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Jussi Silvonen * Linux User Groups and the 'Linux Community' (was: [ox-en] Conference documentation)



Linux User Groups and the 'Linux Community'
===========================================

Jussi Silvonen [jussi.silvonen helsinki.fi]

University of Helsinki

Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research

Original version at
http://home.edu.helsinki.fi/~jsilvone/Oekonux/OekoN03_JS.html

General ideas: contradiction, history, and every day practices
==============================================================

Three aspects
-------------

o    Economic aspect: Free software vs. proprietary software.

o    Community aspect: Open, decentralized, global Bazaar, a virtual
     community vs. Hierarchical Cathedral

o    Innovation aspect: New development model restructuring the
     developer-end-user relation.

Technical and Social in Linux?
------------------------------

A Code / Program                   A License
.................................. ..................................
UNIX like operating system         GPL licensed free / open source
                                   software
invented by Linus Torvalds in 1991 FSF founded in 1984 by Richard
                                   Stallman.
Mode of development                Mode of production

How do they relate?

Dimensions of `free' and `open'
-------------------------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen01.png **

Radical localism
----------------

Fundamental societal contradictions of the given socio-economic
formation are present in local activity of that society. Impersonal
societal structures can be seen as consisting of local activities
carried out by concrete human beings with the help of mediating
artefacts. Look at society more as a multi-layered network of
interconnected activity systems and less as pyramid of rigid
structures dependent on a single centre of power.

(Engeström 1999, 36)

Expansion of the `Linux Community'
----------------------------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen02.png **

Linux kernel hackers
--------------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen03.png **

Kernel developers in Credits files
----------------------------------

PRIMARY DOCS

CODES  1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      Totals
...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
*SUB   0      0      0      0      0      0      1      1      2
Africa
*SUB   3      8      13     13     18     18     23     20     116
Asia
*SUB   38     58     92     97     135    144    175    191    930
Europa
*SUB   33     51     69     73     90     93     126    137    672
North
America
*SUB   0      0      2      2      3      4      8      12     31
South
America
Totals 74     117    176    185    246    259    333    361    1751

Distributions
-------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen04.png **

Linux User Groups
-----------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen05.png **

495 user groups in 69 countries http://lugww.counter.li.org/ (August
2002).

LUGs by Continent (members)
---------------------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen06.png **

In total:

o    495 LUGs

o    69616 individual members

LUGs by Language
----------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen07.png **

LUG inside the Community
------------------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen08.png **

The `Community'?
----------------

o    Communities are networks of interpersonal ties that provide
     sociability, support, information, a sense of belonging, and
     social identity. (Wellman 2001, 1)

o    Transition from strong ties to weak ties

o    Networks instead of traditional communities and/or hierarchies

The case: Finnish Linux User Group
==================================

FLUG - Finnish Linux User Group
-------------------------------

o    In 1997, an informal group; in 1999 first Install Fest; in 2000,
     formal nationwide association. Appr. 250 formal members, 99 %
     male.

o    Main activity: flug-l e-mail list - about 1800 subscribers, 289
     active participants (9 hotmail users).

o    Regular meetings, annual LDD.

o    `Linux Goes Schools' campaign + local groups.

flug-l
------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen09.png **

Steps in analysis
-----------------

o    Classification of all messages by four main topics

o    Identifying 236 individual threads

o    Identifying the main groups of discussion participants.

o    `Thick description' of discussions peaks.

Discussion topics by month
--------------------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen10.png **

** Unable to import figure Silvonen11.png **

Young hackers vs. old gentlemen
-------------------------------

o    Linux-portal thread: 97 mails, 34 participants, 13 days.

o    `Adjacency pairs' = 51. `Nodes' = 8. Subjects = 7. `free flouting
     mails' = 2.

o    Opening: recommendation to visit a Finnish Linux portal. Thread
     transforms to a dispute about the nature of programming Linux.

Opening (ap1)
-------------

P2486 + *Date*: Sat, 9 Dec 2000 22:16:53

Has anybody noticed the portal http://www.linuxonly.cx/, it seems to
be quite promising. I recommend everybody to visit.

P2487 + *Date*: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 18:07:45

I have been there and even sometimes produced a few pieces of news but
the site is so amateurish and the language skills of the editor is so
weak that it does not impress as a portal.

Young Hackers (ap 3)
--------------------

P2493 + *Date*: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 11:51:39

Tell me, old gentlemen, is Linux itself created by profs or by
amateurs? So many times have we noticed how much better the programs
written by amateurs are, compared with proprietary ones. So, a little
bit amateurship should be accepted, at least in our circles.

P2522 + *Date*: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 14:38:35

In these circles only so called amateurs are professionals, and
professionals are bunglers. You can't learn these things at school, at
all.

Old gentlemen
-------------

P2533 + *Date*: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 12:56:18

I'm 17 (---) and I have to go to imho totally futile high

school.

Don't dress yourself in the sack. High school math and physics are a
real good base for programming.

P2534 + *Date*: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 13:03:09

I'm 17 (---) and I have to go to imho totally futile high

school.

High school is for general education. Coding of a program is not
separated from the real life. On the contrary.

Tensions in the thread
----------------------

Amateur                vs.                     professional
Skilled                vs.                     wage labour
Young                  vs.                     old
Open                   vs.                     closed
Freedom                vs.                     control
Self-learning          vs.                     formal education

Discussion themes by subgroup
-----------------------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen12.png **

Local practices
---------------

o    Linux Demo Days (2000, 2001
     [http://home.edu.helsinki.fi/~jsilvone/LDD_Lahti/index.html],
     2001 [http://home.edu.helsinki.fi/~jsilvone/LDD_Vanha/index.htm],
     2002)

o    Monthly meetings ("miitti")

o    Excursions to Valamo (and other places)

o    Linux Goes School

o    User Meetings

Ulvila Install Fest 1999
------------------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen13.png **

Otaniemi 1999
-------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen14.png **

LDD at "Vanha" 1999
-------------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen15.png **

LDD 2001 in Lahti
-----------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen16.png **

FLUG
----

o    FLUG is a community of active and highly skilled Linux users
     (educational function)

o    FLUG as a Finnish-language organization is closely connected with
     the global www-networks (translation function)

o    FLUG has a moderate political profile (Linux instead of
     GNU/Linux) being active in such cases as software patenting

o    FLUG hosts on-line and real-life activists as well as radical and
     moderate hackers. The meaning of `Linux' is being constructed in
     continuous debates between these groups

Some functions of FLUG
----------------------

** Unable to import figure Silvonen17.png **

Some conclusions
================

o    The `Linux community' is a complicated network of different
     communities. They are 'virtual' and they are anchored in local
     social activities.

o    Linux user groups are an essential part of the whole network
     making Linux possible. They are `translators' between developers
     and lead users, offering an arena for local articulations of
     `Linux'.

o    Linux communities are not simply `open' and `decentralized'. They
     have their own hierarchies, and divisions of work. Communities
     are led by rather small group of activists.


_______________________
http://www.oekonux.org/



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