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software seamlessly connected applications to applications； so that people could
manipulate all their digitized content； using computers and the Internet； as never
before。 When you add this unprecedented new level of people…to…people communication
to all these Web…based application…to…application work flow programs； you end up with
a whole new global platform for multiple forms of collaboration。 This is the Genesis
moment for the flattening of the world。 This is when it started to take shape。 It
would take more time to converge and really become flat； but this is the moment when
people started to feel that something was changing。 Suddenly more people from
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more different places found that they could collaborate with more other people on
more different kinds of work and share more different kinds of knowledge than ever
before。 〃It is the creation of this platform； with these unique attributes； that is
the truly important sustainable breakthrough that made what you call the flattening
of the world possible；〃 said Microsoft's Craig Mundie。
Indeed； thanks to this platform that emerged from the first three flat…teners； we
were not just able to talk to each other more； we were able to do more things together。
This is the key point； argued Joel Cawley； the IBM strategist。 〃We were not just
communicating with each other more than ever； we were now able to collaborate…to build
coalitions； projects； and products together…more than ever。〃
The next six flatteners represent the new forms of collaboration which this new
platform empowered。 As J show； some people will use this platform for open…sourcing；
some for outsourcing； some for offshoring； some for supply…chaining； some for
insourcing； and some for in…forming。 Each of these forms of collaboration was either
made possible by the new platform or greatly enhanced by it。 And as more and more
of us learn how to collaborate in these different ways； we are flattening the world
even more。
Flattener #4
Open…Sourcing
Self…Organizing Collaborative Communities
Alan Cohen still remembers the first time he heard the word 〃Apache〃 as an adult；
and it wasn't while watching a cowboys…and…Indians movie。 It was the 1990s； the
dot…com market was booming； and he was a senior manager for IBM； helping to oversee
its emerging e…commerce business。 〃I had a whole team with me and a budget of about
8 million；〃 Cohen recalled。 〃We were competinghead…to…head with Microsoft； Netscape；
Oracle； Sun…all the big boys。 And we were
playing this very big…stakes game for e…commerce。 IBM had a huge sales force selling
all this e…commerce software。 One day I asked the development director who worked
for me； 'Say； Jeff； walk me through the development process for these e…commerce
systems。 What is the underlying Web server？' And he says to me； It's built on top
of Apache。' The first thing I think of is John Wayne。 'What is Apache？' I ask。 And
he says it is a shareware program for Web server technology。 He said it was produced
for free by a bunch of geeks just working online in some kind of open…source chat
room。 I was floored。 I said； 'How do you buy it？' And he says； Tou download it off
a Web site for free。' And I said； 'Well； who supports it if something goes wrong？'
And he says； 'I don't know…it just works！' And that was my first exposure to Apache 。 。 。
〃Now you have to remember； back then Microsoft； IBM； Oracle； Netscape were all trying
to build commercial Web servers。 These were huge companies。 And suddenly my
development guy is telling me that he's getting ours off the Internet for free！ It's
like you had all these big corporate executives plotting strategies； and then suddenly
the guys in the mail room are in charge。 I kept asking； 'Who runs Apache？ I mean；
who are these guys？'〃
Yes； the geeks in the mail room are deciding what software they will be using and
what you will be using too。 It's called the open…source movement； and it involves
thousands of people around the world coming together online to collaborate in writing
everything from their own software to their own operating systems to their own
dictionary to their own recipe for cola…building always from the bottom up rather
than accepting formats or content imposed by corporate hierarchies from the top down。
The word 〃open…source〃 comes from the notion that companies or ad hoc groups would
make available online the source code…the underlying programming instructions that
make a piece of software work…and then let anyone who has something to contribute
improve it and let millions of others just download it for their own use for free。
While commercial software is copyrighted and sold； and companies guard the source
code as they would their crown jewels so they can charge money to anyone who wants
to use it and thereby generate income to develop new versions； open…
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source software is shared； constantly improved by its users； and made available for
free to anyone。 In return； every user who comes up with an improvement…a patch that
makes this software sing or dance better…is encouraged to make that patch available
to every other user for free。
Not being a computer geek； I had never focused much on the open…source movement； but
when I did； I discovered it was an amazing universe of its own； with communities of
online； come…as…you…are volunteers who share their insights with one another and then
offer it to the public for nothing。 They do it because they want something the market
doesn't offer them； they do it for the psychic buzz that comes from creating a
collective product that can beat something produced by giants like Microsoft or IBM；
and…even more important…to earn the respect of their intellectual peers。 Indeed；
these guys and gals are one of the most interesting and controversial new forms of
collaboration that have been facilitated by the flat world and are flattening it even
more。
In order to explain how this form of collaboration works； why it is a flattener and
why； by the way； it has stirred so many controversies and will be stirring even more
in the future； I am going to focus on just two basic varieties of open…sourcing： the
intellectual commons movement and the free software movement。
The intellectual commons form of open…sourcing has its roots in the academic and
scientific communities； where for a long time self…organized collaborative
communities of scientists have come together through private networks and later the
Internet to pool their brainpower or share insights around a particular science or
math problem。 The Apache Web server had its roots in this form of open…sourcing。 When
I asked a friend of mine； Mike Arguello； an IT systems architect； to explain to me
why people share knowledge or work in this way； he said； 〃IT people tend to be very
bright people and they want everybody to know just how brilliant they are。〃 Marc
Andreessen； who invented the first Web browser； agreed： 〃Open…source is nothing more
than peer…reviewed science。 Sometimes people contribute to these things because they
make science； and they discover things； and the reward is r