A Commons of Software Productive Infrastructure, by and for Capital
19 hours ago
- #capitalism
- #open-source
- #software-economics
- The article argues that free and open source software (FOSS) has primarily benefited capitalist firms by reducing production costs through shared software infrastructure.
- It highlights that the GNU project's success relied heavily on corporate support, especially for software tools like compilers and libraries used as capital goods.
- Open source rebranding shifted focus from ethical freedoms to practical benefits, aligning with corporate interests already invested in FOSS.
- The failure to meet social needs for end-users is due to capitalism prioritizing software that serves production over consumer goods.
- FOSS is seen as materially progressive by lowering barriers to entry but remains a commons exploited by capital for profit.