Disclaimer:
This pad is part of our attempt to collectively study a platform. No exhaustive knowledge precedes it, nor wishes to reach a point of full understanding, but to combine with the lived experience of the software.
These are questions not to be answered one by one, but to spend time with. Although of course if you have answers, please go ahead ;)
Can be used as a group, not as isolated questions -- so more like a questioning atmosphere?
These questions can also be applied to a group of software, more or less nameable "videoconferencing tools"?
Thesse questions might invoke other tools for comparison and extension: please welcome those in!
This is a growing list of questions, please rewrite and add as many as you wish!


- 4/ Organization and economy

• • What is the social economy that allows this software to exist?
  • How is the work to develop it funded? If it is funded. What other projects do they fund?
  • How sustainable is its development, how much dependent on its users?
  • Can you say what are the environmental costs of this platform?
  • What is the community that develops this software like, and how are decisions taken about it?
  • Can you make an exhaustive list of jobs implied in the making and maintenance of this platform when it is at use? Do you have any comments regarding division of labour in this context?
  • Which software license does it come with?
  • Under which terms and conditions can you use this software? what strings does it bring?

two social economies.. the one of the software and the one of who runs it.. 

a project that started at the Carleton university by the "Technology Innovation Management" program. (wikipedia says) >> CANADA
https://web.archive.org/web/20100814003302/http://edc.carleton.ca/blog/index.php/2010/06/04/bigbluebutton/ 2010!
then took over by the Educations Management Development Center..
               
Technology Innovation Management (TIM) is a unique Master's program for innovative engineers that focuses on creating  wealth at the early stages of company or opportunity life cycles. It is offered by  Carleton University's Department of Systems and Computer Engineering. The program provides benefits to aspiring entrepreneurs, engineers seeking more senior leadership roles in their companies, and engineers building credentials and expertise for their next career move. :

Funny prehistory of the BBB:
*

you can spend a lot of time in the echo scheck space

Re
renix
2:41 PM
;)

Ma
martino
2:41 PM
feels endless every time

Pe
peter
2:41 PM
all here ?

Pe
peter
2:42 PM
https://pad.constantvzw.org/p/screen-no-deal_zone5

Pe
peter
2:43 PM
:-)

Pi
Pixel
2:45 PM
my friend like to call it, Sisyphus tasks

Pi
Pixel
2:46 PM
"everyday i wake up and do my silly little sisyphus tasks"
nice^
> yes I remember when to enter you had to press a big blue button indeed!

hahahaha for real? yes yes, it was Julien from Ping who showed it to me. Wait, there must be some archaeological traces of that? i'm digging a bit the web.archive.org :)

can't find it now :(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuV3RpaNlS0

3. Distance Courses: Carleton has made many positive steps towards opening the doors of the university to distance learners through CUTV. However, there is still a desire to move towards more distance courses that are taught online. BBB can be a tool in breaking the mould of traditional online teaching, which would just consist of engaging through a learning management system, such as WebCT. Instead, BBB enables video, audio and text chatting. Students will be able to see and hear you, and you them. Instructors can upload a presentation using any Microsoft application (word, powerpoint, excel, etc) or even PDF files and BBB automatically converts it to a viewable format that doesn’t rely on software installed on the computer.

https://web.archive.org/web/20100828181744/http://cutv.carleton.ca/

interesting it comes really from the first experimentation of online courses.. but trying to move beyond the recorded/streamed-conferencing mode.
https://web.archive.org/web/20100925005808/http://bigbluebutton.org/

https://web.archive.org/web/20190904035315/http://ourbigbluebutton.blogspot.com/

one key feature they consider is the integration with (FLOSS) 'school managements systems' https://web.archive.org/web/20210113115753/https://bigbluebutton.org/integrations/

the economy works like many open source software, by having a side company that installs and maintains the software with extra support for clients..
Blindside Networks, a company pursuing the traditional open source business model of providing paid support and services to the BigBlueButton community.
https://blindsidenetworks.com/