[OT] What is Open Source? (was Re: ANN: Twisted 0.16.0...)

[Alex Martelli]

Isaac To wrote:
        ...
> Currently, the OSS point of attack seems more effective.  But I like the
> free software line of attack much better.  Users must not be at the mercy
> of producers.

"Yes, but".  The "theory of public choice" explains why producers (a 
smaller, compact group) are most often more effective at lobbying for their 
perceived interests than consumers (a larger, diffuse group).  If each
of (e.g.) 100 producers stands to lose $10,000 from a new public policy,
and each of 100,000 consumers stands to gain $11, overall welfare would
be enhanced by the policy BUT each producer has a strong incentive to
spend to purchase the rent coming from blocking the new policy, while each
consumer will not, rationally, have incentive to devote the matter much
thought, attention, time, energy.  The policy likely won't come.


Which is why it's pragmatically important to lobby for pro-consumers
policies even when it has to be by flawed arguments (distasteful, but
real).  For example, defend free trade by the argument "unfortunately
we do have to open our markets because in return nation X will open
theirs -- if we put protectionist measures in place they'd retaliate".

As Ricardo noticed two centuries ago, this makes about as much sense
as "retaliating" against other nations lacking good harbors by blowing
up one's own perfectly good ports -- nation X's collective advantage
is still with free trade even if our nation puts huge barriers up.

But putting this in a tit-for-tat framing works well with human
biological predispositions towards competition and cooperation, and
ranges on the side of free trade the relatively small group of producers 
who stand to gain relatively large amounts by nation X's markets being
open, as well as the larger groups of customers who stand to gain
smaller amounts by OUR markets being open.  Such intellectually
unpleasant but politically pragmatic approaches are thus useful.


I'm not claiming the pro-producer arguments for free or open software
are as flawed as the "else they'll retaliate" ones for free trade,
just offering a parallel with issues that are well known to anybody
who's ever dipped into public-choice theory.  Consumers SHOULD not be
at producers' mercy, but to help ensure that, signing some producers
up on the same side as consumers' interests is generally crucial.


Alex