Toward an Open Source Civilization: ( Innovations Case Narrative : Open Source Ecology)

Abstract

design-which uses African minerals that are assembled in China with parts from Japan-contributors all over the world have designed the GVCS so that its supply chain is no farther than the backyard and the local scrap heap. Its subcomponents range from basic manual manufacturing to highly automated, software-based precision tools. The GVCS represents the natural intersection of the open software and open hardware movements with basic human needs. Some of the tools are thus far only rough sketches, but a surprising number are real and in active development. THE ORIGINS OF OPEN SOURCE ECOLOGY Open Source Ecology essentially began when Marcin Jakubowski's tractor broke down in rural Missouri. A Polish immigrant who had experienced a crisis of meaning after completing a PhD program in fusion physics, Marcin had made the unlikely choice of farming as a profession. As a natural tinkerer, Marcin was frustrated by the fact that his tractor was unnecessarily difficult to fix and that he could not afford the expensive replacement parts. So, he designed a new tractor himself and put the design on a wiki. His decision to design a flexible, easy-to-fix tractor and then to open source it inspired a community of do-it-yourself (DIY) contributors to his wiki and the birth of a new collaborative movement. Marcin explains his personal evolution this way: Growing up in Poland and having a grandparent [who was] in the concentration camps, I was aware even at an early age what happens when