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April 13, 2005

Open Source attributes and the Big Picture

One of the attributes of Open Source is the act of cooperation among many people and companies, often ones that otherwise are in competition. The benefits of doing this are often lost on those that haven't participated in such efforts or think that's not how the world is supposed to work. Another is sharing with others who have a need.

I participated in an event at the Massachusetts Software Council yesterday where Mikhail Gorbachev was the keynote speaker. I also got to talk with him over lunch (!!!) about technology and other issues. (I wrote this up on my personal blog.) One thing that struck me was that the idea of cooperation, working together, etc., came up over and over again. He sees that as a major force in creating good for the world. Open Source is just another example of that, and a good one for people studying economics.

Posted by danb at April 13, 2005 11:31 AM