconception(s). And this is what
strengthens prophetical statements about the future of _anything_
against rational understanding and decisions.

Thank you Ben for recommending the book.
Kind regards, Nikos