h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...But in reality, you can't eat software!

In our present economies, one must have money if one wishes to eat....and if you'll notice...free software comes with an advertisement for the BETTER stuff you can buy! If enough people buy the better stuff, the software designer gets to eat!

Most folks don't work for the betterment of anyone but themselves. If it happens to help mankind in the process....that's great PR!

Yeah, I'm a tad cynical.....but then I'm 43 and I've seen a bit more "human nature" than I wish I had seen! Even I've given up on my hippie standards....they were like Communism. Great on paper, but not possible in the real world.

NM

Im afraid that we are a different species than apes sorry...Our evoloution has been derailed by mechanisms which curb aggression such as ...well anything including guns and violence on TV if u like. This is where we differ from apes in that they have to express agressive drives whereas we have the ability to repress it. Or should have unless of course you are an ape. If that is the case youve come a long way.

you are right

you are right

Not most of the free software I use. Stuff with ads is generally *shareware*, not open source freeware such as what I am talking about.

In general the software designer already gets to eat - because creating open course software is a hobby - not a job. If you want another example, how about h2g2 - there's lots of people scribbling down content here - and for what reward? Money it ain't.

I'm not saying that all people are doing it for the betterment of mankind - just that they aren't doing it for money.

Incidentally, when was the last time you were in any danger of being unable to eat?

No,Researcher 153369, we are, at least the majority of us, apes. Thats' sad, but true.

I have no doubt that you are right. We are evolving away from being apes....but we haven't gotten there yet. When we do, crime and violence will be a thing of history. That is, if we still wish to keep records of that history!

And Lucinda,it's true....there are some who do things as a hobby. In any line of work.

Myself, I restore and "restify" old and antique automobiles as a hobby. There is NO WAY I could sell them and get my money back, much less make a profit!....but saving them for posterity is not my reason for doing it...nor is "putting food on the table".

I do it because it is what I LIKE to do. It's the same as the freeware writers and the contributors here. It's something THEY enjoy doing....it just HAPPENS to benefit the rest of us!

NM

I dunno - there's something special about seeing a perfectly restored classic car - my father's got the bug more than me - but it's a pleasant sight regardless...

*shrug* as society becomes more efficient, and our spare time increases, hopefully we'll meet a lot more of our desires via other people's 'hobbies', and a lot less by working hard for cash for them.

On the other hand - that's been a utopian dream for as long as I've existed, and before then. Ahh well.

This is a depressing conversation...

Shall I add to your depression?
You do realise that, statistically, liesure time has actually decreased over the last.....well, since the time it was supposed to increase from all these new "gadgets"!

Seems the new gadgets gave us more time to work!!!

Oh well....life goes on!LOL

NM

Stalin didn't interpret marxism. He amrketed it. Then, once people biught in, he showed them the one week warranty, and refused to repair. He did it on purpose.

Stalin didn't interpret marxism. He marketed it. Then, once people bought in, he showed them the one week warranty, and refused to repair. He did it on purpose.

Stalin didn't interpret marxism. He marketed it. Then, once people bought in, he showed them the one week warranty, and refused to repair. He did it on purpose.

Stalin didn't interpret marxism. He marketed it. Then, once people bought in, he showed them the one week warranty, and refused to repair. He did it on purpose.

Stalin didn't interpret marxism. He marketed it. Then, once people bought in, he showed them the one week warranty, and refused to repair. He did it on purpose.

I doubt that'll ever happen, lucinda. People are becoming more and more obsessed with the dinero. seeming to forget that it is a means to an end. Not an end in itself. There will never be a time when people don't have to worry about the dough, unless there are some radical changes.

yes, communism is "good in theory". However, did it work? Were countries better off with it? Look at Romania... still in serious economic problems, your answer: communism. However, yes, in theory communism would work, unfortanatly it is dying and will never return, the cold war brings back bad memories

To point to a tired cliche, communism always looks good on paper.
Human nature will always cause it to fail.

But I think it will never dissappear. There will always be socialists, communists, Marxists, Leninists, Red Chinese, whatever their monicker. Likewise there will always be anarchists. These are the extremes of political thought, and the world will always be in flux.

On this matter, everyone should read CHAIRMAN MAO's LITTLE RED BOOK

If you insist, read it because you agree.
I read it to better understand my political "opponent". I find it more insightful as to the reasons behind communist dictatorship than even Marx's MANIFESTO.

And eerie stuff, too

If you put aside the possiblity that communisim is immpossible becouse of inate human nature, then the only other problem seems to be that people cannot quickly adapt to a diffence societal system. this is why communism is supposed to take so long to obtain. But in this time is when most of the problems occur.

One way around this would be to set up a new society consisting only of children who have not yet learned other ways. This would only work if the children had some way of surviving with little outside help. Not very practical I know, but its the only way I can see around the problems. Again this will only work if the new society dosn't form a capitalist (or dictatorship, etc) system because of natural tendencies.

it's still an idea in progress, and I know it has many problems, but I thought i'd mention it. (although, knowing my luck, somebody has already thought of it!)

figment....I think you have the answer...now, if there were just a way to implement it!

NM