Bob Porras wrote a blog the other day that made me think of something I haven't thought of in several years. Most physics students intuitively understand that:

F=ma (Force = mass times acceleration) better known as Newton's second law.

In other words a force with lots of mass and lots of acceleration is very difficult to stop. Bob's analogy was towards open standards and the movement of things in the free world. Let me add a little acceleration to his equation (his analogy).

Relativistic Mass (m_r) = Mass (m₀) /sqrt(1 - v² (v- velocity) /c (speed of light)²) or, without my cruft and a head nod towards wikipedia:

 m_r = m₀ /sqrt(1 - v²/c²)

This formula talks about how an object that is accelerated is apparently more massive. I know it is true in physics and (if we don't reach too far in to quantum physics) and I think it is true based on what Bob is saying. 

 Quiet simply put, an object gains mass (and therefore force) as it accelerates. There are many equations and journals you can look at to find out the math behind this assertion. Let’s take Solaris as an example however. In a closed body of software, where you have to pay before you can drive, you don't really know what you are getting. Take a version of the latest OS from the leading supplier of desktop software. Anyone actually know what they are getting when they buy the package? Do you get a chance to try it out before you lay out your 300 hundred shillings? (Or what ever you have to pay now days).

With Solaris you can. Is this force or a forcing function? You bet! Further, if you look at it from a mass standpoint, when people start contributing to open systems, they are adding to velocity. As velocity increases, so does variant mass.

So, what is the point? F=ma is useful. Additionally, if you accelerate invariant mass, it becomes more relativistically massive. 

Does it smell at all like a force multiplier to you?