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Former Member

The economic world is driven by two opposite forces: Greed and Generosity. Greed is driven by Capitalism and Materialism. Generosity is driven by Faith and Cooperation.

In the computer world, Greed equates to walled garden, and Generosity equates to an open field. In the software platform, Microsoft had dominated for the last decade, because MS served it's customer's materialistic needs, until Windows 8, the Walled Garden. Learning Windows 8 UI is like learning how to drive upside down. Microsoft has over-complicated the problem by naming it's ARM version of Windows(Win RT) as an edition of Windows 8. Since the cheapest edition of Windows 8 (Win RT) can't run any previous Windows programs, customers are furious with Microsoft. Developers who pay Microsoft will get more application priviledges(& Windows store access), than developers who don't. And, Windows RT only runs software from Windows store. This has lead to Microsoft's downfall from the pedestal of computing software platform.

The problem with selling software is, customers expect lifetime usage, and if a software expires before the buyer is dead, it should mention it's expiry date. When buying MS Windows, or computer installed with Windows, no-where on the package is the expiry date mentioned !

Expiry dates of different MS Windows systems (obtained from MS website😞

EXPIRATION of Feature UpdatesEXPIRATION of Security Updates
Windows XPApril 14, 2009April 8, 2014
Windows VistaApril 10, 2012April 11, 2017
Windows 7January 13, 2015January 14, 2020
Windows 8January 9, 2018January 10, 2023
  • Expiration of Feature Updates: you will NOT get any more new features or updates to old features. You will have compatiblity problems installing applications built with the new features.
  • Expiration of Security Updates: you will NOT get any more new security systems or updates to old security systems. Your firewall will be vulnerable to hacking, and Antivirus ineffective, making your Windows system vulnerable to viruses, rootkits, worms and spywares.

With Microsoft Operating System market share going down, Linux and other open source software, will be moving up.

This conflict has now spread out of the virtual software world, into Electronics, Manufacturing, Media, Farming, etc.

"Do It Yourself" (DIY) is taking over the manufacturing industry. Advantage of DIY is customization: feature customization, texture customization, color customization, material customization, etc. And the price range is dependent on these customizations. The leading trends in DIY manufacturing are MakerSpace / HackerSpace and 3D Printing

In the farming industry, Permaculture is changing perspective around the world. Permaculture is a combination of Agriculture(farming) and Aquaculture(fish farming), in a symbiotic relationship with the environment. Principles of Permaculture:

  • Care for the Earth: Provision for all life systems to continue and multiply. This is the first principle, because without a healthy earth, humans cannot flourish.
  • Care for the People: Provision for people to access those resources necessary for their existence.
  • Return of Surplus: Reinvesting surpluses back into the system to provide for the first two ethics. This includes returning waste back into the system to recycle into usefulness.

Various companies are making open source API for electronics and microchips: Adapteva, Arduino, Open Cores, etc. The most interesting of all open hardwares is Project Ara, now led by Google. It is a modular platform for Smartphones, where modules can be 3D printed. Project Ara has the potential to turn component manufacturers into module manufacturers, and with modules bieng interchangable Project Ara will be a very customizable device. ChooseBlocks is another interesting project, and inspired by Project ARA. The two best Operating Systems for modular hardware are both Linux based: Android L, and Gentoo Linux.

This all means SAP should expand it's Software as a Service(SaaS) offerings and modularize the software components to integrate with one-another on SAP cloud. Also, Open Sourcing old or outdated components would buff SAP offerings with Open Source credits.

And last, but not least is our beloved pastime, file-sharing, also known as Online Piracy. Online Piracy is the best example of Gift Economy beating Market Economy; and Generosity beating Greed. Regardless of what the media industry wants to brainwash you with, Distribution has certain laws:

  1. All Information and Knowledge tries to find the easiest and cheapest route of distribution, not the structured route of distribution - known as "going Viral"
  2. Peer to Peer distribution is faster than centralized distribution - the more people that have some Knowledge, the more people that can access it.
  3. Peer to Peer distribution usually has more redundancy - the more people that have some Knowledge, the less chance there is that it will be lost.

Piracy Networks are thriving despite of all the bullying actions by Hollywood, US Government, Interpol, etc. What does that tell you? People are offering Knowledge at the risk of imprisonment, therefore...

GENEROSITY IS A VERY POWERFUL FORCE !