Like Open-Source Software, Here's How Occupy Wall Street Will Be Co-Opted (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Occupy Wall Street is as "open source" as a movement can get -- to borrow a term from the technology world. If the Republican and Democrat parties are Windows PCs and Macs, its approach is more like Linux, the kernel-slash-operating-system at the heart of TiVos and Android smartphones. It has no leaders, it answers to no one, and anyone who wants to can replicate it in their own city.

The open source Linux world has seen its share of co-opting, though. Linux itself co-opted the GNU project, an attempt by programmers in Richard Stallman's Free Software Foundation to create a free operating system. Purists insist on referring to it as GNU/Linux, i.e. the GNU operating system powered by the Linux kernel, but few actually know it by that name.

Here's a look at two famous co-optings of open source software, and the implications for Occupy Wall Street's leaderless movement.

Ubuntu

"Linux for human beings" was the Ubuntu operating system's original tagline. With pictures of smiling people holding hands in a circle, it promised to free your computer with open source software, even if you didn't consider yourself a techie. Idealists flocked to its banner, and many volunteer for it worldwide.

The lion's share of Ubuntu development, however, happens at the behest of Canonical, a start-up founded by billionaire Mark Shuttleworth. Canonical profits from proprietary (i.e. not open source) services tied to the free Ubuntu OS, and has largely dictated the shape of its controversial new Unity interface. Several of Canonical's moves have alienated Ubuntu contributors, and volunteer enthusiasm has dropped off considerably, to the point where Canonical Community Manager Jono Bacon has had to do damage control.

Android

Unlike Ubuntu's precursor Debian, a volunteer effort to create a Linux OS, Android was top-down since day one. It was first announced as the flagship effort of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of handset makers and wireless carriers with the goal of building an open-source smartphone. But the industry consensus is that Google itself drives nearly all Android development, only later releasing the code if it feels like it (Android 3.0 Honeycomb was closed source).

Android is also heavily tied into Google's proprietary online services, including the Android Market, and manufacturers that don't adhere to Google's guidelines are not permitted to use the Google apps on their devices.

Where the parallels lay

Android's story is a parallel to the tea party protests, which were heavily corporate-funded to begin with. Just like how Android enthusiasts blog about the "open source" OS that's controlled by Google, the tea party is basically a collection of enthusiasts for the ideologies of corporate front groups Americans For Prosperity and FreedomWorks. Despite receiving abundant media coverage, the movement's enthusiasm has dropped off since the 2010 elections, and it is now less popular than Occupy Wall Street.

Right now, Occupy Wall Street's principled, open source nature is more like Ubuntu's precursor, Debian. But where Debian was cliquish and impenetrable to outsiders, Ubuntu opened up Linux to everyone, and in so doing created a community that was dependent on it. "Linux" still exists in various forms, but Ubuntu has eclipsed it in mindshare.

The Upshot

So what's the take-home lesson for the protesters? Right now the worldwide "occupy" protests are popular because they're seen as addressing problems that the political process is not. But if something else came along that seemed to do the job better, it could eclipse the Occupy Wall Street movement in the same way that Ubuntu did Linux. And just like Canonical is doing with Ubuntu One and Unity, it could make the protesters dependent on it, to the point where it sets the agenda.

The way for the protesters to avoid this fate is to stay focused on being the voice of the voiceless, and to make sure that they're not leaving anyone out. They should also learn from America's minority groups, who have been facing the same problems as "the 99 percent" for some time now.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111108/us_ac/10389045_like_opensource_software_heres_how_occupy_wall_street_will_be_coopted

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