from the libertarian newspaper

[Jared]

> "A typical example of socialist distribution vs. market distribution is any
> market where a free society provides many choices but a socialist state
> makes a singular decision for everyone. Not only does Linux not match this
> model of socialist centralization, but Microsoft does. Here is the key, by
> eliminating heavy dependency on proprietary software, you eliminate one
> centralization of abusable power. Linux ties its user into its knowledge
> base, but by its license agreement, that ties users into no one in
> particular, as good ideas can be taken and forked or merged into other
> projects. It leaves the source code open so anyone who desires can become
> an expert." (01/17/07)

Socialism masquerades as libertarianism until it has power, and then
it drops the niceties used to convince the masses that something
positive is happening, when in truth, power was consolidating. I
used to be a Libertarian until I realized I was merely a tool in
the hands of the socialists, who are a tool in the hands of the
secret organizations, who are everywhere and nowhere.

It is nice that a Libertarian newspaper is talking about Linux, and
there was one good observation made in the quote above, but they
are merely using Linux to advance their own agenda, not for its
original purpose, which Linus made clear early on:

Joy.

Linus was having fun, and still is. Libertarians and socialists are
grumpy because they have no power in a Republic, and they have
axes to grind.

I wholeheartedly agree that Linux is _not_ anarchist, and would have
written Jeremy Fowler's argument if he hadn't. Linux is very
hierarchical. Thus my concern is not for where it is today, but
where it will go after Linus passes away as an old man. The real
danger is in something as powerful as Linux being controlled by
someone who is as powerful as Linus Torvalds... but has no joy.

The salient point in the article quoted above is that ANYONE can
study the code and become an expert in it. This makes it a
meritocracy. Meritocracy demands that its ruling class be an
expert in something other than ruling, which makes it apolitical
in nature. Politicians continually try, but fail, to control it.

Linux is a rigorously structured meritocracy of joy.

-Jared