Did you see the Economist article on the front page today?[1] It asserts that technology fails to boost wages and that over-education is a problem because of a failure to create enough suitable jobs. I don't know if that's all true, but surely there must be a point when enough software exists that it becomes difficult to find jobs unless you are above average or highly specialized. Or in other words, workers fail to adapt to the increased rate of change.
Linux is certainly the shining example of free software. But how many other projects have the same potential to create jobs? Even with Linux, it's not enough to have an average understanding. Large companies may have a few positions for mediocre sysadmins, but competition will squeeze them out.
Probably the answer is not in software itself, but in the creation of small businesses that rely on free software. Sites like eBay and Alibaba have enabled countless people to work from home selling things around the globe. There are also countless data entry and Mechanical Turk-style jobs. And of course electronics manufactuing. So the trend is that even at the bottom technology becomes a requirement. I guess the good news is that with all the increased productivity the standard of living rises and people will have more time to learn new technologies.
> Probably the answer is not in software itself, but in the creation of small businesses that rely on free software.
Yes, that is what I was trying to say.
Not using Open Source on principle is like creating "make work" just so people can keep their jobs. But all "make work" does is allocates resources inefficiently.
> over-education is a problem because of a failure to create enough suitable jobs.
I think we've wandered off the topic (my original reply about Open Source.).
> technology fails to boost wages
I find it odd they wrote a whole article on that, when the converse ("Lack of technology fails to boost wages") is equally true.
Even if wages are the same, what we can DO with those wages has already changed for the better. Even poor people in America have TVs, Air Conditioning, and the Internet (even if it's only at work or in a library). Anyone can call up a satellite map of the world, or have an entire encyclopedia at their fingertips. Only rich people could do that a generation ago.
It's an odd perspective. We produce more value for less work, and yet we can't work (proportionately) less and still enjoy the same value. Sounds like a problem of how the value created is distributed, not a problem with not creating enough value?
That's because world governments and central banks devalue currencies. Instead of US getting to work less hours because of increased productivity, banks and governments get the benefits of increased productivity.
Oh sure, computers and televisions are better and cheaper than ever, but you can't support a family of 4 if the dad is a grocery store bag-boy and the mom babysits, which is what my family was able to do 50 years ago, with a house (mortgage), car, motorcycle, and a boat. I doubt if a bag boy today can even afford gas, car insurance, rent, and food without struggling.
I think inflation has more of an effect on savings than earnings, but what you said about supporting a family 50 years ago rings true. I don't think today's salaries go as far as they did in the past few decades.
Linux is certainly the shining example of free software. But how many other projects have the same potential to create jobs? Even with Linux, it's not enough to have an average understanding. Large companies may have a few positions for mediocre sysadmins, but competition will squeeze them out.
Probably the answer is not in software itself, but in the creation of small businesses that rely on free software. Sites like eBay and Alibaba have enabled countless people to work from home selling things around the globe. There are also countless data entry and Mechanical Turk-style jobs. And of course electronics manufactuing. So the trend is that even at the bottom technology becomes a requirement. I guess the good news is that with all the increased productivity the standard of living rises and people will have more time to learn new technologies.
1. http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21621237-digita...