Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Free as in Freedom Network Services [was: Tackling Network Effect]

[Patrick Anderson]

> We can use the charity model and build it up into a federated model. For
> example, statusnet is federated and so is xmpp but there's no simple guide
> available for setting that up. There's no support group, there's no
> infrastructure basically.

A federated model has it's place, but does not replace the economy of
scale that can happen when we learn how to share hardware.

Economy of scale, redundancy, de-duplication, and other factors will
slowly move most users to the 'cloud' over the next few decades.

Network services have many layers, and each has problems.


What about the ISPs?  Will they not try to stop us and spy on us?

What about the electric companies?  Will they not overcharge us?

What about the manufacturers of the computers we use?


I agree we must take baby-steps or we cannot even begin.

But we cannot pretend that each of us can do all of this in solitary
confinement without sharing hardware is to delay the revolution.


We, the Users, pay all the costs of production *already*, but we
pay them 'late', and so pay even *more* (we pay Profit).

And so it is easy to see (and provable) that we, the Users, have
the capacity to co-own the infrastructure we need.

For example, Verizon overcharged the Users $3.9 billion during
the first quarter of 2012.

That is almost $16 billion per year that we, the Users, could save
if we would organize to co-own the hardware for our own benefit.

What does it *really* costs to connect us to each other?

When you (co-)own the Means of Production (the physical assets
of network, for example), and if you are willing to receive the Product
(connectivity in this case) as the Return for those investments,
then you do not *BUY* the Product back from yourself, but already
own your % because of the costs you paid.

We, the Users, must accept the risks of co-ownership so that we
regain control of production.

Once we solve this problem for network connectivity and storage,
it will be obvious that we can do the same for agriculture and housing
and hospitals and car-repair and so on.

It is we, the Users, that pay these costs anyway.

It is we, the Users that must co-own the Means of Production.

Once we, the Users accept the mantle of ownership, we will no
longer need to beg the owners to "do the right thing".

Once we, the Users control production, these GNU corporations
can safely merge and control government without harm.