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Wow. This is what I've been looking for, because it's what we (as a species & civilisation) need! *Open source* digital public infrastructure. Here's an example: the world's most widely used public health software system! https://dhis2.org - where I found out about this: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/08/4-reasons-you-should-care-about-digital-public-infrastructure
This is how our NZ District Health Boards, and our schools, our unis, our gov't, and our CRIs should be procuring software: locally installed and managed, collectively (global!) developed software... because each sector in each country probably has similar needs. And if it's open source, local suppliers can provide local customisations. That's the *right* way to do software. None of this proprietary shit.
@lightweight I wonder: is the proprietary software model better for competition and therefore innovation? Why should a software startup bother developing it's good idea if they have no way to capture it's value? We live in a marketplace of hungry customers, and while we do, the only way software happens is if you can get paid for it.
Proprietary isn't perfect; terrible currently. But what can make it 'good enough'? How can we help startups, without getting the Googles?
@liamdiprose also, to be clear, I'm not a fan of the concept of "startups". They're a senseless waste of community resources. 80%+ of them fail. Mostly they destroy the confidence of clever, principled people, and elevate a few lucky (not better) people to an undeserved inflated state of survivor-biased confidence. There're much better ways of doing things.
@lightweight This is the first time hearing this sentiment about startups, I must be spending too much time on hackernews 😅.
I've witnessed the lunacy of a "moonshot" startup so I'm inclined to believe you that theres a better way. As a small business owner myself, I'm convinced heaps of small businesses competing and eventually toppling the big dogs is the way. If not startups, how do we breed small businesses?
@liamdiprose regarding startups... think about it: if 80% fail, all the money invested, & candles burned at both ends... gone, with little to show for it. It's a massive net cost to society. And those few in NZ who "win the lottery" (usually it's almost entirely luck dependent) end up 'succeeding' when they get sold offshore and just about all of them have to look for a new job anyway. The suddenly flush founders get feted & invited to advise gov't fr being lucky & having lots of $. *facepalm*
@lightweight @liamdiprose Just think of a situation where a startup doesn't have to succeed. i.e., remove money from the equation.
Healthy R&D is a relationship of many failures to one success. This is why many of the big tech innovations have come from defense spending. i.e., unlimited budgets.
It's also why the term R&D is a joke at most corporations. Very few are willing to attempt innovation without a production schedule.
