Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 15:17:44 +0100 From: Rahul Siddharthan <rsidd@physics.iisc.ernet.in> To: j mckitrick <jcm@FreeBSD-uk.eu.org> Cc: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: quote about open source Message-ID: <20010202151744.O38235@lpt.ens.fr> In-Reply-To: <20010202140505.B91552@dogma.freebsd-uk.eu.org>; from jcm@FreeBSD-uk.eu.org on Fri, Feb 02, 2001 at 02:05:05PM %2B0000 References: <20010202140505.B91552@dogma.freebsd-uk.eu.org>
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j mckitrick said on Feb 2, 2001 at 14:05:05: > `The second problem is, and this is my most controversial remark, open > source is the end of innovation and it's the end of innovation because > open source can't happen until it's so broadly understood what's going > on that the innovation has slowed down to incrementalism.'' By that reasoning, there can't be innovation in science either, because it's always been "open source" -- share your ideas, publish them, etc. The idea of patenting scientific discoveries is pretty recent, and even so, the equivalent of "closed source" (hide your methods, reveal only your results) just doesn't exist -- because people know such things cannot be taken seriously. In physics, for some years now an online archive of electronic preprints (http://arxiv.org, with mirrors all around the world) has pretty much taken over from journals as the primary means of communicating ideas. You write up your work, send it there, and next day physicists all over the world will receive the abstracts on the daily mailing, or check it out on the web page, and can download the entire paper if they want -- and it's all completely free of charge, and no refereeing either. -- Rahul. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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