Freedom Requires Sacrifice
The release of the Apple iPad has helped renew my somewhat eccentric stand on vendor lock-in. My philosophy may not suit everyone but I place a great value on my freedom and have observed that it requires sacrifice.
One example is my avoidance of coffee. Caffeine is a powerfully addictive substance and I really don't want to go there. Needing to drink it to just feel normal is a bad way to be. I figure life is hard enough without a complication like that.
I also recently migrated off Mac OS onto Ubuntu Linux. It was sparked largely by Snow Leopard's loss of support for synchronizing with my Palm Centro. The natural step was to buy an iPhone. Nice try. I don't want an iPhone.
The same can be seen in developing software. Do we sign a customer on a promise and then hack our software to make them happy? Or do we forgo the short-term profit in favor of longer-term viability? In theory I'd choose the latter. Treat a product like your environment; take only what you need.
Freedom requires sacrifice; of course it does. Maybe the iPad experience is great, but I know Apple will use it as a lever to promote lock-in, like any large corporation. And who knows what raw deal publishers are getting as Apple throws their weight around.
We live in the age of free and open source software. That means there is software out there that is not compromised by some companies strategy. And it's getting more accessible every day thanks to organizations like Ubuntu (which has a somewhat philanthropic bent). So the sacrifice is only minimal.
But then again, I am a techie. And I recognize my view is something of a luxury. At least I know what I want and am empowered to go after it. I want my freedom.
One example is my avoidance of coffee. Caffeine is a powerfully addictive substance and I really don't want to go there. Needing to drink it to just feel normal is a bad way to be. I figure life is hard enough without a complication like that.
I also recently migrated off Mac OS onto Ubuntu Linux. It was sparked largely by Snow Leopard's loss of support for synchronizing with my Palm Centro. The natural step was to buy an iPhone. Nice try. I don't want an iPhone.
The same can be seen in developing software. Do we sign a customer on a promise and then hack our software to make them happy? Or do we forgo the short-term profit in favor of longer-term viability? In theory I'd choose the latter. Treat a product like your environment; take only what you need.
Freedom requires sacrifice; of course it does. Maybe the iPad experience is great, but I know Apple will use it as a lever to promote lock-in, like any large corporation. And who knows what raw deal publishers are getting as Apple throws their weight around.
We live in the age of free and open source software. That means there is software out there that is not compromised by some companies strategy. And it's getting more accessible every day thanks to organizations like Ubuntu (which has a somewhat philanthropic bent). So the sacrifice is only minimal.
But then again, I am a techie. And I recognize my view is something of a luxury. At least I know what I want and am empowered to go after it. I want my freedom.
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