4 ms·

I say this as the maker of 3rd party add-ons to an existing platform; Add-on makers should have no expectation that the value they have captured will not be ca

I say this as the maker of 3rd party add-ons to an existing platform; Add-on makers should have no expectation that the value they have captured will not be captured by the platform at some point. Yes, platforms add features. Yes those features may be domething previously supplied by a 3rd party. There is no way, to stop this, and stopping this would be very bad. The platform might be an OS, a browser, some web site, a programming language, whatever. It doesn't matter. They are growing and their growth will overlap you at some point. Should we not have Developer Tools in the browser because Firebug? Or Search on a Mac because Watson? Or Windows on DOS because of earlier windowing systems? I get the angst of a developer when some revenue-generator becomes obsolete, but writing something doesn't mean you "own" a feature for ever - that's not how it works, nor should it. Building on another's platform has risks. This is one of them.

mysterydip 2y ago
Exactly. If you wanted to avoid that risk, you should've patented your software like everyone else ;)
- bruce511 2y ago
  Personally I'm against software patents, and do I don't patent my work. Secondly most of what I make (and most apps that are in play here) are not patentable. You can patent some implementation detail, but not the overall idea. Lastly, even if you had a patent, you can't fight the platform. They are bigger than you and have more lawyers. You'll likely lose, and even if you win it'll be years of distraction. (Not to mention that the platform can simply break your program as an opening salvo.) So no, I don't think patents are a defense, nor should they be.
  - mysterydip 2y ago
    I agree, I think they shouldn't exist. That's why I used a ;) face. maybe I should've used /s?
jojobas 2y ago
There's incorporation of a feature in the OS, and there's banning of the previously existing apps from the only app store.
- bruce511 2y ago
  Can platforms behave badly? Yes. Can they dictate terms and conditions and thus break your orohram or distribution? Yes. When you are building on another's platform you need to be aware of this risk. Some platforms are more aggressive in this than others. Apple in particular literally coined the phrase "sherlocked". Do not be surprised when a platform behaves the way they always have.
  - jojobas 2y ago
    Comparing with the worst won't get you far. There's Apple doing these things, then there's MS, which dedicated huge resources and some of its best engineers to make sure as many programs from Windows 95 can still work in their original form today.
    - bruce511 2y ago
      Absolutely. I'm not saying all platforms are equally bad, not at all. I'm saying you should be aware of the platform history, and take that into account when you decide to build on a platform. I wouldn't build on Apple, I won't build on Google API's. There's no judgement for those that do. It's simply my choice. On the other hand I'll happily build on Windows. And I'm aware that can burn me.

mysterydip 2y ago

Exactly. If you wanted to avoid that risk, you should've patented your software like everyone else ;)

bruce511 2y ago
Personally I'm against software patents, and do I don't patent my work. Secondly most of what I make (and most apps that are in play here) are not patentable. You can patent some implementation detail, but not the overall idea. Lastly, even if you had a patent, you can't fight the platform. They are bigger than you and have more lawyers. You'll likely lose, and even if you win it'll be years of distraction. (Not to mention that the platform can simply break your program as an opening salvo.) So no, I don't think patents are a defense, nor should they be.
- mysterydip 2y ago
  I agree, I think they shouldn't exist. That's why I used a ;) face. maybe I should've used /s?

jojobas 2y ago

There's incorporation of a feature in the OS, and there's banning of the previously existing apps from the only app store.

bruce511 2y ago
Can platforms behave badly? Yes. Can they dictate terms and conditions and thus break your orohram or distribution? Yes. When you are building on another's platform you need to be aware of this risk. Some platforms are more aggressive in this than others. Apple in particular literally coined the phrase "sherlocked". Do not be surprised when a platform behaves the way they always have.
- jojobas 2y ago
  Comparing with the worst won't get you far. There's Apple doing these things, then there's MS, which dedicated huge resources and some of its best engineers to make sure as many programs from Windows 95 can still work in their original form today.
  - bruce511 2y ago
    Absolutely. I'm not saying all platforms are equally bad, not at all. I'm saying you should be aware of the platform history, and take that into account when you decide to build on a platform. I wouldn't build on Apple, I won't build on Google API's. There's no judgement for those that do. It's simply my choice. On the other hand I'll happily build on Windows. And I'm aware that can burn me.