Tim Lee has written the best primer on the history and philosophical basis of free software that I’ve yet read. It’s definitely worth a look, even for those who know the basic contours of this stuff.
The comparisons between this particular movement and purely political movements can be extended further than you might think — right down to some of the same issues that Kerry and Tim have been discussing this week in an entirely different context, where the removal of licenses/laws isn’t enough to address for the pernicious effects of less clearly-defined norms and dynamics. It’s also been an important part of my ideological education: watching the continued success of free software despite the seemingly pathological dysfunction of many of its contributors has gone a long way toward convincing me that our society isn’t (necessarily) doomed.