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pi3.1415926535...
February 23rd, 2011, 08:36 AM
I have realized that the politics of open source, and it's related philosophies have a greater effect on the world as a whole than one might initially think. Take for example the use open source preventing near or complete monopolization by Microsoft (Mac OS X based on BSD), which could result in the stagnation of the computer industry, which in turn would mean that computers would be less useful and would be used less (No uprisings organized by social media). What are your opinions on the influence open source has on the world as a whole?

Thank you

HermanAB
February 23rd, 2011, 08:59 AM
Well, in the developed world, the military and governments are heavy users of FOSS (USA, Canada, UK, France...), while in the poorer world areas, whole countries have or are switching to FOSS (Brazil, South Africa). So the influence of FOSS is pervasive. Just have a look at the Microsoft share price to see the effect.

piquat
February 23rd, 2011, 09:08 AM
Well, in the developed world, the military and governments are heavy users of FOSS (USA, Canada, UK, France...), while in the poorer world areas, whole countries have or are switching to FOSS (Brazil, South Africa). So the influence of FOSS is pervasive. Just have a look at the Microsoft share price to see the effect.

Living in the US, it's easy to forget how much FOSS is actually out there and how much it's used. It seems to be a blip on the radar here but it appears to be much more most other places.