[wos] wos4 is happening, help wanted

[Saul Albert]

On Fri, Mar 17, 2006 at 04:45:29PM +0100, Volker Grassmuck wrote:
> > > These sub-categories from WSFII were, as ever, unable to describe the
> > > diversity and complexity of what people were actually doing.
> > > 
> > > - Open Geodata
> > > - Free Networks
> > > - Open Money
> > > - Open Civic Information
> > > - Open Hardware
> > > - Free/Open Culture
> 
> Saul, by chance, this covers much of the territorry wos has been 
> treading from its start ,-) Just a few remarks:

heh.. I wasn't aware it was a territory :)

> > > - Open Civic Information
> 
> What was that again? Freedom of Information Acts?

Yes, but also the kinds of things that people like mysociety.org are
working on - increasing awareness and interest in accessing and
protecting public data. It wasn't my main focus at WSFII, but there's
lots of action in the UK on this front at the mo.

> > > Where 2.0: O'Reilly's other big conference this year announces: "The
> > > thrust of the program for the 2006 conference will answer the
> > question > "where's the value"? They'll be looking at the latest Where
> > 2.0 > technology, businesses, and content with an emphasis on these
> > questions: > How can developers make money at this? What applications
> > have legs? How > can enterprises make money using this?" 
> 
> Web 2.0 -- ist that a hype we should really hop onto? Isn't that just 
> the infoware idea that Tim talked about in 1999 at wos1?
> http://www.wizards-of-os.org/index.php?id=141
> 
> What's in it for freedom? Sustainable support for free infrastructure 
> thru venture capital? Should we hope for Google to become even richer 
> so they can 'give back' more?
> 
> > > 'Where's the value' *is* a good question, especially when trying to
> > > ascertain whether these hybrid models are any different from the usual
> > > ram-raid on our subculture.
> 
> yes, and especially if it's not immediately abreviated to: how can 
> enterprises and developers make money off of it? So yes, I see 
> something there, but I don't see the right angle yet.

I think you misunderstood what I was saying - that social software gets
collapsed into the shitfest of Web/Where 2.0 by means of the hybrid
economic models forming around these bubbles. But maybe you're right -
it's kind of boring.

Anyway - as to taking up or discarding these areas of Free
Infrastructures because they've 'been done' or they're 'so hot right now'
- that attitude just sucks. These are long-term projects and processes
that people spend their lives working on... not just conference panels
here today and gone tomorrow..

My 2p :)

X

Saul.