[consulting] A chuckle

[Sami Khan]

> 
> I'm actually totally sure you're lots of fun at parties, and otherwise.
> However, I would suggest that if we would try your union idea, we would
> have little to restrict to gain long term leverage when talking about
open
> source software of zero marginal cost.  

Restrict documentation.

> The factories we would "sit in" 
> during a strike would have to be every pc on earth, and the alternative
> means of production are available on wordpress.com for free.

The idea of strike does not apply.

> 
> Instead, focusing on driving down the cost of international
communication
> between workers by making more drupal websites and teaching the masses
to
> the same would be a nicer strategy for laying the groundwork for
> international organizing around really resource restricted goods like
food,
> water, housing and healthcare.  

No amount of websites are going to solve these issues. Communication is
hardly
the problem. Websites are hardly the problem. Biggest problem for
developing nations
are ideological, and the situation is exacerbated by the elites in the
countries currently
on top, as well as their own elites.

A developing nation can always raise a host of developers of Drupal to
service their niche, in
their own country. When they look to our markets to export their labour
to, they create 
competition that we can not possibly match with the price levels we deal
with (PPP). This 
in the long run will lower the price level, but also the buying power of
our citizens. Therefore, 
creating  globalized competition is digging yourself a grave if you are a
middle class worker
in the developed countries.

> In the long path towards this goal there
> will be many technologies to master and make a living developing along
the
> way.

It's a nice sentiment. But one person can master one piece of technology
at a time...
This for the developed country worker means nothing but pain... it may be
beneficial for developing
markets to create new export industries to bring in money; but it destroys
our software
industry in the developed countries. I can only speak for myself and my
country when I say
I personally don't support your view. I think I much rather not destroy
our industry (software)
so that other industries may prosper from cheap or costless IT.


Sami