Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Intention-and-Vision: Difference between revisions

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{{KidsIntro|WikiDeal is a big experiment. This page explains the core idea behind it: applying the same rules that keep Wikipedia free and fair, to create a marketplace where everyone gets a fair deal without being tricked.}}

{{ExpertIntro|This article outlines the fundamental vision of the WikiDeal ~~research program~~. It demonstrates how the historical citizen debate between Free Software and Open Source—specifically the distinction between true non-discriminatory freedom and corporate co-optation—can be applied to other domains, such as the rules governing a Global Online Marketplace. By using this historical lens, WikiDeal seeks to establish fair distribution keys, curb the abuse of dominant positions, and define economic flows (like air and sea) ~~as commons~~ that must be preserved rather than privatized.}}

{{ExpertIntro|This article outlines the fundamental vision of the research and development part of WikiDeal. It demonstrates how the historical citizen debate between Free Software and Open Source—specifically the distinction between true non-discriminatory freedom and corporate co-optation—can be applied to other domains, such as the rules governing a Global Online Marketplace. By using this historical lens, WikiDeal seeks to establish fair distribution keys, curb the abuse of dominant positions, and define economic flows as commons (like air and sea) that must be preserved rather than privatized.}}

'''WikiDeal is an applied ~~research and development~~ program aimed at answering fundamental societal questions about commerce and global marketplaces. Through Open Calls and public debates, it seeks to de-privatize economic flows and ensure they operate at real costs, rather than exclusively benefiting a small minority.'''

'''The research and development part of WikiDeal is an applied program aimed at answering fundamental societal questions about commerce and global marketplaces. Through Open Calls and public debates, it seeks to de-privatize economic flows and ensure they operate at real costs, rather than exclusively benefiting a small minority.'''

This article is specifically addressed to donors, contributors, and candidates looking to participate in our research activities. Its goal is to clarify the philosophical vision of the program: we are connecting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_entrepreneurship social entrepreneurs] and intrapreneurs—individuals who have dedicated their lives and careers to the ~~commons~~. If you want to support social and commons-oriented entrepreneurship, the cooperative spirit, and the participatory co-ownership of goods managed fairly, you are in the right place.

This article is specifically addressed to donors, contributors, and candidates looking to participate in our research activities. Its goal is to clarify the philosophical vision and the '''Research Motto''' of the program: we are connecting [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_entrepreneurship social entrepreneurs] and intrapreneurs—individuals who have dedicated their lives and careers to the commons—not in the domain of encyclopedic knowledge, but in the economic domain. If you want to support social and commons-oriented entrepreneurship, the cooperative spirit, and the participatory co-ownership of goods managed fairly, you are in the right place.

Fundamentally, the questions we tackle here rely on mechanisms already proven in ~~the~~ Wikipedia ~~environment~~, reinforced by a very specific [[Gov/en/Portal:Institutions/Governance|hybrid governance model]] (a ~~mix of Wikipedia's open rule~~-~~making, the cooperative movement's user-ownership, and the Swiss~~ political structure of collegial executives).

Fundamentally, the socio-economic questions we tackle here are meant to be solved through practical demonstrations, much like open mathematical problems. They rely on mechanisms already proven in Free Culture licensing communities (such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia Wikipedia], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla Mozilla], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian Debian]) and cooperative movements (such as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Corporation Mondragon Corporation] in the Basque Country and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Mobili%C3%A8re La Mobilière] in Switzerland). These are reinforced by a very specific [[Gov/en/Portal:Institutions/Governance|hybrid governance model]] featuring significantly decentralized governance and a Swiss-style political structure of collegial executives.

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To understand the core approach of WikiDeal, we can look at a highly concrete historical example: the philosophical and academic foundation of the Free Software and Open Source movements.

In the 1980s, the ~~concept~~ of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/~~Free_software Free Software~~] and ~~"copyleft" was established~~ by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/~~Richard_Stallman Richard Stallman~~]~~—a key founder of the movement—to~~ guarantee users four essential freedoms. This was built on a very clear citizen concern: freedom must be protected, and we must prevent it from being corrupted, misused, or circumvented by proprietary models.

In the 1980s, the issue of proprietary (privative) software was challenged head-on; today, for WikiDeal, the use of proprietary tools is completely excluded. The catalyst occurred in the early 1980s when [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman Richard Stallman]—a key founder of the movement—could not get the source code to make a MIT Xerox printer print double-sided. This proprietary restriction created an ethical, ecological (wasting paper), and political-economic problem by enforcing artificial scarcity in an economy of digital profusion. To combat this, the concept of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software Free Software] and "copyleft" was established to guarantee users four essential freedoms. This was built on a very clear citizen concern: freedom must be protected, and we must prevent it from being corrupted, misused, or circumvented by proprietary models.

Later, in the late 1990s, a parallel movement emerged promoting "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software Open Source]," championed by figures like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_S._Raymond Eric S. Raymond] (author of ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cathedral_and_the_Bazaar The Cathedral and the Bazaar]'') and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Perry_Barlow John Perry Barlow] (who promoted the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Frontier_Foundation Electronic Frontier Foundation] and the Open Source movement). However, within the Free Software community, there was an immediate, prescient fear that the Open Source movement—being more libertarian and business-oriented—did not sufficiently protect user freedom. Richard Stallman summarized this divide in his essay "[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html Why Open Source Misses the Point of Free Software]," warning that Open Source focused merely on practical development models while ignoring the ethical imperative of defending citizens against discriminatory algorithms and locked-down ecosystems.

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We apply these principles to fundamental economic questions, such as:

* '''Distribution keys:''' What is the fair split between a service provider, the user group providing the service around them, and the platform? For instance, in the specific marketplace of NGO street fundraising, the key to success or failure was the distribution key between the organizing body and the beneficiary NGOs—a crucial issue that requires deep citizen debate.

* '''De-privatization and Commons:''' Just as air and sea ~~are commons~~ that allow the economy to function and should not be privatized, how can economic flows operate at their real costs, rather than enriching an oligarchic minority?

* '''De-privatization and Commons:''' Just as the commons (like air and sea) that allow the economy to function and should not be privatized, how can economic flows operate at their real costs, rather than enriching an oligarchic minority?

* '''Freedom vs. Dominant Positions:''' How do we establish the right to freedom (e.g., the freedom to refuse advertising) while setting limits on the accumulation of profits and mechanisms that bias commercial relations?

* '''Fair Incentives:''' What are the just and honest mechanisms to motivate people to become active actors on the platform, and how can suffering workers globally unite to create transnational entities that serve them?

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== See also ==

* [[Gov/en/Portal:Rules/Vision|Vision and Core Philosophy]] — For WikiDeal's general philosophy (cheap, flexible, participatory, simple to use), distinct from this Research Motto.

* [[Gov/en/Portal:Vision/Main|Vision Portal]] — The portal collecting the founding texts, manifestos, and shared values of the free culture and commons movements that inspire WikiDeal.

* [[Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Innovations:Main|WikiDeal socio-economic innovations]] — Including the posture that the debate on software is closed (Systematic Libre Licensing).

* [[Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Innovations:Double Platform|Double Platform]] — Contract models endorsed by lawyers, ensuring a separation of powers.

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[[Category:Migration August 2026]]

[[Category:Vision]]

[[Category:Philosophy]]