[PLUG] A bit confused about 2.6 kernel and X drivers

[Jeme A Brelin]

On Fri, 4 Jun 2004, AthlonRob wrote:
> I think it's hard to make money on a product if the design is public in
> the same sense OSS software is public.

Yeah, could you imagine manufacturing something that isn't patented and
expecting to turn a profit?  Like, say you wanted to make dining tables or
sewing needles or clipboards or something and you didn't have a patent
that gave you exclusive control over the technology, what would you do?
You couldn't possibly stay in business making things without a state
monopoly.

Oh, wait...

[Yes, this IS a trickier issue than that.  The fact appears to be that
free markets cannot innovate AND benefit the public.]

> There would likely be a lot of innovation, I think, but the only thing a
> company could do would be manufacturing the hardware...

There wouldn't be innovation because there wouldn't be a profit to justify
the R&D.  You either would have to keep your research results a secret
(and, therefore, not open source your drivers to hide your precious
secrets) or publish your research results and have the wealthiest folks in
your sphere of manufacture (or extremely wealthy people outside of your
industry) beat you in the marketplace.

(The answer, of course, is to remove the means by which wealth is
accumulated and thus redefine "the marketplace".)

> It might be neat, but I think it would be a mess.

No doubt.  Welcome to the death throes of market capitalism (which might
actually be the greatest victory of market capitalism and the death throes
of civilization).

J.
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     Jeme A Brelin
    jeme at brelin.net
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