A Political Theory of Forking

Forking is the nuclear bomb of open source development projects and the ultimate test of openness. Wikipedia defines it as,

In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software.

This seemingly innocent definition is the glue that holds software development projects together. The threat of the possibility of any team member to take the source code and part of the team and set up a competing project works as a centripetal force holding projects together. There are several issues to be analyzed, from a political theory perspective:

(a) where does the salience of the threat come from?

(b) what is the difference between branching (think of different linux distributions) and forking?

(c) How is forking used as a speech act?

(d) Do we have analog situations in historical societies (tribes, migration, etc.)?

(e) In how far will “forking” play an important role in networked politics beyond open source/open content projects?

About Philipp

Philipp Müller works in the IT industry and is academic dean of the SMBS. Author of "Machiavelli.net". Proud father of three amazing children. The views expressed in this blog are his own.

16. January 2008 by Philipp
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