Apple's definitely heading down the wrong path with the whole Spamafari browser install approach. The whole thing with Apple Updater covertly pushing Safari onto our PC desktops is way beyond uncool. The last thing I want is yet another browser competing to be my default browser, especially Safari, which has no discernable benefits over IE and Firefox on Windows. And now, Apple's taking another run at Windows by pushing back, claiming the "carpet bomb" bug is really a PC user and Windows problem. (See the "Saving untrusted files..." section.) Shez. I can just see the new Apple commercial now.
But Apple's misguided approach actually gave me a crazy idea for a devious plan -- how Apple *could* take over the browser on the PC desktop. So, here's the approach. We all know that the Safari browser on the iPhone is totally killer. Better by thousands of miles than any other smartphone browser. That alone is almost reason enough to buy an iPhone now that 3G is out. Ah... on second thought, scrap that. Back to my other crazy idea...
So... Apple cuts a deal with us. Apple agrees to port Safari to Blackberrys and Windows Mobile if all of us agree to use Safari on our PCs! Hey, how's that for a great idea! Well, there is that touch screen problem but those are minor details. As an added incentive, Apple could agree to reinstall iTunes on our PCs only every other time we start up iTunes. How would that be? What a deal. I'd switch!
So Apple, listen up. This could be your only chance. Don't miss this golden opportunity!
:)
Mitchell Ashley is principal consultant at Converging Network LLC where he provides product, technology and social media consulting to emerging technology companies. A successful CTO and product innovator, Mitchell has created many successful, award winning products in the networking, security, convergence, Internet and IT industries. In addition to blogging for NetworkWorld, Mitchell regularly blogs at TheConvergingNetwork and co-hosts the widely popular StillSecure After All These Years podcast.
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The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.
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Safari
It's all about cloud computing and open standards, which IE doesn't support. Apple's forthcoming Mobile.me services include web applications that look and behave like desktop applications. You don't even have to be online to use them. There will be a lot of programmers using the free tools Apple is supplying, called SproutCore. It is open source, the same tools Apple's using for Mobile.me applications. It's all about open standards instead of the proprietary approach of Microsoft and Adobe to the same cloud computing initiatives.
Apple doesn't want to depend on Firefox to enable their iPhone, PC, and Mac push services and cloud computing services. Sure, it cost $100; but there are no advertisements. It's early days; but I vote for open standards and browsers that support them.
Benefits? It's the Protocols that benefit us
Yes, and lets hope Apple's relationship with the SproutCore open source team fares better than it did with KHTML. As I recall, things didn't go so well at the time, and co-opting open source projects gets a lot more negative attention these day.
To say it's a big advantage to all of us that Apple is using open source SproutCore is a fallacy. It's a big advantage to Apple but open source advocates are taking a dim view of big companies building products and "stealing" their hard work, eventually taking over the project in some cases. Now if Apple were to buy out the SproutCore developers, like has happened with Xen, ClamAV and other projects, at least the deverlopers would be happy but then the open source projects come into much doubt. Case in point, see Red Hat's development of the oVirt hypervisor.
And just saying, "it's developed on open source" doesn't always mean much in the end to you and me. It's not like you're going to take all the software and run it yourself as Apple's building on the open source, not contributing all the software they develop back to the project. Other than contributions of fixes and what things Apple might choose to offer back, if they choose to offer anything they develop back as open source, you'll never see that new code.
Apple building on SproutCore is primarily an advantaage to Apple, not the user, except where SproutCore uses standard, open protocols (RSS, etc.,). BTW, Microsoft Live Mesh may be built by Microsoft but it also uses standard, open protocols.
I'm not arguing that proprietary is better than open source. I've learned a lot about the pros and cons of building products based on open source projects, and as with many things, the devil's in the details. It's a gross oversimplfication to say, "well, they use open source..." so it's all good.
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://www.clickcaster.com/ss
MobileMe
What do you think of me.com, Apple's solution to cloud computing?
I Like MobileMe
Actually, I like MobileMe a lot. Here's a blog post about it I wrote the week it was announced (same time as the iPhone 3G).
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/28686
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://www.clickcaster.com/ss
OOoh Scary! A check box was
OOoh Scary! A check box was checked by default! How nefarious! How exactly like every Windows installer program I've ever used!
I think it's stupid that ANYONE would do it, but I suspect laziness - not malice. Shame on Apple, either way.
- G
Oh, and WinMobile/Blackberry can use WebKit (the Safari engine) for free, just like anyone else. It's open source. So is SproutCore, the "iPhone Web App" builder.
Laugh while you can
I am surprise you are allowed to publish this crap, eh, fantasy, anyway laugh while you can, the last who laugh last laugh best.
BTW one of the best features of Safari has is spell check, constantly changing for spelling mistakes.
"changing" => "checking" I
"changing" => "checking"
I think Safari also needs a grammer checker.
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://www.clickcaster.com/ss
yet again
Now Apple has gone one step further in their effort to increase the amount of bloatware on people's computers. When you install Safari on a PC, it also installs the updater application to keep Safari up to date...but what does it want to update? Nothing...it *DOES* want to install iTunes and Quicktime on your PC though...and I don't even have an iPod! This is stupid! And why is Apple getting away with this? Why doens't anyone call them onto the carpet? Are they too good to be smacked down? Sheesh
Ed
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