doing it for free! the socio-biological explanation

DG

Title: Gift economies in the development of open source software: Anthropological reflections
URL: http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/rp-zeitlyn.pdf
Description: Abstract: "Building on Eric Raymond's work this article discusses the motivation and rewards that lead some
software engineers to participate in the open source movement. It is suggested that software engineers in the open source movement
may have sub-groupings which parallel kinship groups such as lineages. Within such groups gift giving is not necessarily or
directly reciprocated, instead members work according to the 'axiom of kinship amity' - direct economic calculation is not
appropriate within the group. What Bourdieu calls 'symbolic capital' can be used to understand how people work in order to enhance
the reputation (of themselves and their group)." By David Zeitlyn, February, 2003. (PDF, 13 pages.)

To facilitate co-ordination regarding the introduction of OSS SW in Vietnam

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