Something I should probably say out loud because it keeps irritating me: corporations open-sourcing some code that they wrote for themselves is NOT a "contribution to the commons". It's dumping some scraps to keep up appearances.

Genuine contributions to the commons look like "understanding what other people need, and making sure that your contributions are also a net positive for them, and not just tailored strictly to your own needs".

The power of the commons is that it's a shared pool of resources for everyone to mutually benefit from and contribute to. Nobody ultimately benefits from your "SDK" or your "design system" (ie. branding guide) or your highly-specialized UI library or orchestration software, except for you. If at least some part of your work isn't selfless and without commercial benefit, you're not really contributing.

Almost no companies actually, genuinely contribute to the commons. An example of a company that does do so, however much I dislike them for other reasons, is Valve - their contribution to eg. FEX and the WINE ecosystem are useful for everyone, not just for Valve. Be more like them and less like Google.

Edit: And to highlight this bit in particular: "contributing to the commons" as a company means maintaining your contribution. Not just dumping it on Github and never looking at it again.

#FOSS #OpenSource #PublicCommons

I think what's probably been the biggest understanding barrier I've had with so many people is that, no matter how many times & ways I try to explain to people that I don't believe that churches should be helping me & my household (as we're not Christians & never will convert to said religion), and that this is why I've never asked them for help.

(Even as I once did go to a Christian charity because they were a directly contracted agency for processing paperwork on a government aid program I was on & getting renewed, with the initial filing having been done by a non-religious entity. I also nearly was killed as was my spouse over their mishandling of said paperwork. )

It is as if they can't accept that beyond my concern about their proselytizing us directly, that religious entities should be separate from communal civil aid....because religious entities should be about their specific religions, teaching, learning & practicing said religions, nothing more nor less.

I know that government officials go & do campaign events at them too, but that's an extension of said harmful wrong.

The diminishing of The Public Commons so much that many people have been pushed into accepting specific religious spaces as meant to be for all members of the public, to gather being a problem, not a reason for it to worsen. #Religion #PublicCommons #Poverty

unpopular opinion: the tragedy of the commons is *actually* enclosure, which is what private firms seek to do when simultaneously saying "this is how to sustain the public commons."

#FreeSoftware #OpenSource #OSS #FOSS #PublicCommons #Enclosure
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclosure

Today, with the lower court decision against the #InternetArchive, the #USA took another step toward complete and total #Fascism. What can you do? TAKE ACTION!

- Stand up for libraries ✊
Stand up for the digital rights of all libraries! Join the Battle for Libraries: https://www.battleforlibraries.com/

- Support the Internet Archive 📚
Support the Internet Archive to continue fighting for libraries in court! Donate at the link below.
https://archive.org/donate

- Stay connected 🔗
Sign up for the Empowering Libraries newsletter for ongoing updates about the lawsuit and the InternetArchive library.
https://empoweringlibraries.org/get-involved/

#Libraries #Publishers #Books #Corporations #Monopoly #DigitalLibraries #Censorship #Copyright #FairUse #PublicCommons #DigitalCommons #Authors #BookPreservation #History #Culture #CDL

Update about the court decision regarding the #InternetArchive

March 25, 2023 by chrisfreeland

"Today’s lower court decision in Hachette v. Internet Archive is a blow to all libraries and the communities we serve. This decision impacts libraries across the US who rely on controlled digital lending to connect their patrons with books online. It hurts authors by saying that unfair licensing models are the only way their books can be read online. And it holds back access to information in the digital age, harming all readers, everywhere.

"But it’s not over—we will keep fighting for the traditional right of libraries to own, lend, and preserve books. We will be appealing the judgment and encourage everyone to come together as a community to support libraries against this attack by corporate publishers.

"We will continue our work as a library. This case does not challenge many of the services we provide with digitized books including interlibrary loan, citation linking, access for the print-disabled, text and data mining, purchasing ebooks, and ongoing donation and preservation of books."

#Libraries #Publishers #Books #Corporations #Monopoly #DigitalLibraries #Censorship #Copyright #FairUse #PublicCommons #DigitalCommons #Authors #BookPreservation #History #Culture #CDL

https://blog.archive.org/2023/03/25/the-fight-continues/

Wat van ons allemaal was, moet weer van ons allemaal worden.

"Als online van ons was..."

https://www.brainwash.nl/lees/samenleving/2023/thijs-lijster-meent.html

#gemeenschapszin #publiccommons