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- Thriving competition indeed. Unfortunately Erick's statement that "Microsoft killed off Netscape with Internet Explorer" perpetuates the myth the regulators are scared about in the...
- It's clear that you need to brush up on the facts before commenting. No, Level3 is not an ILEC. Qwest is, of course. And, no, Internet access is not at all like POTS. We are, most emphatically,...
- I totally agree with you that we all need to put down our pens (or rather our keyboards for this matter), and understand that we are doing great harm to those journalists, institutions, or other...
- Your issue as I understand it is with Level 3 - are they an ILEC? Isn't Qwest (or a local coop) the ILEC there in Laramie? Two - you provide services a lot like a local exchange - I would guess...
- Yes, I will agree that you are not "getting me." First of all, I do not buy unbundled network elements (UNEs), nor am I a CLEC. I am a wireless ISP -- a true last mile provider and an...
The Technology Liberation Front
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.
The Great ‘Open v. Closed’ Debate Continues: Google Phone v. Apple iPhone
Started by TLF · 9 months ago
“Hasn’t Steve Jobs learned anything in the last 30 years?” asks Farhad Manjoo of Slate in an interesting piece about “The Cell Phone Wars” currently raging between Apple’s iPhone and the Google’s new G1, Android-
... Continue reading »
9 months ago
All in all, based on Apple's behavior, their platform is not worth developing for. Sure, it has a lot of potential for revenue, but that's only if you are able to figure out everything you need to know without breaking the non-Disclosure Agreement and make it into their App Store. Given the fact that Apple may move into any product segment, at any time with regard to their iPhone, it's entirely possible that your software could find itself in the middle of their crosshairs.
Furthermore, it's debatable as to whether or not a more open platform is really that bad compared to a closed one. Windows actually doesn't have anywhere near the stability problems it used to have because OEMs have begun to rely on mainstream vendors who have the resources to make properly tested device drivers. Most of the problems that people used to have with Windows came from using hardware made by some fly-by-night manufacturer; it's really not much of an issue anymore (and I say this from my new MacBook Pro).
The key to Apple's success been their ability to write good software, not the open-closed nature of their software. Microsoft does the same thing with its development tools; a Microsoft development environment is incredibly hard to beat because everything just works together the way a developer would expect.