After reading Lessig's chapter describing the four mentioned sections, I think it is relatively easy to see how they relate to one another. It seems to me as if the sections of Kodak, Just Think, Blogging, and Open-source software is a timeline progression of the ways in which we use images. For example the camera and discovery of Kodak film was the very beginning in how we were able to capture an image and use it to look at the things we photographed. It was a way to express feeling and emotion. That revelation was taken to the next level when these "Just Think" busses were stocked with equipment that allowed kids to imagine and form different messages using different types of media (i.e. images, sound, and text). Just the same, Blogging after 9/11 occurred to express an opinion and share with the public a certain thought or emotion that a person was feeling at any given time. And lastly, Open-source software is a type of code apparently ( I am not very familiar with this term, is anyone else?), that again allows free expression and that ability to expand a specific medium and manipulate it in ways that allow others to view it and modify it as well.
Overall, the four sections, to me, represent a form of expression and way to send out a message for others to view. It has taken on many forms over the years and has developed in miraculous ways that allow this "tinkering" and cognitive learning to develop among those who use and are aware of the possibilities images, text, opinion, and sounds can communicate.
I can't really think of any examples of Open-source software, since the definition is unclear to me and I am not 100% positive about what it actually is. Any insight is greatly appreciated!
I'm pretty sure it is software that can be altered (or added to) by anyone. I'm also fairly sure that most of the programs developed in this manner are usually free. I wasn't 100% sure, and I didn't want to put my foot in my mouth, so I Googled it. There was a good quote on wiki......."Open source software is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner."
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
I'll TRY (lol) to use a metaphor to further clarify (for my own good as well). Let's say I'm some inventor and I created the steam engine. Traditionally, I would keep it hidden in my workshop and my team and I would finish it ourselves, and then sell it. On the other hand, with an open-source project, I would send my blueprints out to anyone who wanted them, and then hopefully, they'd help me finish designing it. Someone please correct me if I'm not explaining it correctly.