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Re: [ox] Die Anwendbarkeit der Werttheorie in der Informatik



Hi, Graham!

On Die, 21 Nov 2000, graham belegost.mit.edu wrote:
Now imagine a world in which any product design is copylefted. This would
mean the maximum of imaginable competition. So the profits of each
company would be minimalistic. "This does not mean a breakdown of
capitalism, but it would at least make it much more
value-exempt."(St.Mz.)

This is the part I don't understand. It would mean the removal of the
part of profit generated by monopolistic  control of designs (eg Intel
would not have had their huge profits, because an AMD would have been
possible immediately). 

Right.

In a marxist scheme, assuming that design work
IS productive labour, it would mean the removal of the part of surplus
value involved in the design. So, a decrease in profits for
specific firms (like Intel), an increase for some (like mine), and
an overall decrease for capital as a whole. But why 'minimalistic'?

The only remaining task for these firms would be manufacturing the goods. The 
firms would produce identical products -- meaning also of identical quality. 
So the only difference between the products of different firms would be the 
price. To stay competitive, each firm would have to reduce the price 
continously, meaning utilizing more effective machines, less man power and -- 
as the last consequence -- making less profit.

Any increase in productivity decreases the value of individual goods;
becoming increasingly value-exempt is the normal tendency of capitalism.

Right. Whith intellectual property, this process is just slower, because 
everyone has to reinvent the wheel.

But it is a tendency which affects invidual goods, not necessarily
the rate of profit,

The rate of profit should be kept stable to have enough money to buy better 
machines. With them, the price can be reduced whithout reducing profits.

However, when the technical progress and the battle about the lowest price 
are moving on so fast that this technique does not work anymore, because at 
the same time all competitors install the same new machines, there is only 
one chance: Do not buy the new machines now, but some weeks later, when 
better ones are available. In the mean time, make less profits.

nor a company which can compensate for lack of
value of individual goods by increased value of their total mass (ie
producing larger quantities)

At some time there will be no further demand, so this only works temporarily. 

I personally like the idea of a value-exempt capitalism, because that
would mean that democratic entities could take over the whole material
production for a small amount of money and reorganize it the way the
people wants it to be.

That assumes  that not only the individual chip loses value
( and also loses value in relation to the value of our wages),
but that so does the chip factory, not only the car, but the car
factory. Or not?

Right. Robots are normal industrial goods like chips or cars. So there would 
be GPLed ones sooner or later, available at dumping prices.

I am not trying to argue a fixed position, but sort out my own ideas

So am I.

Bye,
Thomas
 }:o{#

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