The Un-Internet and War On General Purpose Computers

theodp writes "Apple,' writes Dave Winer in The Un-Internet, 'is providing a bad example for younger, smaller companies like Twitter and Tumblr, who apparently want to control the 'user experience' of their platforms in much the same way as Apple does. They feel they have a better sense of quality than the randomness of a free market. So they've installed similar controls.' Still, Winer's seen this movie before and notes, 'Eventually we overcome their barriers, and another layer comes on. And the upstarts become the installed-base, and they make the same mistakes all over again. It's the Internet vs the Un-Internet. And the Internet, it seems, always prevails.' Thinking along the same lines, Cory Doctorow warns the stakes are only going to get higher, and issues a call-to-arms for The Coming War on General Purpose Computation."

Comments

Civilization comes to the Internet?

[Kohath]

This seems to be the process of civilization arriving. Apple imposes just enough rules to keep the criminals and a few other counter-civilizing influences out, making their platform safe and healthy. Alarmists and predators complain about there being any rules at all, while Apple tries to walk the thin line between an unappealing anarchy and an equally unappealing regimentation.

Other vendors will definitely follow Apple's example, because most paying customers prefer civilization.