Open Source Software Intelligence

Open Source (public) Software Intelligence beating Private Software Intelligence

Collective Intelligence
Prospective
Technology

Introduction

The aim of this wiki page is to explore why and how the Open Source Software Intelligence (OSSInt) --which is probably the most advanced form of Collective Intelligence on a large scale today-- is going to beat the private sector in innovation and production.

Here are some excepts of an introductory article external link

from Wired that browses many key issues raised by the open source wave :

"Open source embodies an ethos as fruitful and resilient as the closed capitalism Bill Gates represents: the spirit of democratic solutions to daunting problems. It's the creed of Emerson, who preached independent initiative and advocated a "creative economy." It's the philosophy of William James, whose pragmatism dictated that "ideals ought to aim at the transformation of reality." It's the science of Frederick Taylor, who proved that distributing work could exponentially boost productivity and replace "suspicious watchfulness" with "mutual confidence." It's the logic of Adam Smith, whose notion of "enlightened self-interest" among workers neatly presages the primary motivation for many open source collaborators. "
"Open source is often framed as an attack on the corporate world at large. But in fact, the open source approach can be a boon for companies. Licensing from a trusted collaborative project saves money and leaves the technology open to further development. By showing corporations that a closed, defensive approach to intellectual property can be less efficient than liberal licensing, Cambia and a few other open source efforts are leading the way to the mainstream."

Will Open Source Software beat Private Software?

In the near future, OSSInt will prove to be more efficient than private companies. This will happen because of the democratization and spraying of knowledge + standards among public Collective Intelligence. Varieties and combinations of talents are simply higher, diversified and wider in an open world than in a closed private one. This phenomenon will accelerate because of the arising of social software and the power of social networks (that are both still at their launching phase).

An easy indicator to watch, is the competition stage between top used software in private and open source sectors, such as Operating Systems, Desktop Suites, VoIP, Social Software, navigators, databases, programming languages, anti-virus, firewalls, etc. We could build up a comparison table like the one below, and meditate on the evolution in the next 2-3 years from now.

Software	Private leader	Public leader	Most efficient	Most popular	Probable Scenarios
Operating System	Windows	Linux	Linux	Windows	Linux will prove to be easier to install and manage. It is already much more stable and secured
Desktop Suites	MS Office	Open Office	=	MS Office	Open office will become as easy to install, with more potential and more open technology for interconnectivity
Web browsers	I.E.	Firefox	Firefox	I.E.	Firefox is more flexible, lighter, safer, open, and will eventualy become more successful
Etc... complete the list

Here is The 2003 OSDir.com Editor's Choice Awards in Open Source external link

in O'Reilly. A new comer will discover how advanced are the Open Source software.

Open Source Case for Business external link

from the Open Source Initiative external link

is also interesting.

Where is the money?

Most of the Open Source Software industry is indirectly financed by private industries because most programmers have a paid job there that pays for the free time they invest in Open Source projects. The other source of income comes from the selling of specific services (implementation, maintenance, specific developments, etc), but they remain minor in regard to the number of players involved in the Open Source Software.

The main barrier today is that the Open Source movement is still in a Knowledge Ecology and has not created a real Knowledge Economy. Let's bet this is going to evolve in the coming years (and this is one of the aims of TheTransitioner) when the conditions for a deterritorialized currency? are reached.

The Political Dimension

Today the Open Source Industry may represent a chance for poor countries, for the following reasons:

The entry cost is relatively low: no heavy industry, no costly equipment, no out of reach infrastructure... Indeed Internet connectivity remains essential, but high bandwith is not necessary to be perfectly integrated in an Open Source project.

Because of its rhizomatic and informal structure, the Open Source is highly integrative. It gives a chance to all those who want to contribute: localisation, QA, programming, ergonomy, content, security, etc. The learning is part of this integrative process, the main necessary ingredient remains a strong motivation. Open Source doesn't impose usual barriers to entry like in the classic industrial castes.

We can imagine that poor countries seize the occasion of Open Source and, because of their extreme motivation, highly contribute in accelerating the phenomenon.

Will this shift extend to the whole creation and production process in the society?

This question is explored in the Open Source Intelligence page.