NewsForge: The Gift Economy and Free Software Jun 8, 2004, 03 :15 UTC (4 Talkback[s]) (4498 reads) (Other stories by Jem Matzan)
"A 'gift economy' is a social system in which status is given by how much one shares or gives to one's community, as opposed to an 'exchange economy' where status is given to those who own or control the most stuff. In today's world we're used to the latter economic philosophy, as it has been closely affiliated with the capitalist system since at least the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the corporation. But the Industrial Age is over--this is the Information Age now, and things are changing..."
