TY - JOUR AU - Mann, Steve PY - 2000/01/03 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Free source as free thought: Architecting free standards JF - First Monday JA - FM VL - 5 IS - 1 SE - DO - 10.5210/fm.v5i1.723 UR - https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/723 SP - AB - As we build cyberspace, it is up to us, as individuals, not to promote illiteracy and proprietary standards that shut out those who fail to purchase computer programs from a specific vendor. It has become fashionable to blame others, such as Microsoft, for creating what is known as the "dark ages of computing". However, I suggest that we can and should look to ourselves as the source of the problem. In this article, I propose the "public park" analogy as a first point of departure from current critical thinking, and as a framework with which to better understand possible conflict of interest in government and education. Moreover, in the age of Personal Cybernetics (personal electronics, wearable computing, implantables.com, etc.), this issue will become all the more important. When "technology as extensions of mind and body" is no longer a metaphor, will we have already sold our heart and soul for software of a particular corporation, or will our thoughts be free? ER -