Open source software development: some historical perspectives

software development, historical

Collective invention during the British Industrial Revolution: the case of the Cornish pumping engine

pump enigine, industrial revolution, collective invention

'Unravelling the Duty': Lean�s Engine Reporter and Cornish Steam Engineering

steam, Cornish, engineering

Technological Revolutions and Economic Growth:The �Age of Steam� Reconsidered

revolution, economic growth, steam, technological

The Early Development of the Steam Engine: An Evolutionary Interpretation using Complexity Theory

complexity theory, development, steam engine

The "machine-breakers" and the industrial revolution

The early phase of the industrialization process in Britain was characterized by a considerable number of machine-breaking riots. All the great innovations in textile technology seemed to have been, at some point of time, smashed. John Kay's flying shuttle met a strong resistance and workers rioted against its introduction in 1758, 1785-7,1810-13 and 1822. Hargreaves'spinning jenny was attacked in several mobs (1767, 1769 and 1779). In 1779 there were also assaults against Arkwright-type of factories. The power loom was the target of the Lancashire Luddites in 1812. Although this form of labour disturbances has been the subject of extensive historical investigation, there is still little consensus among historians about the exact nature and significance of this form ofresistance to innovation

Collective invention during the British Industrial revoluton : the case of the Cornish pumping engine

In this paper, we argue that together with individual inventors and firms, what Robert C. Allen (1983) has termed as collective invention settings (that is settings in which rival firms freely release each other pertinent technical information), were also a crucial source of innovation in the industrial revolution period. Until now, this has been very little considered in the literature. This paper focuses on one of these cases: the Cornish mining district. In Cornwall, during the early nineteenth century, a notable collective invention setting, gradually emerged. This case is particularly remarkable because it was capable of generating a continuous and sustained flow of improvements in steam pumping technology which in the end greatly contributed to improve the thermodynamic efficiency of the steam engine. In this paper we study in detail the specific economic circumstances that led to the formation of this collective invention setting and we analyses its consequences for the rate of technological innovation

The Diffusion of the Steam Engine in Eighteenth-Century Britain

revolution, economic growth, steam, technological