Free Software Model in other Areas of Economy(*)

Authors: Jose Monserrat Neto(1), Danijel Orsolic(2), Ivan Stojic(3)

(1) Computer Science Department - Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)
Lavras - MG - Brazil

(2) Libervis.com - Zagreb - Croatia

(3) Department of Mathematics - Faculty of Science - University of Zagreb
Zagreb - Croatia

rijik [at] ufla.br, libervis [at] libervis.com, ivstojic [at] inet.hr

Abstract. This paper aims to show that the Free Open Source Software (FOSS) model is suitable not only to make good software. It might also work in other economic areas. Making a parallel with the collective FOSS property, the possibility and viability of a collective ownership over the knowledge of production is analyzed. The ideas here presented were born and developed in a FOSS community (Libervis) and written in its Wiki section.

What is information?

But let us first define information.
One of the best and most clear definitions i\'ve found is that information is \"knowledge acquired through study, experience or instruction\". So basically, information is knowledge. It is a \"know-what\", \"know-where\", \"know-when\", \"know-how\" and know-why. When the one knows something it has an information.

But today not only human beings are able to \"know\", computers are too. It is important to understand that software is a form of information as well, and not only the human readable source code, but also the human unreadable binary code. It is simply an information written in a language not understandable to human beings, but understandable to computers which use this information to operate just as your grandma uses cookie recipes in her native language to make those sweet cookies.