In the Introduction and first chapter of The Future of the Internet, Zittrain presents these two categories of technology; generative and appliancized. I'm going to highlight the differeances between the two.
Generative technology would be a flexible platform base that can be reprogrammed for a variety of uses. A Personal Computer is the clearest example of generative technology. While computer manufactures do provide software bundles (such as Office), and almost every computer one can buy will come with a pre-installed operating system of the buyer's choosing, the pre-installed software is not "locked-in," nor is it the be-all and end-all. Software can be added, software can be removed.
With operating systems, there are of course, some compatibility hang-ups when it comes to hardware and drivers (to my knowledge, this is mostly with laptops,) but that aside, it is possible to uninstall one operating system and replace it with another.
The main point that Zittrain brought to my attention in chapter one was that the beauty of the early PC was this flexibility - a feature that my generation of computer-users takes for granted. Though, feature is not the right word. When we think of a personal computer, we think of a collection of programs that we run on the computer, the actually physical box with the wires sticking out of the back is an afterthought. You say "computer," I say "Borderlands!"
The ability to accept and use third party software is what defines our computers. I've been playing computer games since 1993 (and installing them myself since '95 or so, when my dad got tired of doing it for me); the idea that this flexibility was once novel is just a bit beyond me.
Now, the counterpart of the super-generative-technology is appliancized technology. That is, an appliance that has one purpose (or set of purposes) and those alone. It is not meant to be tinkered with. It is not meant to be dynamic. For example, a CD player. It plays audio CDs, nothing more. These "appliances" have evolved into devices that have many purposes and abilities - mp3 players now store pictures and videos, and mine can even record audio files, - but they don't do much outside of those purposes, and cannot easily (if at all) be made to do anything they were not intended for.
Honestly, generative technology requires that you know how to use it; beyond knowing how to install and run software. Computers now days do a lot of stuff, and they do a lot of stuff behind the scenes that the user may or may not know about. It is frustrating to have a computer get a virus, and to have to jump through the hoops of getting someone to fix it. It is less frustrating when you know how to fix it yourself, or even better, when you know how to avoid being in those virus-ridden or hard-drive crashed situations.
Having said all of that. Are we moving towards more appliancized technology? Will we primarily stick with the generative for computers, networking, and internet? Or will we start seeing a mix of the two - a computer that accepts third party software, but does not allow the user to customize that software? Operating systems that are programmed to do everything automatically so that the user does not have to worry about updates, settings, etc; without the option to configure it otherwise?
The following is a humorous bit, simply to emphasize that last question:
When I got a new laptop with Windows 7, I spent the first couple of days tinkering with it: changing the display (monochrome Windows Classic, thank-you-very-much) was just the tip of the iceberg. No, I do not wish to register Windows. No, I would not like to activate MacAfee, in fact, I will promptly uninstall it and replace it with anti-virus of my choosing. No, do not automatically check for updates. No, I do not want desktop clean-up wizard to remove unused icons… What if my computer just starting doing all of those things, without me telling it to, or without asking me? That wouldn't fly half as well as the computer itself would.
"Dear computer, you are an electronic idiot, stop trying to do things that you think I want you to do, because I am not technologically retarded. Thank you."
Nice overview of Zittrains concepts, Amanda. Your questions point toward the more current and wider implications of the distinction. I would have found it more interesting, however, to have read your answers to these questions. In the future, if you find yourself composing questions for the end, I want you to stop and consider whether the post might be made more interesting by you answering the questions instead.
ReplyDelete