It works great in the imagination, no where else.

Isn't open source software largely based on a communistic/socialist ideology?

Of course every time this is pointed out, some freedom fighter will vigorously deny any relation between Linux and communism, asserting that OSS is all about Freedom (much the same way Larry Craig denies that he's gay).

The fact is though, Richard Stallman, author of the gnu software license, is very much a socialist. He designed the license to infect everything it touched.

I agree I think that there are always certain areas where these kind of ideals work well. I don't think this proves that the concept as a lifestyle would work though.

That's probably true. What's interesting to think about though, is as technology advances, and machines do the work of people, what will humans do with their time? The next several hundred years are going to be a wide open, uncharted territory in human history.

Yes but they've been threatening that for the last 20 years and it hasn't happened yet. I remember being told everyone would be working a 3 day week and we would have to worry about leisure time. Truthfully people are in general working longer hours.

I know in Ireland we have had to import workers from abroad to keep our economy growing. I think the type of jobs change as we use machines more and more but I think we also create new jobs.

InformIT: Community, Not Communism > Size Really Does Matter

The companies and individuals making their living off of open source software would like to have a word with you.

That's been true of the next several hundred years throughout human history.

Platitudes.

Then I suppose you'd agree that arguments along the lines "it's never been done, therefore it can't be done" are pretty weak in general. You know, one of your arguments.

Otherwise, I don't recall the last age when people peered into their own DNA and built machines that surpassed human intelligence. If and when humans build machines that build and service other machines, there will be a dramatic shift in social dynamics. What human chore will be left, aside from writing software?

I'm not going to gaze into your crystal ball with you threre Nastrodamus. Yeah, we'll most likely continue to see technological improvements unless communism somehow sweeps the whole world. But you don't need to start worrying about Terminator just yet.

You put words in my mouth - while its true communism has never worked, there is a reason it has never worked. Rather than try to build straw men that you wouldn't be able to knock down anyway, how about trying to tackle MY points above?

I said this earlier in the thread, and you are confirming it now. You guys aren't capable of telling us how it'd work and support your view, you just try to defang opposing view points.

On your view, OSS theoretically shouldn't exist. What's the incentive? If there was no pay, why should a person spend years understanding the linux kernel when they could play video games and look at internet porn instead? The level of education required is on par with medicine, law, or architecture.

I think you are simplifying something that I find almost unique to the developer community. Look at the numerous help forums for developers that are run by experts who volunteer their time to impart their knowledge to others. Whether the motivation is ego, showing off or a genuine desire to help doesn't matter. This kind of behaviour is common in the developer community maybe because it lends itself to this.

Oh my, I have so many problems with this statement I barely know where to begin. A statement like this is born out of subjective perceptions of what it means to be superior over another human being. Deep within, when you peel back the layers of perception and experience, we are all equal peaceful beings.

It's interesting that many indigenous cultures prospered and thrived for tens of thousands of years on principles that are true to the ideal of communism only to be destroyed by colonialism and democracy. I don't think we'd have to de-evolve that far at all for true communism to make a better world.

As I said, I'm no expert, but was just giving my interpretation. I certainly don't have a 'correct' answer to this issue. But I also don't think that communism implies total individual freedom to do whatever one wants and be rewarded for it by the State - clearly that is impractical. Perhaps some kind of system where one has to prove one's ability in one's chosen field (relative to others who choose that field)? So your flautist can play the flute for a living just so long as he's damn good at it. Once again I think there is not necessarily only two black/white options (i.e. everyone can choose whatever they feel like for a job, or the State chooses everyone's vocations for them).