Intellectual Usability: Preface

Hello new visitors from Software Patent News. I'm flattered that you are visiting. I ask that you understand that this 'work' isn't meant for an audience of people 'in the know' already, but rather for people who don't know. As such, there are some terms and phrases which you may disagree with. By all means, add to the comments. I welcome the criticism, but I also ask that you remember that the work isn't necessarily for people who can argue the fine points of Patent, Copyright and Trademark Law.

The concept of intellectual usability started off as a way of flipping 'intellectual property' on it's head, and possibly balancing it. But this has grown beyond that, as upon reflection it ties into Free Software and Free Culture. It thus ties into Collective Intelligence, which will be mentioned more within chapters of this book.

What started off as an article on GNU/Linux, usability, and freedom quickly morphed into more within my mind, and understandably so - I'd inadvertently been following along many paths which seemed to lead to where this book began. From advocating Free Software, to reading and even infrequntly discussing the ideas of Free Software with Richard Stallman, to reading and discussing ideas related to Collective Intelligence and later Free Culture - I have found that these paths all really seem to be discussing how intellectually usable things are.

I find myself writing this from Trinidad and Tobago, a developing country which I presently live in. A lot of the direction of my reading and research, as well as thought, have been guided by the specific challenges within Trinidad and Tobago. And yet, I am an outsider looking in as much as an insider looking out. I've spent less than half of my life here in Trinidad and Tobago, this present stretch being 4 years this July. I've stood on both sides of the Digital Divide, but have never done so in an ordinary fashion.

Innocently enough, the book started off as a paper for the International Free Software Forum (FISL), which was accepted but because of situational issues, I will be unable to attend. And as I worked to complete the paper, I found that it tied into so many things that 3 hours and a flashy presentation would not do it justice.

The ideas have stood the test of my own scrutiny - and so I find myself compelled to formalize the thoughts I have, such that everyone can challenge them in an online fashion. Done with a Creative Commons License, it's possible that even parts of the book may be adapted, improved - or even tossed out completely. Today, I stopped procrastinating and started doing - hopefully getting at least part of a chapter done each day. I do not see this as a finite work, and hopefully when you reach the conclusion you will understand why I see it this way. It's also hoped that you, too, see this as an idea which is worth challenging, building upon and hopefully improving.