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At a high level I think the comparison is apt. It is fairly easy to learn to sew (as easy as learning HTML, for instance) but we still do not have a movement of
by mnemonicsloth 18y ago
At a high level I think the comparison is apt. It is fairly easy to learn to sew (as easy as learning HTML, for instance) but we still do not have a movement of homegrown tailors on the scale of amateur web designers.
Surely this is better explained by the (current) lack of overlap between the community of tailors and the community of people who are savvy about the possibilities of web-based collaboration. There are, e.g. pattern-exchange sites out there for people who like making their own clothes.
- replicatorblog 18y agoTo some degree, I would argue that the crafting community has a strong track record of sharing, but usually in an offline way e.g. sewing circles, meeting friends at sewing supply shops, etc. The point I am trying to make is that even though most people (esp. customization enthusiasts) could at this time make their own clothes few do. Even the legions that read Craft: magazine who are tech savvy and crafty don't seem to be making clothes en masse, but the argument for 3D printers is that once they are cheap enough people will flock to them.
- mnemonicsloth 18y agoWith respect, I think you only think you're making a different point. The lack of overlap goes both ways. There are few sewing machine enthusiasts who share designs online. Similarly, few of the people who want to share stuff online think clothes are the obvious place to start. Is this really that surprising, in light of what you know about hacker culture? To use your HTML example, you're saying that since few early web hackers had pages dedicated to kitty cats and bad poetry, nobody interested in such things was ever going to turn up online.