Sakai recently debated the addition of a Beacon to each distribution so we could track usage in real time around the world. It was a great discussion – look at the Sakai dev list archives for the great fun.
But part way through the follows was a small part of a response:
On Aug 11, 2006, at 11:03 AM, Luke FERNANDEZ wrote:
In sakai-dev I’ll hazard that most most everyone recognizes the
possibility that software isn’t just a physical artifact but is also
about a community and (even further) that this community implicitly
forwards a certain idea of what is ‘good’ for a university. People get
excited about the beacon because it has the potential (in a small way)
to strenghten this sense of community identity and to forward this good.
This triggered in me a long-simmering set of thoughts. So I figured I would write them down this Sunday morning.