Are you tired to see little green digits running amok on the bottom of your TV screen? Are you tired about marketing and ‘target audiences?’ I’m fed up.

But is there an alternative? Could we imagine a world where ideas and services are developed and shared for free? Well, this sounds a bit naive, doesn’t it? The startling fact is that this new world has started already.

Many people, including myself, ask themselves what life is all about. To many people this question sounds silly. For a large number, the key to life’s treasure chest is called money. However, money does not seem to provide a lasting sense of happiness, and has no power over intelligence, creativity and spiritual enjoyment. For this reason, an increasing number of intelligent people drop Wall Street and seek enjoyment in developing their own individual creativity. These people are the creators of a global network, the educated internet fellowship. Let me cite two examples:

• Blake Ross, software developer. Blake’s goal was to develop ‘just a very good browser.’ It’s called Firefox Mozilla. Yes, a very fine browser, indeed. It runs on Windows, Linux, Mac-Os… 20 million people are already using this free software. I’m one of them and I’m amazed. This browser runs twice as fast on my machine compared to the windows explorer! Good bye, Mr. Gates, I’m dumping your lousy explorer! Try it and enjoy it! It’s excellent software, completely free.

• Jimmy Wales, founder of the internet encyclopedia ‘Wikipedia.’ He said (in an interview with ‘Der Spiegel’): “People are learning and willing to cooperate via the internet, create good quality and publish for free… Arguments do count, liberty is paramount and so is the respect for others.”

Wikepedia is kind of a wonder story. It started in 2001, as an internet encyclopedia made by non-professionals. Everybody can add and edit Wikipedia. Fact is that:

• Wikepedia is about to become world’s largest encyclopedia, and is outstripping all commercial competitors;
• The English pages grow by some annual 7 %, whilst quality of the pages is continuously updated and improved. Many other languages;
• Wikepedia is a non-profit organization.

True, developments such as the above couldn’t have originated without the power of the internet. What I’m describing here, however, cannot be explained by the magic of the internet alone – a large part of internet traffic being spam, political propaganda, porn, viruses and other commercial e-crap.

What I’m detecting here is a change in mindset – away from money and toward liberal human creativity. It makes me feel really good, for once. I hope it lasts.

May the tide turn!

http://www.mozilla.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/



© 2005 by Franz L Kessler