Re: [tlug] Open-source Japan

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

Curt Sampson writes:
 > On 2009-03-03 22:18 +0900 (Tue), Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:
 > 
 > > By the way, the whole point of "value" is that it is the canonical way
 > > to compare the otherwise incomparable.
 > 
 > When you can determine it, of course.
 > 
 > Free markets are great, when everybody has good information.

No.  When everybody has good information, markets (let alone free
ones) are unnecessary.  It's only because information is scarce that
markets are useful.

 > Unfortunately, it's often less costly to make something look good
 > than actually to make it good, so there's a pretty strong incentive
 > to compete by fooling people into thinking they're getting something
 > they're not.

That is not the fault of the market.  That is a combination of the
underlying scarcity of information, and people who think that somebody
else should take care of their needs.