Oxford University Professor Jonathan Zittrain, who wrote The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It, says closed systems are destroying innovation.
How the iPhone Is Killing the Net | Free Press:
Zittrain records the same phenomenon with networks, as the open Internet surpassed proprietary networks like the telephone system, AOL, CompuServe and Prodigy. For example, it took the break-up of the AT&T monopoly for third parties to create new devices such as answering machines, fax machines and dial-up modems. The Internet, on the other hand, had an open design and a philosophy of sharing and trust that fostered development from outsiders.
Zittrain argues that today’s era of generative PCs combined with a generative Internet is coming to an end. By generative, he means systems that can be leveraged to many tasks, are adaptable to a range of uses, easy to master, accessible to many and allow for changes to be easily transferred.
“The status quo is drawing to a close, confronting us — policymakers, entrepreneurs, technology providers and, most importantly, Internet and PC users — with choices we can no longer ignore,” he writes.
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