Week 5: Networks
questions
Adoption- Why do you think people buy software when there is software available for free. Is it because we do not trust things that are "free"? Why or why not?
- I know the first time I used Linux I struggled and struggled and haven’t used it since. I have grown up with Word and am comfortable with it. Will this comfort zone limit people from changing to open source software?
Open Source Social Movement
- How do we get people more comfortable with open source software?
- Do you think the 'open source software movement' can be successful in near future? Do you believe the mass public will find this to be a reasonable idea?
- Does open source software create a power for the masses?
- What comes after open source software?
- How do you think open source software will change the political system and structure in America? Will it serve merely as an outlet for frustrations among peers or will it be a catalyst for change?
- What are the pros and cons of having free software? Do you think this
is an effective strategy to encourage innovation and progress?
Do you think the pro's outweigh the con's of implementing an open source software movement?
What are the benefits (or drawbacks) of having freely available software?
- Will trends of GNU's become popular enough to happen by 2020?
- How will this movement affect businesses such as Apple and Microsoft?
- Do you see the movement as a unifying approach (movement) or a chaotic approach (movement)?
- Do you agree with the GNU article that most programmers would still program if they were not compensated according to the current systems and standards?
- Is it realistic that the open source software movement could succeed? I just don't see the already rich not wanting to get richer. Explain please.
- If the open source software movement does succeed and software companies only charge for service, wouldn't it be easy to assume that these companies would purposely create viruses and such to sabotage programs in order to generate revenue through service?
- Do you see the future of programming to be all-incl0000000000usive with all sorts of people developing open source programs? Or do you believe that programming will continue to be developed mostly by ‘official’ programmers? Why?
- If there were a open source software system what would the effects be to the market of computers?
- Has the development of modern and current operating systems led to similar effects as the development of Linux did in the 1980s?
Technology & Markets
- Do you think businesses would be more popular or reputable if they were more honest or kept the public openly updated one their status (in terms of management, business deals, etc.)?
- Should software be freely available for anyone to use? Explain.
- How will open source software change business?
- How might technology change the marketplace in the future?
- What are ways companies could make themselves more human and less monotone in order to better interact with their markets?
- What may have brought the onset of change in the marketplace that makes the companies seem so inhuman? Or did the companies somehow spark the change?
- One of the ideas expressed in the GNU article was that programmers will still program even if their creations become free. Do you agree with this idea? Why or why not?
- Are businesses turning us into consumers or did we want it that way?
- What changes do you project in the market place in the next decade? Will all businesses have to take this shift into the 'free-wheeling' marketplace?
- What are some ways businesses can engage the market on a more "human" level to adapt to the growing "networked market"? Do you share the frustrations of The Cluetrain Manifesto?
- How will advertisers get their messages across in the future?
- Would people (especially children) want to learn a skill like programming if it wasn’t as lucrative as it is now? Do you think the “post-scarcity world” could happen, and how?
- Do you see any negative consequences of a post scarcity era?
- Is word of mouth advertising the way to go? Why or Why not.
- I also wonder how the big companies will confront the growing sector of sharing information such as programs, bittorent, open source.
- The Clutrain Manifesto says, "Corporate firewalls have kept smart employees in and smart markets out. It's going to cause real pain to tear those walls down." What are some ways to start tearing down these walls?
Technology & Society 0
- Will the internet further widen the socioeconomic gap if more and more people use it to organize politically? Explain.
- In what ways do you feel that this type of communication is empowering?
- If a second super power emerges, is it realistic that the US would willingly share the throne? I would think some sort of violence would erupt.
- In regards to the second superpower, as this movement grows how can we ensure that special interests do not infiltrate and influence the collective?
- Have you ever heard of corporations employing people to work in chat rooms and blogging, posing as a regular consumer to put forth ideas that benefit and support the special interests of companies or politicians?
- What are the benefits (or drawbacks) of having the Internet mediate the second superpower?
- Are there dangers in having a second superpower? Can the swarming effect of bloggers sometimes be a bad thing?
- Does the internet affect your political participation? How?
- If open source software movement was accepted in the next few years, what do you predict would happen to public discourse?
- Because the internet has allowed communities to deliberate quickly, will the traditional democracy evolve to resemble the internet process?
- If the government does something illegal or unconstitutional, but the
majority still agrees with its decision, is it right? What can a minority
do to keep the government in check?
- Is the trend of social software like Wikipedia going to surpass the conventional knowledge?
- How is the "second superpower" different than a traditional grassroots group using new technology?
- What happens to those outside of the global market? Those separated by the digital divide?
- Are those who take themselves out of these global conversations completely
out of the loop, or will some traditional methods of communications
remains intact?
- Will the 'second superpower' continue to grow in its efficiency and power? Why or why not?
- How do you think changes in technology will influece this "second superpower"?
- Do you think that this "second superpower" could become something more powerful than the government? Explain why or why not.
- In the Second Superpower article I couldnt help but feel a little doubt in what the author was writing about especially when the Iraq example came up. Yes this Superpower is out there but is it really going to make a difference with today's governemnt and bureaucracy? (I hate that that sounds so conservative but with Bush etc. leading the US and so many things being controlled by religion)its hard to imagine any change being accomplished) What do you think?
- Can a superpower ever really be a non-governmental agencies?
- How can the United States Government use new technology more effectively and efficiently? How and what changes need to occur?
- In light of the second superpowers potential to unify people from many
countries into one through online access, does this way of organization/protest
pose the same de-personalization that has occurred in our commercial
industry?
- Moore also states, "The second superpower, emerging in the 21st
century, depends upon educated informed members. In the community of
the second superpower each of us is responsible for our own sense-making...
Even the current fascination with "reality television" speaks
to this desire: we prefer to watch our fellow, and decide ourselves "what’s
the story" rather than watching actors and actresses play out
a story written by someone else. The same, increasingly, is true of
the political stage—hence the attractiveness of participation
in the second superpower to individuals."
My last question would be, does this last quote strengthen or weaken Moore’s argument? I am not really sure that the reason reality television is popular, is because we are educated informed members of society who like to make sense of things on our own? And how is the popularity of reality television connected to the need for a "second superpower"?
- Do you think that cultural clashes and misunderstandings, may be more prevalent due to communication via the internet? How might these be dealt with and/or resolved?
- What types of situations can you think of, where "proper" communication style has changed drastically?
- Should all online groups have to conform to certain norms? Why or why not? Explain.
- What are the positive aspects and negative aspects of group software?
- Should a person's freedom be limited when in a social Internet setting? If so, how is this done besides with social norms and constitutions?
- However, when groups are involved, the machine needs to be more flexible to adapt to the varying members of the group. How will new designs of social software affect group dynamics and who is shaping whom? Are the software designers shaping the user-group relationship, or is the relationship shaping the design?
- Would you consider Slashdot’s measures for dealing with offensive and irrelevant material, censorship?
- So many social software systems such as myspace, facebook and others require personal information in order to be a part of it. Is this the way all social software will be in the future?
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