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Blackberry CEO: Net Neutrality Means Mandating Cross-Platform Apps

Posted by timothy on from the fantasy-world-of-atlas-shrugged dept.

DW100 writes In a bizarre public blog post the CEO of BlackBerry, John Chen, has claimed that net neutrality laws should include forcing app developers to make their services available on all operating systems. Chen even goes as far as citing Apple's iMessage tool as a service that should be made available for BlackBerry, because at present the lack of an iMessage BlackBerry app is holding the firm back. Some excerpts from Chen's plea: Netflix, which has forcefully advocated carrier neutrality, has discriminated against BlackBerry customers by refusing to make its streaming movie service available to them. Many other applications providers similarly offer service only to iPhone and Android users. ... Neutrality must be mandated at the application and content layer if we truly want a free, open and non-discriminatory internet. All wireless broadband customers must have the ability to access any lawful applications and content they choose, and applications/content providers must be prohibited from discriminating based on the customer’s mobile operating system. Since "content providers" are writing code they think makes sense for one reason or another (expected returns financial or psychic), a mandate to write more code seems like a good way to re-learn why contract law frowns on specific performance.

13 of 307 comments (clear)

  1. Please develop for my dying platform! by MachineShedFred · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Really?

    Net Neutrality means mandating that developers and services must create something that works on your dying platform? Does that mean that NetFlix will have to make sure it works with Symbian too? How about PocketPC 2003?

    What an idiot.

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    1. Re:Please develop for my dying platform! by bondsbw · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What is a platform?

      Is HTML/JS/CSS a platform? Does an application's availability via HTTP/HTML constitute bringing the service to every platform?

      What if Blackberry refuses to provide a compatible HTML browser? Is it they who are in breach, or should developers still have to provide an app for their alternative native platform?

      Suppose I port the application, but leave out some feature. Does that count? What if the feature I leave out is something like the "Investor Relations" link at the bottom? What if the feature I leave out is video? What constitutes an acceptably feature-complete version of Netflix?

      --
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    2. Re:Please develop for my dying platform! by zieroh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why are you for net neutrality and against app neutrality (or whatever it's called)? This CEO should be applauded for bringing up this issue.

      Because they are fundamentally different than each other. Net neutrality requires inaction on the part of the ISPs, i.e. "do not favor one service over another". This so-called "app neutrality" requires that anyone developing an application is obligated to provide it for all platforms, independent of whether it is in their best interests to do so, and independent of whether the developer has the resources to meet that obligation.

      It is only by ignoring this fundamental difference that you can even attempt to equate net neutrality and "app neutrality". It is, however, intellectually dishonest to do so.

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  2. Open protocols by kthreadd · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The solution is not that Apple should take iMessage to every platform out there, but that we start using open protocols instead like XMPP.

  3. Hmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I would comment about that but, to abide by his thinking, I would have to respond in every language on the planet so that I don't discriminate against non-english speakers...

  4. Free and Open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Blackberry's operating system is proprietary and closed. Why would they be demanding support for their platform and throwing words like 'free' and 'open' around? Ridiculous.

  5. Yeah, and don't forget Palm! by monkeyzoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Absolutely. Companies should be forced to write their software for any single person that might want it on their hardware. Not only Blackberry, but also Nokia, and since I have an original Palm device, Apple should be forced to write all their apps for me too. And support them. And make sure they are bug free. They must expend the resources to build teams for this, and of course, it should be free to me. Oh, and I also have a a Radio Shack pocket computer from the '80s, and so everyone should have to write apps for that too. Otherwise, I am being oppressed.

  6. Pot, meet kettle by Neil_Brown · · Score: 5, Funny

    From BlackBerry's BBM page:

    BBM Video is currently only available for BlackBerry 10 smartphones. Version 1 of BBM for Windows Phone does not support BBM Voice, BBM Channels, Stickers, or location sharing powered by Glympse.

  7. Re:Bye_bye, Blackberry by monkeyzoo · · Score: 5, Funny

    The lack of Minesweeper for Mac was what always kept me on Windows all these years. ;-)

  8. Action vs. inaction by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This just seems bizarre.

    Net neutrality is about forcing inaction: an ISP is already providing service to a customer, but is not allowed to actively discriminate by not providing the same level of service under various conditions.

    What Chen seems to be proposing here is a requirement for action on the part of every app developer in the world, requiring them by law to spend their resources producing additional software regardless of any desire or commercial viability.

    I think we can safely predict how this one ends. It's amazing his PR people didn't stop him before it started, though, because IMHO it just reinforces the perception that BlackBerry is desperate and struggling to stay in business by any means it can find.

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  9. Re:Bye_bye, Blackberry by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Try Minesweeper Deluxe for Mac.

  10. Re:Bye_bye, Blackberry by jbolden · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is even worse than that in terms of this post. Their messaging service for many years was far and away the leader. It was so good in fact that the carriers were offering to give them institutional support by making BBM into SMS 2.0 providing they would go cross platform (i.e. a percentage of all SMS fees for many years). RIM/ BlackBerry turned them down.

  11. When did Bennett Haselton by AdamStarks · · Score: 5, Funny

    become the CEO of Blackberry?