Open Sourcing Revolution and Wal-Mart

So this last assignment was mainly about outsourcing, and globalization. Both documentaries talked about the limitation of one thing or another. The Revolution Open Sourcing DVD talked about the restraints from passwords, which caused the users to not be totally free. Because outsourcing is a way to collaborate on software without being enticed with the problems, but when the administrators were forcing users to make up passwords to log in that ended the control for the users. Passwords were a way for the administrators to control the users, so when the makers and minds behind the free network got rid of the passwords it put the users back on top to be in complete control. It also discussed the difference between hardware and software: hardware must be brought, but software is free! The difference is that software does have copyright, owner, and a license, the thing it doesn’t have is a domain. If it were in public domain someone else could gain control, and the users wouldn’t be in total control like back when the administrators were trying to enforce password usage. Instead of having a public domain free software has a copy-left which is the same as copyright, but flipped. Copy-left is having permission to change and tweak information, but when redistributed it must also allow, and follow the same copy-left terms. Linux was the example the DVD used, and it mainly said that it’s a free software operating system that gives users “FREEDOM”. You could also check out Linux for different examples of what software is and which IT industries support it. When Linux first started out in 1995 it had 500,000 users, then in 1997 it had 3.5 million users, so you see this company rapidly grew once people became savvier about it. By 1999 Linux had 12 million users, and that same year Linux’s Red Hat software becomes the first Linux Company. Like Christina stated, the reason Linux is so successful is because there is no need for passwords or any type of security measures, and the users are the ones in control.

The Wal-Mart DVD talked about how globalization causes the jobs in the United States to disappear because of a high demand for cheap goods. When goods and products are cheap, or sold for lower prices, one thinks that it’s good for the consumer, but in reality it’s only good for the retailer. China is a great example because it is the largest exporter to the United States economy, in all consumer goods categories, and Wal-Mart is the largest retailer to the United States in all consumer goods categories, and both are determined to dominate the US economy in all they can. Like Elena said the products that sit on the shelves on the Wal-Mart stores aren’t even produced in the US. We go over to other countries because we know we can pay them the lowest wages in the world, but get more products for less. This means absolutely nothing if no one in the United States has a job, and because of globalization all the jobs in America are going overseas in demand that goods be produced for much cheaper than they would cost to be made here. China does all they work, and we basically make all the money. When the documentary brought up the question: Is Wal-Mart good for America? The answer to that question is no because even though Wal-Mart produces a wide range of goods that consumers want to buy for rock bottom prices we cannot forget that people are workers, and they need to make a decent living to survive. Check out the The Wal-Mart you don't know and see the interesting points the authors make. When the jobs are wiped out of the United States than how does one make a decent living? If you want low prices shop at Wal-Mart, but it puts people out of work in this country, and lowering the standard of living in America.