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The Unwelcome Return of Platform Dependencies

42 points by dave1619 16y ago

gordonguthrie 16y ago
People really should read Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy: http://astore.amazon.com/hypernumbersc-20/detail/0684841487 http://astore.amazon.com/hypernumbersc-20/detail/0684841487 He points out that pricing power in a supplier relationship is held by whichever side would find it easier to integrate into the other ones space. So Apple vs App Makers, Facebook vs in-Facebook games, Twitter vs Twitter apps... There can be a healthy acquisition route for successful startups in a supplier relationship - but only for the first one of its kind.
SupremumLimit 16y ago
There is zero insight in this article as far as I can see. Yes, if you are using someone else's API, it might change. Yes, if you aren't complying with the terms of service, you may have a problem. If you are adding features to someone else's product, then sure, they can implement those features too and make you obsolete. In addition, I don't see what any of this has to do with the initial premise that the web provided a way of avoiding the complexities of cross-platform development.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- praptak 16y ago
  "I don't see what any of this has to do with the initial premise that the web provided a way of avoiding the complexities of cross-platform development." That was not the initial premise. It was about the web supposedly removing the platform dependencies. Not the technical ones but the business ones - basically an unremovable third party between the developer and their customers. Here's an example of such an article by Tim Bray: http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/12/WebsThePlace http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/12/WebsThePla... Quote: "You’re not a sharecropper, especially not a sharecropper, if you’re building on the Web platform. If you can define your value-add as a series of interactions via a browser, or an interchange of XML messages, nobody can whip the land out from under you." The above is no longer true. The Web alone is not enough to avoid being a sharecropper.
  - joe_the_user 16y ago
    Actually, your quote is still true about the web. It's just not true about Facebook and etc apps. The web hasn't suddenly vanish with the rise of other platforms.
  - SupremumLimit 16y ago
    Right, I see, that's a good quote. However, seeing as software developers always try to move common code into libraries and reuse it, wasn't it a bit naive to expect web apps to be any different? I think the problems the article is talking about are more akin to library dependencies in desktop/server development rather than (more extensive) platform dependencies and the complexities of targeting multiple platforms.
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
  - jamesbritt 16y ago
    "The above is no longer true. The Web alone is not enough to avoid being a sharecropper." If I build a Web app, what unremovable third-party am I required to use?
    - extension 16y ago
      Google, at least. Perhaps others, depending on if/how you want to monetize.
bl4k 16y ago
There are some interesting points, but the wrong conclusion. The conclusions and lead-in should have been that as with the desktop market, on the web do not trust the platform providers. reply

42 points by dave1619 16y ago

People really should read Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy: http://astore.amazon.com/hypernumbersc-20/detail/0684841487 http://astore.amazon.com/hypernumbersc-20/detail/0684841487 He points out that pricing power in a supplier relationship is held by whichever side would find it easier to integrate into the other ones space. So Apple vs App Makers, Facebook vs in-Facebook games, Twitter vs Twitter apps... There can be a healthy acquisition route for successful startups in a supplier relationship - but only for the first one of its kind.

SupremumLimit 16y ago

There is zero insight in this article as far as I can see. Yes, if you are using someone else's API, it might change. Yes, if you aren't complying with the terms of service, you may have a problem. If you are adding features to someone else's product, then sure, they can implement those features too and make you obsolete. In addition, I don't see what any of this has to do with the initial premise that the web provided a way of avoiding the complexities of cross-platform development.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
praptak 16y ago
"I don't see what any of this has to do with the initial premise that the web provided a way of avoiding the complexities of cross-platform development." That was not the initial premise. It was about the web supposedly removing the platform dependencies. Not the technical ones but the business ones - basically an unremovable third party between the developer and their customers. Here's an example of such an article by Tim Bray: http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/12/WebsThePlace http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/12/WebsThePla... Quote: "You’re not a sharecropper, especially not a sharecropper, if you’re building on the Web platform. If you can define your value-add as a series of interactions via a browser, or an interchange of XML messages, nobody can whip the land out from under you." The above is no longer true. The Web alone is not enough to avoid being a sharecropper.
- joe_the_user 16y ago
  Actually, your quote is still true about the web. It's just not true about Facebook and etc apps. The web hasn't suddenly vanish with the rise of other platforms.
- SupremumLimit 16y ago
  Right, I see, that's a good quote. However, seeing as software developers always try to move common code into libraries and reuse it, wasn't it a bit naive to expect web apps to be any different? I think the problems the article is talking about are more akin to library dependencies in desktop/server development rather than (more extensive) platform dependencies and the complexities of targeting multiple platforms.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- jamesbritt 16y ago
  "The above is no longer true. The Web alone is not enough to avoid being a sharecropper." If I build a Web app, what unremovable third-party am I required to use?
  - extension 16y ago
    Google, at least. Perhaps others, depending on if/how you want to monetize.

bl4k 16y ago

There are some interesting points, but the wrong conclusion. The conclusions and lead-in should have been that as with the desktop market, on the web do not trust the platform providers. reply