[okfn-discuss] Web 2.0 Killed the Internet (article)

[Aaron Wolf]

Well, there are some folks (Richard Stallman) who would say that "Open" has
not degraded at all, in that the initial focus of it when applied to
technology 15 years ago was *specifically* to undermine his ethical message
about freedom.

I had been using the OKF as my go-to example of why "Open" can be used by
organizations that really do care about social values, politics, and
ethics. I hope I can continue to do so, but taking political positions
isn't always comfortable and the OKF has been shying away from boldness
here lately. I see push-back and real listening, so we'll see…

At any rate, I call on the "Open Knowledge" community and organization to
keep this in mind: Do not fall into the "Free vs Open" silly debate by
letting "Open" become a neutralized term! Push for "Open" to really matter
and to be about respecting civil liberties and democracy!

Cheers,
Aaron

--
Aaron Wolf
wolftune.com


On Sat, Jun 7, 2014 at 4:20 AM, Peter Murray-Rust <pm286 at cam.ac.uk> wrote:

> Part of the problem is the use of the term "Open API" (and within it the
> concept "Open"). I've had robust discussions with software manufacturers
> about this. Companies paid for a black-box system and developers wanted to
> hack it - so they "Open"ed the API. I have seen "Open APIs" whose T&Cs
> include "this API is confidential information ..."
>
> The word "Open" is now so degraded in normal use that in OK/F we have a
> major challenge finding a way of reasserting the key concept - "free to
> use, re-use, and re-distribute" (to which we now have to add "freedom from
> spying"). We find this everywhere "Fully Open Access - until December. You
> may not copy, print, or redistribute this material ..."
>
> So if Tim O'Reilly had used a term like "publicly documented APIs of
> unclear duration or re-usability" that would have been reasonably accurate.
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Peter Murray-Rust
> Reader in Molecular Informatics
> Unilever Centre, Dep. Of Chemistry
> University of Cambridge
> CB2 1EW, UK
> +44-1223-763069
>
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