Do they long for the days of Windows? :: The Future of the Internet

Do they long for the days of Windows?

July 26th, 2008 | by jz | Published in Book, Facebook, Future of the Internet, Generativity, iphone, Web 2.0 platforms | 3 Comments

Macworld is reporting that some iPhone application developers are having a difficult time adjusting to having to distribute their software only through Apple. They’re apparently too afraid to go on the record (!), but:

As developers update their applications — including bug fixes — it can take up to a week for a new version to go live after being submitted to Apple. Developers don’t know when new or updated apps will go live — complicating planning. And they aren’t given live sales information, so they don’t know how their apps are doing.

Apple isn’t alone. Facebook is ramping up efforts to pick winners and losers in its platform:

Facebook announced a series of new incentives for developers to write what it characterized as “meaningful” tools for the service. It said it would pick certain applications that meet a set of Facebook principles to be part of a new “Great Apps” program. Those applications will get higher visibility on the service and will be able to work more closely with Facebook. …

“They are trying to evolve to a place where the right companies get funded and they launch more ambitious features on the platform,” he said.

Facebook said it was also setting up another level of certification, called the Facebook Verification program, for applications that meet the basic criteria of being secure and trustworthy. These applications will get added visibility and a graphical “badge.”

Picking winners and losers: that’s exactly what generative platform makers don’t do, and a good thing, since obvious losers — Wikipedia, couchsurfing.com, instant messenger — can end up being winners. The ability to “throttle” certain apps by giving them more or less newsfeed space is an interesting contrast to the Apple App Store’s all-or-nothing system of app approval. People learn about new apps on Facebook when their feeds indicate that a friend has added or used it — and slowing down undesirable apps can have a huge impact on their uptake. Throttling is a gentle way to handle spammy apps, and it could genuinely be used to improve the user experience — but the technique could be applied for any reason.

Remember the days when developers could write software for a machine and then share it or sell it by simply handing someone a diskette or CD, or providing a link on which people could click? And when the most diabolical way for a platform maker to influence the spread of apps was through clumsy efforts to dictate what could and couldn’t be on the desktop of a Windows machine fresh from the factory?

–JZ

Responses

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Martin says:

July 27th, 2008 at 7:04 am (#)

I think it is interesting that the excuse, or at least the best non-evil justification that you point to in your work is the claim that review by a trusted source like Apple would bring greater stability and security to end users.

But just a couple of days ago we learned that a popular new game, Aurora Feint, was sending out user info without clear consent or proper security. And they weren’t even trying to be evil…they were apparently just sloppy.

Given the backlog, I wonder if Apple can devote the kind of resources to keep the device tethered and have so many free apps available.

But I will say that the incredible number of pretty crappy and duplicative cheap applications does remind me of the 90s shareware scene.
Mark says:

July 27th, 2008 at 4:46 pm (#)

It is a classic strategy that Apple and Facebbok pursue, fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD). If you’re in the business of making money, no other thing can serve the purpose of channeling customers into your ringed fence like FUD.

The quest for quality is a straw man. On first glance, it can seem alluring. Don’t we want real experts or professionals providing the appliances and media that we consume? Not me. I like rummaging through the digital swap meets of the world. If I want help, there are filters that get me what I want. In the mean time, leave me to my videos of cats flushing toilets, dramatic hamsters, and TED.

The threat of security problems is no straw man however. The challenges are real. And because the challenges are real, the fear can be palpable. Who really bears the greatest risk, however? It isn’t me. I have what I care about backed up and if I pick up a virus, a root kit or some zombie code, fdisk and a couple of hours puts me back in business. Of course, what about my bank account or other financial information….my identity? There are some spooky prospects in considering the possibilities behind questions in that arena.

As for me, I cherish my freedom enough to take the risk. I want to live in a digital world of generativity. Open it up….let ‘er rip.
Más sobre el descontento de algunos con Apple -- El Blog de Manuel Delgado says:

July 27th, 2008 at 11:28 pm (#)

[...] al artículo de Macworld a través del blog de Jonathan Zittrain, quien se pregunta si esos desarrolladores estarán echando de menos los tiempos en los que [...]

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About Jonathan Zittrain

Jonathan Zittrain is Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and co-founder of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School

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