Computer sciences and commercial forces

Abstract

Computer Sciences (CS) are having a major impact on recent scientific developments. As any other basic science, the CS is publicly perceived as an open and free science that is trying to make progress in any possible direction, resolving scientific problems in its arena and dealing with pure scientific and issues and theoretical questions per se. In this paper I claim that this is not the case. CS is heavily controlled by commercial forces, which dictate its progress, goals and future directions. The new developments in the CS arena are in most cases the result of the market needs. Several research projects at the universities are funded by the industry, dealing with issues with a clear industrial aspect. Public funds, such as the 6 th European Framework project allocates a major portion of their funds for industrial research. The IEEE and ACM, the most respectful technology organizations of the CS, are governed by the industry and the universities at about equal share. The industry is holding patent rights for several CS research results, and CS scientists are issuing patents for their research because it may have a significant economic value. The CS is not an open science, in terms of Popper definition.