Moving Towards Generativity :: The Future of the Internet

Moving Towards Generativity

November 3rd, 2008 | by Yvette Wohn | Published in Future of the Internet, Generativity, iphone | 1 Comment

By Yvette Wohn

After much anticipation and fanfare, the Android made a wobbly debut. A security flaw was discovered just days after it was released and users discovered some fine print that gives Google more power than originally anticipated. Despite these problems, critics are still optimistic about the Android because it encourages generativity.

Android is an open sourced software stack for mobile devices that includes the operating system and applications. It is being used to power the new T Mobile G1 smartphone (dubbed the Google phone) which was launched last week. The Android is unique because most cell phone systems and software are controlled by mobile service providers and manufacturers.

Powered by Android, the Google phone resembles the iPhone. Like the iPhone, third parties are allowed to develop applications. Both phones are not entirely generative in that the companies have the right to terminate an application. However, developers for the Android do not need approval from Google whereas all iPhone apps are screened by Apple.

While the open architecture of the Android fuels innovation, that characteristic also makes it an easy target. Charles Miller, the security expert who first discovered Android’s security glitch, said that the risk in the Google design was in the danger from within the Web browser partition in the phone. Miller said it would be possible, for example, for an intruder to install software that would capture keystrokes entered by the user when surfing to other Web sites. That would make it possible to steal identity information or passwords.

Perhaps ironically, the openness of the Android may very well be the best way to deal with this kind of problem. As noted in the third “Solutions” section of the book, closing down an open system for sake of security “may work in the short or medium terms for banks and airlines,” but has “crucial drawbacks for consumer information technology.” An open infrastructure, however, could enable people to solve such technical problems together– as in the example of Wikipedia.

Hopefully, Google will not use security flaws as excuses to oppress the phone’s generative functions. Like the example of PCs and the Internet in Chapter Four, Android developers could tap into unforeseen resources and engage participation of people who are not technologically savvy to express themselves creatively on a mobile platform.

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links for 2008-11-03 | PhillipDade.com says:

January 17th, 2009 at 3:01 am (#)

[...] Moving Towards Generativity :: The Future of the Internet — And How to Stop It A very good article discussing the generative capabilities of the Android Mobile OS (tags: Google Internet mobile) [...]

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