Tragedy of the commons

The "Tragedy of the Commons" is an economic concept and social theory that describes a situation in which individual users, acting independently according to their own self-interest, deplete or degrade a shared resource (the "commons") despite knowing that this depletion is contrary to the collective long-term interest of the group. The term was popularized by the ecologist Garrett Hardin in his 1968 essay.

The free-rider problem refers to a situation in economic theory and public goods provision where individuals or entities benefit from resources, goods, or services without paying for them, leading to underproduction or depletion of those goods. This problem often arises in the context of public goods, which are characterized by two main traits: they are non-excludable (people cannot be excluded from using them) and non-rivalrous (one person's use does not reduce availability for others).

In computing, particularly in the context of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks and torrenting, a "leecher" refers to a user who downloads files from other users but does not share or upload those files back to the network. This term is often used to describe individuals who take advantage of the resources made available by "seeders," who are users that upload and share files.

Protocol ossification refers to a situation in the design and implementation of communication protocols where certain aspects become rigid and unchangeable over time. This rigidity can occur due to a number of factors, often leading to challenges in adapting protocols to new requirements or innovations.

"The Hangman" is a poem by the American poet Maurice Ogden, first published in 1954. The poem deals with themes of justice, complicity, and the moral implications of passivity in the face of injustice. It tells the story of a town that is visited by a hangman who executes individuals for their perceived wrongdoings.