[IP] Why IP owners should worry]]]]
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [IP] Why IP owners should worry]]]
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 19:45:59 -0500
From: Jordan Pollack <pollack@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
References: <438622B7.5090105@xxxxxxxxxx>
It it a sad fact of the software industry that maximizing shareholder
value drives companies towards making locked up formats rather than
standards which could be eventually approved by Underwriters Lab or the FCC.
The "competitive upgrade" specifically took advantage of companies which
didn't encrypt their formats; their files could be sucked into a
competitors release, but not vice versa.
Imagine a world in which Word, Wordperfect, Wordstar, Wordpro and Emacs
all edited the same standard word processing format. Imagine if all Html
editors, from Pagemill to Frontpage to Trellix to Dreamweaver could
interoperate, and all CAD programs could agree on a 3d representational
format. Then instead of a single or serial Monopoly in each application
area, we would have oligarchies like other industries, that might
continually compete to improve the user interfaces and efficiencies,
instead of how to lock customers into upgrades and out of their own data.
MA is right to move to open documents, or to force an opening of MSFT
office.
Jordan
--
Professor Jordan B. Pollack Dynamic & Evolution Machine Org
Computer Science Department FaxPhone/Lab: 781-736-2713/3366
MS018, Brandeis University http://www.demo.cs.brandeis.edu
Waltham Massachusetts 02454 e-mail: pollack@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as roessler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To manage your subscription, go to
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/