University of Helsinki

Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research

Original version at http://home.edu.helsinki.fi/~jsilvone/Oekonux/OekoN03_JS.html Remote link

General ideas: contradiction, history, and every day practices

Three aspects

Economic aspect: Free software vs. proprietary software.
Community aspect: Open, decentralized, global Bazaar, a virtual community vs. Hierarchical Cathedral
Innovation aspect: New development model restructuring the developer-end-user relation.

Technical and Social in Linux?

A Code / Program	A License
UNIX like operating system	GPL licensed free / open source software
invented by Linus Torvalds in 1991	FSF founded in 1984 by Richard Stallman.
Mode of development	Mode of production

How do they relate?

Dimensions of `free' and `open'

Fundamental societal contradictions of the given socio-economic formation are present in local activity of that society. Impersonal societal structures can be seen as consisting of local activities carried out by concrete human beings with the help of mediating artefacts. Look at society more as a multi-layered network of interconnected activity systems and less as pyramid of rigid structures dependent on a single centre of power.

(Engeström 1999, 36)

Expansion of the `Linux Community'

Linux kernel hackers

Kernel developers in Credits files

PRIMARY DOCS
CODES	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Totals
*SUB Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
*SUB Asia	3	8	13	13	18	18	23	20	116
*SUB Europa	38	58	92	97	135	144	175	191	930
*SUB North America	33	51	69	73	90	93	126	137	672
*SUB South America	0	0	2	2	3	4	8	12	31
Totals	74	117	176	185	246	259	333	361	1751

Distributions

Linux User Groups

495 user groups in 69 countries http://lugww.counter.li.org/ Remote link (August 2002).

LUGs by Continent (members)

In total:

495 LUGs
69616 individual members

LUGs by Language

LUG inside the Community

The `Community'?

Communities are networks of interpersonal ties that provide sociability, support, information, a sense of belonging, and social identity. (Wellman 2001, 1)
Transition from strong ties to weak ties
Networks instead of traditional communities and/or hierarchies

The case: Finnish Linux User Group

FLUG - Finnish Linux User Group

In 1997, an informal group; in 1999 first Install Fest; in 2000, formal nationwide association. Appr. 250 formal members, 99 % male.
Main activity: flug-l e-mail list - about 1800 subscribers, 289 active participants (9 hotmail users).
Regular meetings, annual LDD.
`Linux Goes Schools' campaign + local groups.

flug-l

Steps in analysis

Classification of all messages by four main topics
Identifying 236 individual threads
Identifying the main groups of discussion participants.
`Thick description' of discussions peaks.

Discussion topics by month

Young hackers vs. old gentlemen

Linux-portal thread: 97 mails, 34 participants, 13 days.
`Adjacency pairs' = 51. `Nodes' = 8. Subjects = 7. `free flouting mails' = 2.
Opening: recommendation to visit a Finnish Linux portal. Thread transforms to a dispute about the nature of programming Linux.

Opening (ap1)

P2486 + *Date*: Sat, 9 Dec 2000 22:16:53

Has anybody noticed the portal http://www.linuxonly.cx/ Remote link , it seems to be quite promising. I recommend everybody to visit.

P2487 + *Date*: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 18:07:45

I have been there and even sometimes produced a few pieces of news but the site is so amateurish and the language skills of the editor is so weak that it does not impress as a portal.

Young Hackers (ap 3)

P2493 + *Date*: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 11:51:39

Tell me, old gentlemen, is Linux itself created by profs or by amateurs? So many times have we noticed how much better the programs written by amateurs are, compared with proprietary ones. So, a little bit amateurship should be accepted, at least in our circles.

P2522 + *Date*: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 14:38:35

In these circles only so called amateurs are professionals, and professionals are bunglers. You can't learn these things at school, at all.

Old gentlemen

P2533 + *Date*: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 12:56:18

> I'm 17 (---) and I have to go to imho totally futile high

> school.

Don't dress yourself in the sack. High school math and physics are a real good base for programming.

P2534 + *Date*: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 13:03:09

> I'm 17 (---) and I have to go to imho totally futile high

> school.

High school is for general education. Coding of a program is not separated from the real life. On the contrary.

Tensions in the thread

Amateur	vs.	professional
Skilled	vs.	wage labour
Young	vs.	old
Open	vs.	closed
Freedom	vs.	control
Self-learning	vs.	formal education

Discussion themes by subgroup

Local practices

Linux Demo Days (2000, 2001, 2001, 2002)
Monthly meetings ("miitti")
Excursions to Valamo (and other places)
Linux Goes School
User Meetings

FLUG is a community of active and highly skilled Linux users (educational function)
FLUG as a Finnish-language organization is closely connected with the global www-networks (translation function)
FLUG has a moderate political profile (Linux instead of GNU/Linux) being active in such cases as software patenting
FLUG hosts on-line and real-life activists as well as radical and moderate hackers. The meaning of `Linux' is being constructed in continuous debates between these groups

Some functions of FLUG

Some conclusions

The `Linux community' is a complicated network of different communities. They are 'virtual' and they are anchored in local social activities.
Linux user groups are an essential part of the whole network making Linux possible. They are `translators' between developers and lead users, offering an arena for local articulations of `Linux'.
Linux communities are not simply `open' and `decentralized'. They have their own hierarchies, and divisions of work. Communities are led by rather small group of activists.

Linux User Groups and the 'Linux Community'