Open Source Government - Githubissues

dsernst commented 7 years ago

Idea for a post looking at open source as a model of participatory public service.

Examine how anyone can take the time to study a part of the Linux system, and propose a change.

Code as parallel to laws, both are the rules that define how the system works.
Others can come along and do "code review": inspect their proposal, and sign off if they feel it works as intended.
Participation is open to all, including people who otherwise face uphill battles being taken seriously in positions of authority.
- Although there have been strong critiques made that some communities enforce toxic & unwelcoming cultures, and that just because anyone is allowed to participate doesn't mean everyone has the time to.
Could make a point about the focus of a single patch, versus these monolith pieces of legislation.
Evidence of the open-source movement's financial value, built on volunteer contributions:

The entire Internet is held together by open source software. The cheap router that powers you Wifi network at home uses the Linux kernel. Your android phone is based on the Linux kernel. Google servers run Linux. In 2014, almost everyone is a Linux user.

and

Of course, the Linux kernel is a tiny fraction of all the open source software we rely upon... According to the Linux foundation, the cost of building a standard Linux distribution (in 2008) would have been over $10 billion.

dsernst commented 7 years ago

Could be really cool to show how collaboration in the open-source world works by lots of little improvements:

(click for video)

dsernst commented 7 years ago

Innovation can happen asynchronously. People can explore and work on new ideas, gaining support (and opposition) as they develop.

dsernst commented 6 years ago

Possible title: "How Legislation Might Be Written in the Future"

dsernst commented 6 years ago

Super relevant video by NYU Professor Clay Shirky on the history of git, the printing press, the internet, and one possible future of democracy:

First requires a digital democracy. Liquid democracy voting power can be used to approve / reject proposed changes.

dsernst commented 6 years ago

voteliquid / blog