Currently reading The Future of the Internet and How To Stop It by Jonathan Zittrain.
The basic premise: the very openness that enabled the Internet’s runaway success also threatens to be its downfall. Zittrain outlines the current trend towards services and devices (and away from PCs), and the ensuing struggle between:
- so-called tethered appliances (ie the iPhone), which in the name of consumer protection do not permit an open development model, and
- the free-for-all nature of the Internet that led to so much of the innovative software and services we enjoy today.
How we can preserve an environment of innovation, while protecting users against the “excesses and abuses of openness”?
The book opens with a history of the Internet, which can be supplemented nicely with this video posted on Jeremiah Owyang’s blog. If you’re not familiar with the fateful military, academic and grassroots events that led to our mighty www, watch this video - it’s simple, animated and fascinating.
So far, the book is great. I’ll post my thoughts once I’ve finished it.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Molly 01.12.09 at 5:35 pm
Interesting. Have you seen Richard Stallman’s critique on cloud computing? He seems to have some similar arguments: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/cloud.computing.richard.stallman
Guy who wrote "first" once on this blog 01.14.09 at 4:59 pm
The best part about humanity is that people will always find a way to be innovative and show their creativity, no matter what boundaries and rules are defined. As in the case of the iPhone, an entire community cropped up shortly after someone got their hands on the development toolkit for the iPhone.
Ever since then, people have made new and innovative applications (which, incidentally, are not part of the Apple approved list that they put in their App Store).
There are also those who are pushing the limits in rather creative ways: http://uiremote.wordpress.com/