Oct 19 2006
By Kurt Seifried (kurt@seifried.org)
I might be wrong on this one, and indeed I hope I am, but I have a sinking feeling that the end of the age of open computing may be in sight.
Currently even with closed source commercial platforms such as Windows the end user is offered an amazing amount of flexibility. They can install virtually any software they want so long as it is binary compatible, and in some cases even if it isn’t binary compatible they can find an emulator that will allow them to run it. I can buy music I want from any online site, from Apple iTunes to Wal-Mart to Telus (my local phone company). If I want I can add and remove hardware from my system, giving it additional capabilities at a relatively low cost.
Of course this flexibility has come with a price. The ability to install arbitrary software is often abused by malware, turning a user’s computer into a spam email server or hitting the user with content ads at best, at worst searching their computer for personal information, usernames and passwords and sending it back to the attackers. Recently an article featured a story about a Windows PC that was infected with spyware and other malware, Steve Ballmer (Chief Chair Throwing Office at Microsoft Corp.) attempted to clean the computer off, and after two days he gave up, this is not totally unexpected, if you asked me to clean a system of modern spyware I’d probably fail too. What was eye opening was the fact that a team of Microsoft engineers also failed to clean the system, now if a team of seasoned Microsoft professionals with access to the entire knowledge possessed by Microsoft can’t clean a system off what hope does an end user or even a skilled technician have?
Another force pushing open platforms towards being closed is that of media, the RIAA, MPAA and so on have had a huge amount of global success getting laws passed that restrict what end consumers can and cannot do with their products. Additionally the RIAA, MPAA et al are currently moving towards the legislating of an entire ecosystem of electronic products that feature strong DRM controls, closing the analog hole once and for all. Of course the electronic manufacturers are not opposed to this, the though of legislation forcing consumers to ultimately replace every TV, VCR, DVD player, Computer and computer monitor is quite enticing to them.
As well with the nature of computing changing, moving from stand alone machines that process data to networks of shared data and services there is a definite shift to intelligent terminals that have always on high speed internet access. They’re called cell phones. Additionally the burgeoning market of wireless access is being legally challenged by the phone companies, who have in fact been successful at passing laws in several municipalities that block the city in question from providing wireless access, with the amount of money at stake we can be assured that cell phone companies will do whatever it takes to ensure the wireless market is a commercial one. Additionally the carriers want to increase revenue per customer, an easy way of doing this is to restrict their access to online content and commercial services, for example providing their own music service or partnering with an existing one, and blocking all other competitors. Access to Mapquest or Google maps may be quashed in favor of for pay commercial services.
All these forces are leading inexorably in one direction: that of closed computing platforms with heavy restrictions on not only what a user can install on their system but upon what content they can access and how they can access it. Unfortunately with the amount of money at stake, and the number of large industries involved it is unlikely the consumer will benefit in the long run.
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Posted by Kurt.Seifried on Thursday, October 19th, 2006, at 8:00 am, and filed under Future Forecast.
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