Data Imperialism

Imperialism as in "computer science imperialism" or "economics imperialism". Data as in "code is data" or "data type".

Data might have connotations of numbers or tables, but the economic methods that the economics imperialist applies to subjects that belong to others are also data. In a functional language function is also a data type.

Zawinski's law states that "every program attempts to expand until it can read mail. Those programs which cannot so expand are replaced by ones which can." Conquer or be conquered.

A unix command line tool adds another flag. A search engine company develops a browser, then an OS, then another OS. (A web search engine develops an image search engine, maps, news, books, flights, finance.)

Data can be used in limitless ways, and that leads to the limitless expansion of everything from the unix command line tool to the search engine.

Unix command line tools are supposed to "do one thing and do it well." There's no similarly clear and confused demand of companies, but there are ideas such as "fair competition".

When the `ls` command adds a sorting option, is that unfair competition with the `sort` command? When google shows a google flights onebox is that unfair competition with skyscanner?