Why Open Source Software Is Fundamental to a Robust Democratic Culture

Abstract

From p. 1: "Software programming is sometimes patronized as an arcane black art that is the preserve of techies. And that may or may not be true. But it is not well-appreciated that software itself has ramifications that reach far beyond the techie community and even the software marketplace. It is becoming the invisible architecture of our emerging digital culture. The structures that are embedded in software – and in the technical standards of the Internet – determine what kinds of inter-relationships we can have as a society. Software is becoming a key component of the hard-wiring of our culture. This, of course, is one of the primary themes of Larry Lessig’s 1999 book, Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace. He talked about how code, markets, law and social norms each play a role in structuring and regulating our lives."