CSE 175: SOCIAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Final Test, 15 March 2001
You may write answers on this sheet or in a blue book; extra paper will also be available.
Be sure to write your name on every page you hand in!
  1. [20 pts] After each phrase write the letter of the definition that most closely matches its meaning.

    phrase answer definition
    1. ontology   a. costs of organizing business within a firm
    2. utopianism   b. arguments that may have exceptions
    3. reflexive   c. ability of consumers to adapt to supply
    4. supply   d. open source debugging can be fast
    5. disintermediation   e. rules of the game
    6. defeasible   f. applying a rule to everyone
    7. invisible hand   g. transactions in an economy of abundance
    8. elasticity of demand   h. optimistic stories about the future
    9. coordination cost   i. study of what exists
    10. Linus' Law   j. costs of organizing business in a market
        k. price of a good when given amount is produced
        l. how markets achieve optimal allocation
        m. applying a theory to itself
        n. status determined by what is given away
        o. elimination of "middle men"

  2. [15pts] For each of the following arguments against cheating on an exam, say what ethical theory or theories lie behind it:
    1. If everyone cheated the exam would be worthless.
    2. Cheating is against the commandments of God.
    3. The benefit of cheating isn't worth the risk of the heavy penalties.
    4. Cheating diminishes my capacity to sympathize with others and to enjoy my own life.
    5. If I was caught cheating, then I would not be able to graduate.
     
  3. [10pts] Briefly describe Odlyzko's proposal to achieve quality of service using multiple identical networks, and briefly describe a justification for this scheme based on free market economics.
     
  4. [10pts] The following eight acronyms have been used in this course: GPL, NIC, QoS, ANT, NCE, ATM, ICD, and FUD. Briefly say what five of them stand for.
     
  5. [10pts] Briefly distinguish between the technical senses of risk and trust (as in the piece by Geer), and discuss the relevance of this distinction to security and ecommerce.
     
  6. [10pts] Briefly describe the Lockean theory of land tenure, and discuss its relevance to open source software development.
     
  7. [15pts] Briefly define the notion of symmetry in connection with neo-classical economics, and say what is its significance in debates about information privacy.
     
  8. [10pts] Say briefly what are the "Halloween documents," and what they tell us about Microsoft and Linux.
     
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