Proprietary Platforms are Like Ice Cubes

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by: Lynette Webb

I really like this analogy. It touches on an interesting debate too… although I personally agree 100% open always trumps 100% closed in the end, nowadays it’s not always so black and white. Services can be open in some aspects and not others; there are different degrees of open-ness… 

 

Will the service with a greater % of open-ness always win? I’d like to think so but my gut says it’s not necessarily so clear-cut… If you think about all the different aspects of a service to which the notion of being open could apply – does being open in some of them have a greater impact on uptake/development/success than others? Is there a point beyond which the benefits of remaining at least a little bit closed outweigh the additional benefits of opening further? An interesting topic for a lunch discussion me thinks. 🙂

Quote comes via Anil Dash: www.dashes.com/anil/2007/10/rainman-blackbird-facebook-an…
Image via Flickr CC www.flickr.com/photos/chilledsalad/341301511/ thanks to _marmota.

Original Post: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynetter/1853941163/