The second object era and open source

Some, like artificial intelligence and virtual reality, shine like supernova, then fade away.

Others, like objects, just seem to. (The illustration is from a 2002 article on CORBA and JavaBeans.)

I remember covering CORBA and DCOM objects in the early 1990s. The aim in both cases was to create marketplaces where people could buy and sell small programs, which would then be fit together into larger systems.

Somehow, like micro-payments, it didn't take off. New buzzwords, like multimedia and Web development, soaked up programmer hours instead.

With the rise of open source objects are back. Big-time. Many great open source projects are built on objects, small programs which developers then use to create their installations.

Drupal is the example which comes to the top of my mind. I use it for a southern politics site I manage.  

Today's objects don't carry price tags. But their small size, and limited capabilities, are easy for an individual or team to pull off. Rather than being linked through a market, they're linked through a project. The project may run on its own site, or through a larger site like Sourceforge.

The idea is the same as with the old CORBA markets. What has changed is the business model. Cooperation, transparency, and an acceptance that most downloaders are freeloaders, along with a recognition that money-making projects will pay serious money, are the new model.

The old model was more overtly capitalist. The new model seems to work better for capitalism. As a reporter the irony is not lost on me.

Why does sharing work best for 21st century capitalism? The answer, in my view, is friction. There is less friction in open source, where money enters the equation only when both sides agree it should.

But I hope you have your own ideas on that.