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Does it matter if a platform does the inventing? The web browser was invented on a NeXT Cube but that didn't limit its eventual use.
by huxley 9y ago
Does it matter if a platform does the inventing? The web browser was invented on a NeXT Cube but that didn't limit its eventual use.
- itomato 9y agoVisiCalc and Lotus 1-2-3 are other excellent examples. Simple spreadsheets were available everywhere, while tools like Mathematica and Quantrix were only available on NeXT. Those powerful system libraries from NeXTStep were key, and they're still an advantage today,
- archagon 9y agoNo, I don't think that matters. However, I see the walled garden as a much bigger issue. Apple wouldn't let a new, disruptive technology along the lines of browsers/bittorrent/bitcoin into its App Store unless it already had widespread adoption. If most people replace their open PCs with closed phones or tablets, that's never going to happen. It's a giant bollard in the path of technological progress. Fortunately, it looks like the open-ish Android model is winning out. Maybe Apple will change their mind at some point.