Internet Safety In and Out

With the constant influx of new material onto the Internet, community, family and individual safety can no longer be maintained by a one-sided approach. We must step up the pressure for international laws penalizing the authors of soul-numbing Internet trash: I refer chiefly to pornography. At the bare minimum, we must insist that morally controversial material be easily filterable by requiring it to bear a distinctive tag (such as .xxx). At the same time, we must intensify our commitment to a personal moral standard so that we can recognize and leave dangerous and corrupting sites instantly. Only a serious, sustained effort on both the individual and the community front will be enough to overcome the undesirable effects of a bottomless fountain of digital information.

Changing Style; Changing Society

The bazaar style of programming is a huge step not only in the history of software development, but in the history of society. It capitalizes on curiosity, diversity, and innovation in a world-wide community. Anyone with skills and interest can make a meaningful contribution, and all benefit. In the anti-trust fights of the last century, individual Americans came to value the individual over the corporate interests. In the new century, social phenomena like the bazaar style of programming will increasingly blur the distinction between corporate and individual interests.

Link to the Cathedral and the Bazaar:
http://catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/index.html