reflecting upon free software: deconstructing disruptive designs gisle hannemyr information systems,...

Reflecting upon free software:Deconstructing disruptive designs

Gisle HannemyrInformation Systems, IfiNovember 9, 2005

Nov. 2005 Free Software Page #2

SynopsisPartly based on a retrospective view on the free software movement and hacker culture through four decades the the culture and politics of hacking and hackers is discussed with a particular emphasis on the recent controversy surrounding IPR-legislation and DRM (digital rights management).

― “Hacking considered constructive”, first presented at the Symposium on Pleasure and Technology, Sausalito, CA, May-5-9, 1997

http://folk.uio.no/gisle/essay/oks97.html


Roots

• Open source is rooted in (at least) four distinct communities: 1960ies: Computer Craftsmen 1970ies: Computer Counterculture 1980ies: Computer Underground 1990ies: Computer Entrepreneurs


Computer Craftsmen

Programming standards and code review committees attract all the jerks trying to angle their way from the ranks of us hackers into the Vice-Presidency of the Division. While these characters are deceiving themselves into believing they have a career path, they cause everyone else a good deal of trouble. […] Structured Programming is often the buzzword for an attempt to routinize and deskill programming work to reinforce the control of hierarchy over the programming process – separate from and sometimes different from, improving quality.


Computer Counterculture

I have an axe to grind: I want to see computers useful to individuals, and the sooner the better, without necessary complication or human servility being required. […]

THIS BOOK IS FOR PERSONAL FREEDOMAND AGAINST RESTRICTION AND

COERCIONA chant you can take to the streets:

COMPUTER POWER TO THE PEOPLE(Nelson 1974)


Computer Underground

The criminal justice system is a game to be played, both by prosecution and defence. And if you had to be a player, you would be wise to learn the rules of engangement. The writers and contributors to this file have learned the hard way. As a result we turned our hacking skills during the times of our incarceration towards the study of criminal law and, ultimately, survival. Having […] endured life in prison, we now pass this knowledge back to the hacker community. (J. Petersen, Hackers in Chains)


Computer Entrepreneurs

Much of brand management comes down to market positioning. […] The current OS market is crowded, and dominated by a definite market favorite from a brilliant marketing organization. Positioning a competing product correctly is crucial to competitve success. Linux fills this roll naturally and extremely well.

(Robert Young, CEO Red Hat. Inc., 1999)


The four communities

In the outset, however, it should be noted that these four communities are not completely disjunct. The master programmer of the sixties was not beyond appreciating lock-picking skills, both those addressing physical locks barring access to computer rooms, and software protection schemes such as password files and encryption schemes, and he also believed that information should to be free – including the source code he had written and the knowledge he had about the inner workings of various systems.


The underground andthe counterculture

Some commentators (Lafayette 1993, Rosteck 1994) considers the criminal computer underground to be radical partisans, very much in the same manner the Russian nihilists in the 19th century was considered by some to be part the radical political movement of that time.


Entrepreneurs and the computer underground

In 1990, when the Electronic Frontier Foundation was set up as a response to Operation Sun Devil (a US Secret Service raid on the computer underground), funding was provided by John Gilmour (of Sun Microsystems), Mich Kapor (co-creator of Lotus 1-2-3), Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple Computer) and other computer entrepreneurs.


Information wants to be free

On the one hand information wants to be expensive, because it's so valuable. The right information in the right place just changes your life. On the other hand, information wants to be free, because the cost of getting it out is getting lower and lower all the time. So you have these two fighting against each other.

— Stewart Brand, Report from The First Hacker Conference, Whole Earth Review, May 1985 p. 49.


Ideology: GNU Manifesto

I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a program I must share it with other people who like it. Software sellers want to divide the users and conquer them, making each user agree not to share with others. I refuse to break solidarity with other users in this way. I cannot in good conscience sign a nondisclosure agreement or a software license agreement. For years I worked within the Artificial Intelligence Lab to resist such tendencies and other inhospitalities, but eventually they had gone too far: I could not remain in an institution where such things are done for me against my will.

(Richard M. Stallman, 1985)


Ideology: Negroponte

My belief in [a new era of respect for avocations and a future with more active engagement in making, doing, and expressing] comes from watching computer hackers, both young and old. Their programs are like paintings: they have aesthetic qualities and are shown and discus-sed in terms of their meaning from many perspectives. Their programs include behavior and style that reflect their makers. These people are the forerunners of the new expressionists.

(Nicholas Negroponte, 1994)


UserDeveloper

I think one general rule of software design is that you should be writing a program that you want to use. Ken and Dennis wanted to use Unix. They did what they needed in order to make it work. We wanted to use sendmail, it wasn’t something where we said: “Oh, let’s write a mailer and send it out.” Bill Joy didn't come to me and say “ Oh, Eric, what we need is this. ” We had a problem that needed to be solved. Ken had a problem of sorts: he didn’t have an adequate system to do space games so he wrote one. Compare this to X.400, where I'm convinced that people who never actually use mail simply write papers about it. Other proprietary OSes, too, because you assign people to do the jobs.

(Eric Allman, quoted in Salus 1997)


The politics of programming

• Proprietary software does not expose its source code. Users can not see how the software works. Users can not critizise its inherent

properties. Users can not improve it.

• By exposing its source code, free software invites its users into a communal and collaborative project.


Free software

• No restrictions on use• Access to examination of the

programs source code• Access to adapting the program to

own needs• But not: Free as in free beer – or

software that exists beyond or outside the marketplace


Free software:Four freedoms

1. The freedom to run the program for any purpose.

2. The freedom to study and modify the program

3. The freedom to copy the program4. The freedom to improve the program,

and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits.


Licensing Free Software and Free Culture:

GPL & CC


GPL: Gnu General Public LicenseGrants user broad rights to use and to modify

• Can be used as part of a commercial offering.

• Yiu may charge for distribution.• You may produce derivative works.

• Does not require licensee to make source code of derivative works public; however …

• … if a derivative work made public, the source code of the derivative work must be published.

• This particular aspect is known as “copyleft”, or the viral aspect of GPL.

• Can not be combined with royalty-encumbered components.


CC: Creative Commons Deed

1. Let’s copyright holder mix&match. Basic license only requires attribution, but additional conditions may be added to the cc deed:

• (Attribution)• Share Alike (copyleft, re: GPL viral

clause)• No derivative works• Noncommercial


Hacker Culture:Remixing outside the software domain

• Hip-hop/reggae: Sampling and dubs.• Blogs: Everybody participates in the

discussion.• Wikis: Everybody invited to hack the

actual content.• Community Sites: Soundjunction, /.,

Flickr, boing boing, del.icio.us.


Open source

Term popularized by programmer and author Eric S. Raymond as a challenge to the Free Software Foundation and Richard Stallman’s lead-ership of the alternative software movement.


Raymond about C&B:

[It was my antropological] observation of what made the free software world work. […] I was setting up a contrast between […] two opposed styles of development – one which is the conventional closed development style, which I call the cathedral style, and on the other hand […] a much more peer-to-peer decentralized marked- or bazaar-like style.


C&B – actual quotes

• […] the cathedral-building style of the Emacs C core and most other GNU tools (p. 37)

• [] problems in the FSF’s catherdral-building development model (p. 39)

• But by a year later, as Linux became widely visible, it was clear that something different and much healthier was going on there. Linus’s open development policy was the very opposite of cathedral-building. (p. 39)


Confused politics

While Kevin Kelly (1994) and Eric S. Raymond (1999) claim that the open source entrepreneurs are the avant-garde of neo-laissez-faire economic liberalism, Richard S. Stallman (1985) of GNU and the Free Software Found-ation is opposing the notion of ownership of intellectual property.

What is shared by the open source and free software communities is a distrust in authority, and a tendency to disparage bourgeois society's norms and values.


A personal development1. Scriptkiddie ethics

From: "Jon Johansen" [email protected]: Re: [Livid-dev] DeCSS 1.1b has been releasedDate: Thu, 7 Oct 1999 20:21:53 +0200

In case you didn't know, WE had already sent the css decryption source to our connection in the linux community. So why don't you just shut up? That means we have shared with those who shared with us. You didn't get anything; shouldn't be too hard to figure out why....


A personal development:2. GNU/Linux

SourceForge ForumsPosted By: nanocrew [Jon Lech Johansen]Date: 2001-01-10 12:12Summary: Status

Reverse engineering of the jazPiper(tm) Win2k driver and software has been completed successfully. Driver replacement and simple user land software has been written and are working well. Porting to GNU/Linux coming up next!


Jon Lech Johansen —Minister of law and police, Hanne Harlem :

“There are many that opinionated that DVD-Jon was cool when he broke the code, but it is destructive for the business sector if that type of destruction becomes acceptable.”

«Det er mange som syntes at DVD-Jon var tøff da han knakk koden, men det er ødeleggende for næringslivet hvis man aksepterer den typen ødeleggelser.»

(Werenskiold 2000)


GNU/Linux —an official commentary:

In Norway, the department of law and police has prepared an action document: “Strategy for pre-vention of computer crime among children and youths” (Strategi for forebygging av IKT-krimi-nalitet blant barn og unge), where the growing use of Linux among youths are flagged as a cause for concern. ― Justis- og politidepartementet, 2000


Free software —as viewed from the outside (1)

Redmond, Washington, Feb. 14 2001 (Bloomberg)

Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating-system chief, Jim Allchin, says that freely distributed software code such as rival Linux could stifle innovation and that legislators need to understand the threat.

The result will be the demise of both intellectual property rights and the incentive to spend on research and development. Microsoft has told U.S. lawmakers of its concern while discussing protection of intellectual property rights.


Free software —as viewed from the outside (2)

“Open source is an intellectual-property destroyer,” Allchin said. “I can’t imagine something that could be worse than this for the software business and the intellectual-property business.”

Allchin said he's concerned that the open-source business model could stifle initiative in the computer industry.

“I’m an American, I believe in the American Way,” he said. “I worry if the government encourages open source, and I don’t think we've done enough education of policy makers to understand the threat.”


Convergence

It is probably to early yet to talk about “closure” with respect to free software. But to understand what free software is today, we need at least to understand that the term is not defined by one group or a single community, but is negotiated by a large number of disjunct voices (as exemplified by the preceeding slides).

If anything, “free software” is an amalgam of all these voices.


DRM: The content of your computer is controlled by your supplier

“Microsoft may provide security related updates to the OS Components that will be automatically downloaded onto your computer. These security related updates may disable your ability to copy and/or play Secure Content and use other software on your computer.”

— Microsoft Corp. Windows Media Player EULA


Truly strange aspirations: Censorship

“You may not use the Software in connection with any site that disparages Microsoft, MSN, MSNBC, Expedia, or their products or services, infringe any intellectual property or other rights of these parties, violate any state, federal or international law, or promote racism, hatred or pornography.” — Microsoft Corp., FrontPage 2002, EULA• “Looking for a Washington Dime in mint condition.”

• “Position available for programmer cum analyst.”


Importance of Free Software

• To ensure the public free and equal access to public information and public digital services.

• To ensure a level competitive field for providers of software and information infrastructure.

• To ensure that access to digital archieves are durable.

• To ensure that innovation in fields such as software, information infrastructure and digital services continues (re. Clay. Christensen)


Breaking the DeCSS protection

• Hackers and crypto-stormers are in some ways reminicient of the 19th century machine-stormers (Luddites), that protested the application of technology that shifted power by breaking it.


Internet origins:Actors and Networks

• Vannevar Bush: As we may think (1933…)

• J.C.R. Licklider: Galactic Network, Man-computer Symbiosis (1962…)

• Paul Baran: Packet network/Nuclear war (1964…)

• Ted Nelson: Hypertext, Computer Lib (1965…)

• Bob Taylor: Economical computer usage (1966…)

• Douglas Engelbart: Augment, oNLine System (1968…)

• Jon Postel, Steve Crocker: RFCs (1969…)

• Ray Tomlinson: Electronic mail (1972…)

• Vint Cerf/Bob Kahn: TCP/IP (1974…)

• Chuq von Rosbach: SF-lovers mailing list (1983?…)

• Tim Berners-Lee: The World Wide Web (1989…)


Internet topology (Baran 1964)


Internet architecture

1. Distributed topology2. Packet switching3. Connection free network layerTaken together, this type of architecture sets the scene for what one of the Internet’s chief architects, Vint Cerf, calls an open architecture.


J.C.R. Licklider: The computer as a communicton device (1968)

Creative, interactive communication requires a plastic or moldable medium that can be modeled, a dynamic medium in which premises will flow into consequences, and above all a common medium that can be contributed to and experimented with by all.


Steve Crocker:The origin of RFCs

«I remember having great fear that we would offend whomever the official protocol designers were, and I spent a sleepless night composing humble words for our notes. The basic ground rules were that anyone could say anything and that nothing was official. And to emphasize the point, I labeled the notes “Request for Comments.”»


Ray Tomlinson:The origin of email

«Don’t tell anyone! This isn’t what we’re supposed to be working on.» (Cavender 1998)


Cerf on patents:

Vint Cerf (1997):

“[Tim Berners-Lee] didn't patent the [World Wide Web]. He didn't copyright. He made that openly available. And that's what has fuelled a great deal of the network develop-ment, and all the innovative ideas. [...] There is a continuing ethic in the community to give back to the network what it has given you.”


Enzensberger on media (1970)

Repressive media Emancipatory mediaCentrally controlled program Decentralized program

One transmitter, many receivers Each receiver a potential transmitter

Immobilization of isolated individuals

Mobilization of the masses

Passive consumer behavior Interaction of those involved, feedback

Depoliticization Political learning process

Production by specialists Collective production

Control by property owners Social control by self-organization


Independent media

• Senator Trent Lott’s racism not reported in mainstream media, known to the public through bloggs.

• CNN news manager Eason Jordan utters un-american sentiments at a conference in Davos, not reported in mainstream media, known to the public through bloggs.


Hactivism

• Electronic Disturbance Theatre and Floodnet.

• Major electronic sit-in against president Zedillo of Mexico in 1998. FloodNet deliberately designed to only

work if there is massive participation of protesters.


The Internet as Multitude

A distributed network such as the Internet is a good initial image or model for the multitude because:1. The various nodes remains different but

are all connected in the Web.

2. External boundaries are open such that new nodes and new relationships can always be added.

― M. Hardt & A. Negri: Multitude (2004)


Summing up

Anyone who works with information or knowledge […] relies on the common knowledge passed down from others and in turn creates new common knowledge.

― M. Hardt & A. Negri: Multitude (2004)


References

• Baran, P. (1964) Introduction to Distributed Communications Network, August, Rand Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.• Bloomberg News (2001) Microsoft Executive Says Linux Threatens Innovation, Bloomberg News, Redmond, Washington, February

14.• Cavender, S. (1998) Legends, [2004-03-12], last updated: 1998-10-05, Forbes.com Inc., (web magazine)

<http://www.forbes.com/asap/1998/1005/126.html>.• Cerf, V. G. (1997) Vint Cerf: Father of the Internet, interview conducted by technical editor Leo Laporte, The Site, MSNBC, USA.• Christensen, C. M. (1997) The innovator's dilemma: When new technologies cause great firms to fail, Harvard Business School Press,

Boston, MA.• Crocker, S. D. (1987) The Origins of RFCs, August, Network Working Group.• Enzensberger, H. M. (1970) Baukasten zu einer Theorie der Medien, Kursbuch, no. 20, pp. 159-186.• Hardt, M. and Negri, A. (2004) Multitude: War and democracy in the age of Empire, The Penguin Press, New York.• Johansen, P. A. (2000) Justisminister Hanne Harlem:Kamp mot yngres datakrim, Aftenposten, Oslo, 17. august, p. 22.• Justis- og politidepartementet (2000) Strategi for forebygging av IKT-kriminalitet blant barn og unge, udatert, Justis- og

Politidepartementet, Oslo.• Kelly, K. (1994) Out of Control, Addison-Wesley.• Lafayette, L. (1993) Technology and Freedom, Bachelor of Arts, Sociology, Murdoch University, Perth, AU.• Licklider, J. C. R. and Taylor, R. A. (1968) The Computer as a Communication Device, International Science and Technology, pp. 21-

41.• Microsoft Corp. (2001) Frontpage 2002 End-User License Agreement For Microsoft Software.• Nelson, T. H. (1974) Computer Lib / Dream Machines, Theodor H. Nelson, Sausalito.• Petersen, J. (1997) Everything a hacker needs to know about getting busted by the feds, [2003-05-10], Gray Areas Magazine,

(webzine) <http://www.grayarea.com/agsteal.html>.• Raymond, E. S. (1999) The Catherdral and the Bazaar. Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary., O'Reilly

& Associates, Sebastopol.• Rosteck, T. S. (1994) Computer Hackers: Rebels With a Cause, Honours Seminar, Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia

University, Montreal, CA.• Salus, P. H. (1997) How many bits, Matrix News, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 7-8.• Stallman, R. M. (1985) The GNU Manifesto, Free Software Foundation, (web page) <http://www.fsf.org/gnu/manifesto.html>.• Werenskiold, T. (2000) Hacker-jegere møtes i Oslo, [2000-05-29], last updated: 2000-05-29, digi.no, (webpage)

<http://www.digi.no/digi98.nsf/pub/dd20000529144800TKW7066758221>.• Young, R. (1999) Giving it away. In: Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution, (Eds. C. DiBona, S. Ockman and M.

Stone), O'Reilly, Sebastopol, CA.

reflecting upon free software: deconstructing disruptive designs gisle hannemyr information systems,...

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