January 28, 2010
We lose nothing by having closed systems
There is a complaint running around that the iPad is a closed system, that people aren’t free to customize it, that it’s not opened up so that we can all poke around inside it. Complaints are that the iPad is killing off an idea of computing that’s open and free for all.
To which I say: Good! Does anybody remember what using a computer is like? I spent a week after reinstalling my operating system picking out the right tweaks and gizmos and gadgets to make things more manageable. Weblogs exist that do nothing but teach you how you can make your experience on a computer less shitty. On a closed system, you can’t do that. You work with what you’ve got. Even if what you have is suboptimal — and guys? We live in the future; suboptimal for us is leagues beyond what the poor savages of 2008 had — when you’re using a device, you have to use it do do something, not just to fuck around.
Some of the biggest complaints come from programmers that say the closed system means people won’t be able to satisfy their computer curiosities. To which I again say: Good! Then they’ll have to satisfy their curiosities about emotional maturity and social interaction and possibly even thinking about making the world a better place.
I like this guy. Never heard of him until this but I can’t wait to dig through his archives, Amanda Mae-style.
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Y’know, I would totally be into having me one of those enormous Lexus hybrids, but I’m damn glad that’s a closed system. There are things in this world I don’t need to be dicking around with…
I couldn’t disagree more. I wanted to use Google Voice with my iPhone and I couldn’t because Apple blocked it, for no good reason. It’s like living in China. I prefer an open system. It’s a little bit messier but oh so worth it.
My own concerns about having an open platform are totally apart from simple curiosity of the hardware itself. My concern is that a single company determines exactly what you can and can’t use your device for in a programmatic manner.
While it’s a no-brainer for most any company to allow whatever music, videos, and images they want on their own device; the line is immediately drawn when the form of expression is done in something interactive. Novel, artistic programs may be introduced that reveal a social or political point that Apple may not be happy with. Programs that immediately come to mind on this front are those that are done by organizations like Persuasive Games and the efforts to incorporate activism into augmented reality (though honestly, the latter is more relevant to something like the iPhone).
Creating certain types of applications becomes a form of self-expression, not just an endless set of tweaks for a devices. Apple has already banned a great deal of apps from its App Store due to mere caricatures of politicians and depictions of “inappropriate material” according to their arbitrary guidelines.
Honestly, I love Apple’s products, they have an impeccable attention to detail and manufacture quality hardware for the most part. However, if a company is going to make a closed platform through both technological means (like DRM) and by legal means (through pressure placed on the Copyright Board at this point) in a way that downright discourages innovation by its customers, I can’t, in good conscious, support them.
Nice find, and a good perspective. (I think the URL of the original article is http://www.rinich.com/post/358597818/i-love-walled-gardens in case anyone wants to read further)
Oops! Shoot, Tim. Thank you so much. I’ll fix it when I get home!
I thought this might be an interesting point – too bad he lost me completely with the last paragraph. Geek-bashing – meh.
Now, I don’t want to start a debate here (mostly because I don’t care enough to put a lot of energy into it), but one of the reasons for having a closed platform is so that things don’t break as often. That’s one of the reason. iPad, iPhone, hell, even the MacBook… none of them are likely to satisfy those who like to tweak. I read an opinion yesterday that it’s like an automatic transmission–that what goes on under the hood or on the drivetrain disappears into the background for those who just want to use the apps as they are. I used to tweak and program, but I find myself increasingly just using the Mac and not thinking about what’s in the background. No viruses, no crashes, no problems, at least in my case.
That isn’t to say I’m in favor of DRM and rejecting Google Voice, although I understand the compromises that led to both. Content providers have yet to comprehend that there is nothing in bits that can’t be opened and shared. Nothing. I suspect Google Voice will be there soon (already available via a hack, oddly enough) just as Skype is. Ultimately, I think the person at TechCrunch is right: the iPad is the device for your mom (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/6Vl9wjJGmNQ/).
What a tool. If you think you are better off having your hand held because things might be difficult if you were given choice, you are lost. Completely lost.
Or maybe just 90 years old. I could see someone who is 90 not wanting to have to tweak anything on their computer.
I’m 40. Are saying the iPad is a tool or I’m a tool?
I love this thread, and I don’t give a shit about closed vs. open systems.
Enrique Santos, I love the way you write/think.
And, Joseph, damn. I love it that you’re right there at the very hint of tool accusation. Kind of like me with misplaced apostrophes.
Carry on, Majors.
Can any of us say we have never had a friend or relative ask us for any help with computers? The system needs changes.
Computing is a mess. The App Store situation is a mess, but the ideas and philosophies behind it and the iPhone OS are reasonable and thoughtful in getting rid of all of this unnecessary complexity and administrative tinkering that computers should not have.
I look forward to never again having to explain single, double, left, and right clicks and when it’s appropriate to use any combination of these clicks.
I, like Cindy, don’t give a shit about open vs. closed systems. I do not program and for me it’s about whether a product is usable out of the box and not about whether I can make it do what I want to do later. I understand the some people want to fuck around with the software and make things that specific to their needs and that’s fine (and the iPad or iPod aren’t the right products for those people).
The car analogy is great. I purchased a Civic because the damn thing works, it’s reliable and I didn’t have to do anything to it to make it work the way I want it to (except take it in for an oil change ever 5k miles). People worried that iPad is a closed system are like the guys who buy a classic Mustang so they can restore it (in my experience they never finish restoring it and continue to tweak it as long as they own it). They’re in the minority and, more than likely, have no interest in my Civic.
My point is that most of the world doesn’t give a shit if a system is open or closed.
Hi, Kyle. Don’t be an asshole.
Michael – yes. It isn’t that the iPad isn’t customizable–like the stereo, climate control, intermittent wiper frequency in your Civic–just that you don’t need to do a root hack on it. If you like that, there are other devices, and it actually is possible to open up iThings if you absolutely must. Here’s a short list of other things that I could hack (that is, have the skills to) but don’t:
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
- Cordless drill
- Snow blower
- Tickle Me Elmo
My life tends to work pretty well just using these things as intended.
Guess my tool comment wasn’t received so well. Let me explain.
Honda/civic isn’t a closed system. They allow you to put any type of gas you’d like in it. They allow you to put in any stereo our sound system you’d like (well, aftermarket, like an app store). If Honda were Apple, you would only be able to buy gas from Honda gas stations because they could guarantee the quality of the gas just to ensure your Honda would run better. They would ban you from taking your car to the local mechanic, instead forcing you to bring your Civic to the Honda dealership, where if there is a problem you’d have to ship your car to Honda for a few weeks, just to replace the battery.
A closed system ensures that everything within the system fits, but a closed system assumes consumers are going to make the wrong choices. If you need premium gasoline and you put regular in, it’s your choice, but you’ve been told to use premium. If you want to go to the discount mechanic, fine, but often you get what you pay for.
I think if more of our products were truly in a closed system, like Apple’s, we would definitely notice and care far more than we think.
Also, it’s been a while since I’ve been called an asshole. Not sure what to think about that.
I draw a distinction between things that work out of the box and things that make people more stupid than they are already, as Kyle seems to have suggested.
I love my MacBook. I love my Honda Element. And I feel no desire to fiddle with them. They work.
I also love the Nissan 350Z that Jon and I bought back in January 2005. It worked beautifully right off the lot. Ate (some) Porsches for breakfast — for less than many pay for their trucks or SUVs.
And: I love the tuning and tweaking that Jon has done to it over these past five years. It works even better and is a more beautiful piece of sculpture.
I do not love soi-disant advances that promote the loss of important skills that most people barely mastered in the first place, such as maneuvering a motor vehicle or finding one’s way in unfamiliar territory.
Perhaps it has to do with consequences. In some, probably most, instances, I say, what is wrong with not understanding how a things works — with just expecting it to work for you?
There is, however, a distinction between things that function well and things that make people function less well. But I don’t think the iPad is going to undermine any really critical skills.
I reckon we can probably keep the conversation civil. Kyle, I figure you’re probably not an asshole, and nor am I “lost. Completely lost.” (I think) You have a strong opinion, and those tend to get expressed here. No harm, no foul.
I think you make some good points, but I think on the whole the purpose is a seamless user experience for those who just want to use the thing and don’t much care about what’s going on behind. I think your explanation makes even more sense if instead of “Civic” we use “Mercedes”. If you have one of those, you probably have a good relationship with the service department at the dealership or a Mercedes specialist. Some people go for that. Some don’t.
Anyway, as for “asshole”, try not to think much about it at all. Mature people can disagree about things and still have a civil conversation. That’s my intent, anyway.
Kyle, we posted simultaneously, and I have yet to read your comment. It’s possible we are in agreement on some matters.
Yeah, Sheila, I think that’s right on. You’ve led me to wonder why I’m curious about how some things work and not others. I’m pretty handy with a car or small electrics (I once hacked a Speak and Spell to say naughty things), but even though I used to build my own PCs and work as a Unix sysadmin, it’s been a long time since I cared about the guts of my tech. Part of it comes from having managed a large IT enterprise, I think. My business customers cared more about outcomes, and I had to hire techies rather than being one.
I made the switch to a Mac several years ago at the suggestion of a programmer who worked for me. It was all he used at home, and his deal was that he fixed computers at work all day–he didn’t want to do that at home. He just wanted to surf and look at pictures of his kids. I’ve had the same experience. I kinda know what’s going on in the background, but I’m usually just doing my work (Word, Excel, Firefox, etc.). I’m pretty happy that way. Again, I’m only 40, and I know what I’m doing–I just don’t care to do some stuff.
I started this by noting that I didn’t want to put a lot of energy into this discussion. Mea culpa.
I’m sure we have all seen kids who want a fast car–so they buy some piss-ant four cylinder model and add all kinds of things to the engine to up the original 92 horsepower to a whopping 112. Then they save up for a blower that will add another 10 horsepower. And the thing sounds better but still struggles to merge with highway traffic. Don’t you always wonder why they didn’t just start with a car that had a lot more horsepower? The lesson here is that you can’t make everything do everything you might want it to, and even when you can do some of it–you still might be a dumbass.
I think Daryl made my point better than me. A closed system isn’t ‘better’ than an open system (and open systems are important) it’s just that sometimes a closed system is fine. And most people (not people who spend time debating in the comments section of a blog) don’t give a good goddamn.
I think the biggest problem I have with a closed system is that it assumes I’m incapable of making the right decisions. Whether I do make the right decisions or not is a whole separate issue, but assuming I’m going to mess something up before I even get my hands on it is kind of demeaning.
I see your point, and it makes sense. I guess my view is that it’s more like an appliance. My dishwasher and my television give me as many choices as I feel like I need, but they don’t bug me with having to know much about what they do in the background or having to adjust them. They also don’t give me many decisions to make, but I’m okay with that. Just a different way of seeing things.
So anyway, Kyle–this being Clusterflock and all–who are some of your favorite authors?
Ha Ha… dig through the archives… what are you… Kels… Ha Ha… I never… would…
I don’t get all of these car analogies. All cars are open systems.
Oh boy, this post has had far more of a focus on me than I had ever hoped. I think I’m going to need to comment using a pseudonym in the future.
I’m generally more of a fan of one off non-fiction, but some that come to mind – James Kugel, Umberto Eco, Hunter S. Thompson, and the ever exciting Stephen Hawking.
Oh, and Dr. Seuss.
If you couldn’t tell, I’m not a huge “novel” person for some reason.
Jon O. is right.
It’s like the car salesman says (and for once, it’s true): “We’re talking apples and oranges.”
Jon O. Sorry to disagree about all cars being open systems; the days of being able to make all repairs on your own car in your own garage has run head on into “special tools” required and elaborate proprietary diagnostic equipment. No car, of course, is a completely closed system, particularly if you consider adding a dangling air freshener to the rearview mirror to be a modification. As for not getting the car analogies–many people don’t comprehend any analogies, and all audiences are not the same. We have a long history here of talking about cars when the mood arises.
I stand corrected, Daryl. I ought to have known better. Truly, I ought.
You’re right.
[...] never understood arguments about this. Open and closed software platforms are different tools for different situations. If closed [...]
I was thinking about what a closed system car would really be like, since everyone here seems to be huge car enthusiasts.
In closed system car, you couldn’t open the hood ever, unless you want to void the warranty. You couldn’t change the tires. If you got a flat in the middle of nowhere, you would just have to wait for the tow truck. You couldn’t change a headlight. You would have to take it to a dealer and have them change the headlight.
Also, the steering wheel and foot pedals have been replaced with a touch screen.
My favourite author is Joel Osteen.
I love you, Amanda Mae.
Living on the west coast makes some mornings feel like I shouted something in the night and woke up to find there’d been a whole party in the wake of my echo. Hope I haven’t missed all the fun.
While it’s probably a little anticlimactic to say it, I have no actual opinion for or against closed systems. I barely understood the issues at hand before this debate. I just liked this guy’s writing style and pep.
And I think Amanda Mae wins for best comment, up there with the Ha Has.
Closed system: Tesla http://www.teslamotors.com/
Apples and oranges: Love apple pie with orange zest.
Favorite author: Joel Osteen’s wife.
Favorite commenter on this thread: Amanda Mae.
Orange zest = citrus. Not dessert.
Little known fact: I was the woman Joel Osteen’s wife hit on the plane.
Joel Osteen always reminds me of Manley Pointer, older.
I been believing in nothing since you and me was born, Daryl. Open system.
Got me a glass eye like that once.
Lost me a wooden leg.
If you’re interested, he wrote a follow-up:
There’s that word again.
Open and closed are not absolutes in complex systems, there can be ongoing negotiations between user (consumer) and builder as to how far you want to go. These things are all tools and there *are* many varieties to choose from, but few people want to design and manufacture their own CPU, or write their own OS (ok, Linux, a little)…