I was reading (err listening) to The Servile State by Hilare Belloc this morning and pondering whether or not I possessed the means of production, as did the peasant of the middle ages; as did not his descendants after the oligarchs of England forced him into servility.

The means of production was the arable land that the serf was seated on, which even though not legally his, was illegal to evict him from.

So, as programmers, with the hither-to-unknown supply of free tools and resources, have we reclaimed as a class of workers, unlike any others, the means of production. Given the chance, a midrange PC and a stable internet connection, could we not each of us be wholly self sufficient and not just wage earners?