Journal molarmass192's Journal: Linux: The utilmate expression of capitalism?
A particular comment that I have finally grown tired of hearing is that Linux is somehow driven by communistic tendencies. These ill informed comments always make me pause to wonder where these individuals draw such assumptions from.
A capitalistic society is one that values free and open competition. Such societies are characterized by many sellers selling closely related goods to many buyers. On the other hand, a communistic society is one in which goods are owned in common and as such there is no concept of trade. Linux is fully owned by the copyright holders. The GNU General Public License is exactly that, a license. There is no transfer of ownership ever mentioned in the GNU. Since there is no transfer of ownership and much less any common ownership, it cannot be communistic in nature.
Reverting back to the subject of capitalism, the GNU GPL fully supports the right to charge for the act of distributing Linux. This means you are free to charge $1,000,000,000 for your Linux distribution if you care to try. However, you are highly unlikely to actually get $1,000,000,000 for your distribution when a competitor can sell the same Linux software for $50. In this sense, it's a prefect free market product, many people can sell their distributions containing Linux to many buyers. Contrast this with Microsoft which operates in a monopolistic market.
In monopolistic markets the fundamental mechanics of capitalism and free markets no longer exist since barriers to entry are insurmountable to any competitors. Those who seek to protect such monopolies, by preventing the state from restoring a free and open market, are in effect advocating a form of fascism which has as a central tenet the forceful suppression of competition.
This is why I simply cannot reconcile the view of those who think Linux is communism in disguise. To this end, I have three possible explanations: either the individual is ingorant of the provisions of the GNU GPL, the individual is ignorant of the tenets of capitalism/communism, or the individual is in effect exposing fascism over capitalism. Personally, the fact that Linux, via the GNU GPL, encourages free and open competition means that it is an expression of the truest form of capitalism.
A capitalistic society is one that values free and open competition. Such societies are characterized by many sellers selling closely related goods to many buyers. On the other hand, a communistic society is one in which goods are owned in common and as such there is no concept of trade. Linux is fully owned by the copyright holders. The GNU General Public License is exactly that, a license. There is no transfer of ownership ever mentioned in the GNU. Since there is no transfer of ownership and much less any common ownership, it cannot be communistic in nature.
Reverting back to the subject of capitalism, the GNU GPL fully supports the right to charge for the act of distributing Linux. This means you are free to charge $1,000,000,000 for your Linux distribution if you care to try. However, you are highly unlikely to actually get $1,000,000,000 for your distribution when a competitor can sell the same Linux software for $50. In this sense, it's a prefect free market product, many people can sell their distributions containing Linux to many buyers. Contrast this with Microsoft which operates in a monopolistic market.
In monopolistic markets the fundamental mechanics of capitalism and free markets no longer exist since barriers to entry are insurmountable to any competitors. Those who seek to protect such monopolies, by preventing the state from restoring a free and open market, are in effect advocating a form of fascism which has as a central tenet the forceful suppression of competition.
This is why I simply cannot reconcile the view of those who think Linux is communism in disguise. To this end, I have three possible explanations: either the individual is ingorant of the provisions of the GNU GPL, the individual is ignorant of the tenets of capitalism/communism, or the individual is in effect exposing fascism over capitalism. Personally, the fact that Linux, via the GNU GPL, encourages free and open competition means that it is an expression of the truest form of capitalism.
