Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking

others have helped me understand with much greater depth what drives people to write free and open-source software (F/OSS). Among those in the Bay Area, I would like to especially thank Brian Behlendorf, Rick Moen, Karsten Self, Don Marti, Mike Higashi, and Evan Prodromou. Also, all the folks at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Online Policy Group provided me with the invaluable opportunity of interning at their respective organizations. Will Doherty, in particular, deserves a special nod (even though he worked me so hard). Quan Yin also gave me the opportunity to volunteer at its acupuncture clinic, and perhaps more than any other experience, this one kept everything in place and perspective. My Bay Area roommates, Linda Graham and Nikki Ford, supplied me with an endless stream of support.
    My time in the Netherlands, in October 2002, was short but made a lasting impression. The Hippies from Hell were welcoming and helpful. They also organize the best darn hacker conferences in the world, and a big thanks to them (and all the other volunteers) for putting in so much effort to ensure that others can have an amazing time. Niels Hatzmann was a gracious host, great biking partner, and now good friend.
    A bulk of my work was with Debian and its developers.
I can’t thank these developers enough
. Words can’t capture how much I admire the ways in which you have managed to not only produce an operating system (OS) but also a stunningly vibrant online community—a word I rarely use for the Internet, and yet one that absolutely pertains to the case of Debian. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with everyone as well, whether in person; on Internet Relay Chat (IRC), where countless folks have helped me answer questions and get through the many stages of writing and editing; and most especially, at the various Debconfs I have attended from Edinburgh to Porto Alegre. And after helping to organize Debconf10 in New York City, I was able to fully experience the unmistakable pride that swells when a collective works to conjure something into being. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have participated and look forward to attending many more in future times.
    Though there are many developers who have taken the time to share their thoughts about Debian and other F/OSS projects, Benjamin “mako” Hill, in particular, has been a close friend and collaborator. I wish him well as he embarks on his own academic career and look forward to future collaborations. Martin Kraft, Clint Adams, Paul Wise, “vagrant,” Joey Hess, Erinn Clark, and Daniel Khan Gilmore have also been great friends as well as teachers over this journey.
    I returned to the University of Chicago in fall 2003 to write my dissertation, only to discover that really I had no idea how to proceed. Thankfully there were many others to teach me the ropes. An astounding range of people read different parts of my dissertation and gave me helpful feedback. There are a few who went beyond the call of duty, though. Alex “rex” Golub, who taught me more about liberalism than anyone else, really pushed me to think more systematically than I was used to at the time. Alex Choby has always been a steadfast long-distance interlocutor and also went for the extra mile to offer comments on my work on cleverness. James Rizzo was a fantastic editor with equally fantastic comments. Joe Hankins, Joe Feinberg, Jeff Martin, Andrea Muehlebach, Jessica Greenberg, Yarimar Bonilla, and Chris Walker also gave me copious feedback on this project. One of the reasons I have come to respect the University of Chicago is because of its student-run graduate workshops. I was known to make my rounds at various workshops, and the following students gave me great feedback throughout the last few years: Anya Bernsetin, Stephen Scott, Mike Cepek, Andrew Dilts. Alex Mawyer, Mihir Pandya, Anwen Tormey, Jason McGraw, Diana Bocarejo, and Tom Asher (and others who I don’t know personally or may have forgotten). Many other professors in and out of the workshop system also read a few of the chapters and offered feedback, especially Tanya Luhrmann and Patchen Markell, who provided excellent advice on various chapters. Susan Gal, Manuela Carneiro Da Cunha, Michael Silverstein, Jessica Cattelinno, Joe Masco, and Judith Farquar at different points also read portions and provided helpful suggestions.
    The dissertation formed the bulk of what became this book, which was written in diverse places and