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Technologies of Labour and the Politics of Contradiction pp 175–192Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Protocols of Control: Collaboration in Free and Open Source Software

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Part of the book series: Dynamics of Virtual Work ((DVW))

Abstract

Handler shows in his chapter the importance of control in producing free and open source software (f/oss). He describes how control mechanism are not exclusive to industrial production. Rather they are central for processes which are based on decentralisation and flexibility. By looking at the central role of control in f/oss, it shows that the commons and the commodities model are both subject of a computational logic that ultimately rests on control. Handler argues that while this computational logic has specific features and repercussions, it can operate differently depending on the social and cultural contexts. Computational control, embedded in the collaborative ethic of f/oss, not only allows exit points of this decentralised control but it also starts to change how software programmers collaborate.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden

    Reinhard Anton Handler

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  1. Reinhard Anton Handler
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Culture and Communication, Institute for Development and International Relations, Zagreb, Croatia

    Paško Bilić

  2. Department for Culture and Communication, Institute for Development and International Relations, Zagreb, Croatia

    Jaka Primorac

  3. Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Bjarki Valtýsson

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Handler, R.A. (2018). Protocols of Control: Collaboration in Free and Open Source Software. In: Bilić , P., Primorac, J., Valtýsson, B. (eds) Technologies of Labour and the Politics of Contradiction. Dynamics of Virtual Work. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76279-1_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76279-1_10

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-76278-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-76279-1

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