Re: <nettime> the next layer or the emergence of open source culture

[Armin Medosch <armin@easynet.co.uk>]

On Thu, 2007-02-22 at 11:07 -0800, Kimberly De Vries wrote:

> I don't mean you should hide it, but maybe mention/document some
> examples when you talk about various covert deals made between
> groups--just claiming they exist won't convince a reader who doesn't
> already agree, and I assume you would like to persuade them.

Sorry, but I dont get this any more. Where do I talk about 'covert
deals between groups' ? What I say is you dont need to roll out the
spectre of cybercommunism for the next layer to happen. If some
totally depoliticized geek writes some code for some open source
project thhis is still fine. He does not have to think that this
activity is political, in the bigger picture it still is. At the
same time there are coders who understand their activity as clearly
political and they write software with a pointed intention to create
free media tools, free networks, etc. maybe you dont know such people
but they do exist, even in the USA of here and today. case studies
will follow.

as to the question if capitalism is 'stronger than ever' I agree with
lotu5' remark that this does not sound quite right. I should have
expressed it more dialectically. What I wanted to say is that powerful
people/classes have better means of oppression than ever and that
computers play a big role in that. At the same time people are writing
tools for DIY media and use them and this is all great, I am totally
up for it. But although capitalism may be 'waffling' I dont expect
to see Chavez running the world economy any time soon. Therefore my
metaphorical ending. the ice age of capitalism is still on, full
stop. but open source culture is something more evolutionary than
revolutionary and is smart and adaptive and bottom-up. in that regard
I would like to propose the synthesis, not the division, between
the cocoa co-operative in nicaragua and the hacklab in berlin or
amsterdam. you can see it as one and the same struggle, or you can
stay home and pull the blanket up

regards
armin         





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