Xref: utzoo alt.religion.computers:1270 gnu.misc.discuss:702 talk.politics.misc:40070 Path: utzoo!hoptoad!well!apple!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!samsung!shadooby!sharkey!cfctech!teemc!ka3ovk!jando!spiff!gordon From: gordon@spiff.uucp (Gordon A. Runkle) Newsgroups: alt.religion.computers,gnu.misc.discuss,talk.politics.misc Subject: Re: Free market vs Central planning Message-ID: <1989Dec30.175148.8108@spiff.uucp> Date: 30 Dec 89 17:51:48 GMT References: <4639@sugar.hackercorp.com> <4ZW1ijS00WBKE1qh5C@andrew.cmu.edu> <4823@sugar.hackercorp.com> <72@zds-ux.UUCP> Organization: MIC: Arlington, VA Lines: 29 In-Reply-To: nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu's message of 29 Dec 89 01:55:06 GMT In article nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) writes: I agree, Gerry. Almost everyone agrees that the government should have a hand in the physical infrastructure. Why not have a hand in the software infrastructure? Some people object to this, claiming that the free market is better than central planning. If the free market is so efficient and capable in bringing goods to market, then why don't companies use the free market internally? I think the reason companies don't generally use the free market internally, (and note that many do, to an extent) is a matter of granularity. The idea is to deal with things at the most decentralized level. This provides for many approaches to a given problem, and greatly facilitates development of new ideas. -- Gordon A. Runkle UUCP: uunet!men2a!spiff!gordon Management Information Consulting, Inc. HOME PH: 703-522-0825 2800 Shirlington Road, Suite 1220 WORK PH: 202-566-4382 Arlington, VA 22206 Overheard at a funeral: "I know this may be an awkward time, but do you recall him ever mentioning source code?" -- Charles Addams -- Gordon A. Runkle UUCP: uunet!men2a!spiff!gordon Management Information Consulting, Inc. HOME PH: 703-522-0825 2800 Shirlington Road, Suite 1220 WORK PH: 202-566-4382 Arlington, VA 22206