 Reader
Bill Burcham talks about one Open Source phenomenon that had not
occurred to me: Just as business is likely to atomize into a World of Ends--
many
small specialized, networked businesses each doing one or two things
really well, self-organized collaboratively with their customers to
produce integrated, customized, even Peer-Produced goods and services perfectly attuned to each customer's need-- it is very conceivable that software offerings could atomize into a World of 'Microapplication' Ends --
many
small networked software developers, each designing small pieces of
code that add useful functionality that can be plugged into existing
Open Source applications.
There is no reason why these microapplications couldn't also be Peer-Produced -- co-designed by the customers who need them.
So,
for example, it would be nice to have a microapplication that would add
wiki functionality, or maybe podcasting functionality, to blogs. The
wiki 'plug-in' to a blog would produce what is called a bliki.
It would allow any reader of the blog to add his two cents to an
article right in the body of the post (instead of in the comments
thread below it) -- to become in effect a co-author of the article. The
miniapplication would have to allow the original author some simple
control e.g. the ability to tag readers' additions and changes and
'inline' comments in another colour, or to display them only as pop-ups
or scroll-overs, or to remove them if she thinks they detract rather
than add to the article.
This opportunity to create atomized
software only arises as a result of (a) open access to the code of
existing applications so that designers can add in or plug in in a
simple, modular way, and (b) emerging standards and protocols like Ajax
that make modular design simple, so add-on/plug-in miniapplications
need not be tweaked for each similar application they are adapted to.
For example, a wiki miniapplication for one blog tool would ideally
work for all blog tools without the need for additional coding.
This
would require that the basic functionality of core applications (like
blogs) evolve quickly to a single, simple set of standards with a
stripped-down or modularized set of functionalities. This
probably won't appeal to designers who like to design an elegant and
complete product, and it will essentially destroy 'brand', but it
offers the promise of immensely more value and flexibility to customers.
Rather
than imposing such standards using some ISO-type oversight
organization, I'd like to believe these standards could evolve
naturally using methods to capture the Wisdom of Crowds. Customers
would first have to realize they have the power to demand such
standards. They, we, need not
settle for sloppily designed, bloated, buggy, over-engineered,
proprietary, memory- and processor-hogging applications.
If we
could achieve such standards, incorporating modularity, flexibility,
openness and organic design in the software domain, this might serve as
a model for the future design of physical objects,
like cars and houses. Instead of cars being designed to discourage
'non-factory' improvements, wouldn't it be great if we could design (intentionally create)
our own car, by simply selecting a chassis and engine from a standard
set, and then adding whatever additional functionality we need, from a
million choices offered by a million lean, adaptable entrepreneurial
companies? And then when our needs changed, wouldn't it be great if we
could simply 'pop out' and resell the modules we no longer require, and
add new ones that meet our new needs?
It's all possible.We just
need to flex our ingenuity and our consumer and voter muscle to make it
happen. The Internet, a freed market and the imaginative possibility of
Open Space Business will look after the rest. |
MADE IN CANADA
trust your
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