Free software is the source code, i.e. the set of instructions that creates the program before compilation, is software that is openly made available and cannot be the subject of special grants.
The development of free software relies heavily on the volunteer work and voluntary participation of participants in a collaborative organizational mode based on the organizational conveniences of the Internet.
Today’s flagship product is the Linux operating system inspired by Unix and portable to microcomputer architectures.
But many other products are also available from specialist companies and often even freely downloaded from the Internet: website servers, office, scientific and image processing tools, etc.
What we want to show in this article is that what characterizes the free software model is primarily the freedom to modify and improve existing versions.
Therefore, the free software economy is first and foremost a model of innovation, know-how and reintegration of knowledge. It’s not a free product offer type of marketing strategy.
The fact that the user is allowed access to the source code provides the very important effects of learning through use. That is, it makes it possible to make the best use of a very large distributed intelligence.
Under the terms of the Free Software Foundation, anyone can use and modify the code as long as they forward the change to the organization for verification and evaluation.
Here we find the good features of knowledge distribution and open information systems. Only the rapid and wide circulation of information makes it possible to exploit the unique potential of a large number of competent individuals.
From a concrete point of view, the rapid distribution of information facilitates coordination between agents. It reduces the risk of recurrence between research projects. It makes it possible to learn and concentrate on the best inventions.
It also constitutes a guarantee of quality. Because after knowledge is produced, it is tested by countless agents and therefore verified.
Finally, it spreads knowledge among a diverse population of researchers and entrepreneurs, increasing the likelihood of subsequent discoveries and inventions. It also reduces the risk of owning this information.
These good features of open knowledge are reinforced in the case of free software:
First, software is a complex scientific or technological object. It is therefore characterized by almost unlimited learning processes.
A system of thousands of developers working on the same software for a long time will remain for a long time, almost indefinitely.
This would not be the case with a system of thousands of engineers working to develop a simple object.
Second, software is expressed in the form of a set of coded instructions that circulates perfectly over the electronic network.
Thus, the circulation of the improvements made is fast, flawless and the marginal cost is close to zero.
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This increases the overall efficiency of the batch research process. This also increases the incentive for agents to post information.
The results are clearly demonstrated in experimental studies of new systems. If so many agents agree to cooperate, it is mainly because the time spent sending information does not exceed five minutes.
Third, software belongs to a certain class of technology that has the ability to reduce or even cancel the distance between producers and consumers.
The millions of users who bring up the problems are partly the developers who will suggest the solutions. Therefore, the relationship between identifying problems and formulating solutions is important.
There is an interesting result in this regard. People help each other because the solution one is looking for is ready to use.
In other words, there is the system, which will therefore not have to spend a great deal of effort to find and send. It’s called software.
These different aspects have a clear and indisputable translation in terms of product performance. The rate of innovation, quality and reliability are far superior to those found in the proprietary software world.
If the empirical evidence on this point remains patchy, many companies and administrations turn to the free software world. Expected performance is a good indicator of potential.
For these reasons, the Linux system should not be analyzed simply as a privileged expression of individuals’ ethics and beliefs, or even a sense of community. First of all, it should be seen as a mechanism that produces economic efficiency.
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