On 31 Oct 2009, at 13:09, Sally Morris (Morris Associates) wrote:
> Since when was solar and wind energy free (any more than quality-
> controlled
> and value-added research literature!)?
On the contrary, sun and wind energy IS FREE. However, building the
infrastructure to collect and distribute the energy ISN'T free, so
what starts as free to energy utilities is quite costly to the consumer.
The analogy with publishing is straightforward: scientific literature
is donated free to publishers. The infrastructure to collect and
distribute the literature HASN'T BEEN free, but the Open Access
proposition is that the Web reduces the costs so drastically that the
literature can become just as free to the consumers as it is to the
publishers.
Currently consumers pay extra for a premium, value-added product
(research, not sunlight!) but those that can't afford it have recourse
to the free Green OA copy in an institutional repository.
---
Les Carr
Received on Sat Oct 31 2009 - 18:12:51 GMT