[ox-en] Slides for Lancaster
- From: Stefan Merten <smerten oekonux.de>
- Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:22:11 +0200
Hi!
I finalized a version of slides for the KLab9 event in Lancaster. I
and Raoul would appreciate useful comments.
Grüße
Stefan
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Free Software and art
=====================
----------------------------
Similarities and differences
----------------------------
:author: Stefan Merten, Raoul Victor
.. contents::
Introduction to Oekonux
=======================
Characteristics of Free Software
--------------------------------
* Examples for Free Software: Linux, KDE, OpenOffice.org, Gimp, ...
Free Software is everywhere
* The actual product is gratis
However: Price plays a role, but is not crucial
* Source code is available
Important for the most of the following four rights, which every
user of Free Software has
* Software may be used for any purpose
* The sources may be studied and changed
* The software may be distributed arbitrarily
* Changed versions may be distributed arbitrarily
This is guaranteed by a license
Is there a similar concept in art?
In fact licenses like the Creative Commons allow many restrictions
.. admonition:: Conclusion
Free in the sense of freedom
Mode of production of Free Software
-----------------------------------
This is a very important characteristic
In the workshop: How can this be compared to the mode of production
of art?
* Without money
Developers finance themselves by other means
Similar to other hobbies
* Effort is taken on a voluntary basis
* Necessity of concrete solutions to problems
Is there any analog concept in the realm of art?
May be exactly this is the difference between fine art and useful
art
* Selbstentfaltung of the developers
Programming is fun (for some people)
Other activities may serve the Selbstentfaltung also
For instance art...
* Manifold self-organized in small, independent groups
* International in the Internet
.. admonition:: Conclusion
Often a high quality results
Quality is a direct result of the mode of production
In the workshop: Is this similar in art?
Germ form and Five-step
-----------------------
This is the Oekonux perspective on overcoming capitalism
* Germ form is something structural new existing in the old
Not the new in a small version
Rather a new logic
* Germ forms develop in a five-step
* Formation of the germ form
* Crisis of the old form
* Germ form becomes an important dimension of development in the old
form
* Germ form becomes dominant
* Restructuring of the over all process
.. admonition:: Conclusion
Free Software is in third step
Free in the sense of Free Software
----------------------------------
This freedom is indicated by the capital "F"
* Freedom is result of the process
* Results are Free because of the process
Can be used by anyone who needs them
Implies that they are available without payment
* I.e. unlimited externally
* Freedom is pre-condition of the process
* The process doesn't work without Freedom
Freedom enables contributions from all sides
* I.e. unlimited internally
* One's Freedom enables the Freedom of others
Instead of limiting it like in abstract freedom
.. admonition:: Conclusion
Defines several positive feedback cycles
This is where the power comes from
The utopia: GPL society
-----------------------
**GPL society** means a formation of society, which is based on the
principles of the development of Free Software
Until now it can be imagined only in rough outlines
* Means of production make Selbstentfaltung possible
* Useful activities are Selbstentfaltung
* Societal and individual utility is directly intertwined
* Automation makes necessary activities superfluous
* Information and goods are Freely available
* Overcoming of the labor society
* No labor, no commodities
* No exchange, no money
* No alienation
.. admonition:: Conclusion
Freedom of the one becomes the precondition of the freedom of all
And vice versa
The onionskin model thesis
--------------------------
* Free Software was first
Already established quite well
* Culture is coming next
* Wikipedia
* Free Science like in OpenAccess movement
* Free Music like in Jamendo
* Free Culture like in Brazil
* [Probably some more onionskins here]
* Complete societal production is last
Including material production
Only small hints so far
.. admonition:: Conclusion
The new logic establishes in steps
This relates to the way the germ form becomes more and more
important
This is similar to how capitalism spread
Which as we know was a quite successful strategy
Some thoughts on art
====================
Fine art and useful art
-----------------------
Important distinction
* Fine art
* The artifact has no use beyond being artistic / beautiful / some
other symbolic value
That is: No *intentional* use beyond this
Granted: Distinction between symbolic and other use values may be
hard sometimes
* Fine art only changes something in the mind of people
* Useful art / craft
* The artifact has some non-symbolic use
And this use is intended during creation
* Artistic features / beauty can be deeply embedded
A boring business application can nonetheless have a beautiful
architecture
* Useful art can be used to change the world
.. admonition:: Conclusion
Intended usefulness as the main difference
May be also between Free Software and art?
Artists, beauty, Free Software
------------------------------
We are not art experts...
* Artists have special skills
* These allow them to produce art
* Free Software: Often written by people with special skills
* Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
* Many kinds of beauty can only be understood by trained people
* Software can be beautiful
.. admonition:: Conclusion
There are some similarities between art and Free Software
Authorship in Free Software
===========================
Contributions to Free Software
------------------------------
* Many different forms of contributions
* Main artifacts: coding, graphical design
* Supporting artifacts: documentation, project web site
* Infrastructure: software design, testing
* General care: maintainership, discussion
* Supplements: bug reports, fixes, feature requests
* Hardware: servers, connectivity
.. admonition:: Conclusion
Free Software projects need many different skills
This is a feature typical for industrial projects
This is probably different from typical art projects
Authorship in Free Software
---------------------------
* Authorship relates to artifacts
* However: Many other important contributions beyond working on
artifacts
* Small projects often consist of a single author / contributor
Sometimes getting minor outside contributions
Probably matches best the typical artist?
* Bigger projects have many authors / contributors
* Many cooperating contributors with specialized skills
Explicitly named: authors and maintainers
* Division of labor is typical and welcome
Are there similar art projects?
.. admonition:: Conclusion
Divison of labor in art?
Authorship and ownership
------------------------
* Authorship usually constitutes ownership
Copyright regulates this explicitly
* Ownership in general
* The right to forbid others to use things
* Useful to make money
* Ownership in Free Software
* The duty to allow others to use things
* Prevents making money
Because making money depends on scarcity
.. admonition:: Conclusion
Authorship has different consequences in Free Software
Selbstentfaltung
================
From the proposal:
In Oekonux the Selbstentfaltung of the developers is considered as
one of two major forces which make Free Software successful. The
presentation explains why Selbstentfaltung is so important and what
results from the Selbstentfaltung - for example the superior quality
of Free Software compared to proprietary software.
The terms Single and Doubly Free Software are explained. Single Free
Software is Free by the license but written under alienated
conditions such as payment. Doubly Free Software is not only Free by
the license but also the developers create the Free Software driven
only by Selbstentfaltung.
Keyword: Selbstentfaltung
-------------------------
The notion plays an central role in Oekonux
* More than self-realization
Self-realization focuses too much on the isolated individual
Selbstentfaltung understands humans as societal beings
* Selbstentfaltung is "autonomy-in-interdependence"
* Dependency is not reduction but extension of own possibilities
Because others from whom I depend create possibilities by their
actions I would not have on my own
* Content of Selbstentfaltung is different for every individual
For some it is developing Free Software
For others it might be creating art
Leverages the differences between people - instead of their equality
.. admonition:: Conclusion
In general Selbstentfaltung is a desirable goal
Keyword: Alienation
-------------------
In a way: The counter notion to Selbstentfaltung
Plays a central role in Oekonux
* Describes the relationship between humans and things or humans
* Influences which are external to the concrete relationship
* Default example: money
Wage labor means alienation with respect to the concrete activity
Commodities mean alienation with respect to the material qualities
of the products
* Example: Software licenses
Licences are external to the software
Only control the social relationship
* Makes Selbstentfaltung impossible
* Implies: Makes superior quality impossible
Superior quality results from the unalienated relationship to the
product
.. admonition:: Conclusion
In general alienation prevents emancipation
Simply and Doubly Free Software
-------------------------------
Important distinction of concepts
* Simply Free Software
* Freedom for users
Standard rights of Free Software apply
* Commercial Free Software
Software on contract
* Doubly Free Software
* Freedom for users **and** producers
* Producers are active on non-alienated basis
* No commercial Free Software
.. admonition:: Conclusion
How Free is art?
Follow up
=========
Thanks and more
---------------
* Thanks for your attention
* More on
* Web site: http://www.oekonux.org/
* Introduction: http://en.wiki.oekonux.org/Oekonux/Introduction
* Mailing list: http://www.oekonux.org/list-en/
Questions for the workshop
--------------------------
* Questions:
* Selbstentfaltung / creativity
* How does Selbstentfaltung seen in Free Software relate to
creativity seen in art?
* How does Selbstentfaltung in art influence the quality of artistic
work? Is quality art possible under alienated conditions?
* How can the mode of production of Free Software be compared to the
mode of production of art?
* Does it make sense to distinguish between payed art and Doubly
Free Art?
* Authorship in Free Software and in art
* Is there something like Free Art and if so how is it expressed
(licenses)?
* What is the relationship of an artist to his/her work? Is this
relationship different from that of a software developer from
her/his work?
* What are similarities and differences between authorship in Free
Software and art? What could be reasons for those similarities
and differences?
* Software fulfills a (technical) function while (fine) art does
not. What follows from this difference?
* What follows from the notion of authorship used in art compared to
the results in Free Software?
* If artists want to learn from Free Software what could be useful
to adopt and how needs this to be adapted?
.. admonition:: Conclusion
Answers?
_________________________________
Web-Site: http://www.oekonux.org/
Organization: http://www.oekonux.de/projekt/
Contact: projekt oekonux.de