Look Before You Leap, Part 4

2.1. Moving from Closed to Open - One of the most revolutionary paradigm shifts in the technology world is the growing understanding that open systems adapt better than closed systems. First, to define terms. An open system allows great freedom of movement, while a closed system is under the strict control of a single owner or operator. Proponents of open systems cite their greater capacity for innovation and lower costs, while those who prefer closed systems generally cite the ability to maintain quality and generate sufficient profits to provide a financial path for upgrades and sustainability.

I think the most ready analogy is the difference between our railroad system (closed) and our highway system (open). Another good analogy is the Microsoft software paradigm, which has MS in firm control of the entire structure (closed) vs. the world of Linux, where code is freely shared among a wide variety of producers and a community is responsible for maintaining quality and continuity (open). Still another analogy, this one closer to home, is the difference between the cellular wireless world, where content is managed in a "Walled Garden" (closed) and the Wi Fi wireless world, where content is as wide open as the Internet (open).

Open systems leverage the input of many more eyes and ears and brains. They are quicker to identify mistakes, quicker to innovate and adapt and improve. Open systems also end up being cheaper and more accessible, because their primary motivation is inclusiveness rather than exclusivity. Exclusive approaches tend to create scarcity in order to keep profits high. Inclusive approaches leverage the network effect, which says that the value of the network goes up the more nodes there are on the network (aka Metcalfe's Law). I am typing this blog using Movable Type, a proprietary software (closed) but I'm interfacing with the Internet on a Firefox browser (open), on a Hot Spot in a bookstore (open).

The first element of System to consider then is weigh the benefits and costs of a closed system vs an open system, in light of the particular demands that the city has identified. For a more in depth discussion on the spectrum of options between closed and open systems, I recommend this recent post Trains on Tracks v. Cars on Highways: Closed v. Open.

2.2. Moving from PC (Desktop or Laptop) to Web - Since the days when the first desktops were networked locally, we've been moving to a more network-centric approach. Arguably, we're starting to see the PC more closely resemble a telephone as an end node on a communications network. The un-networked PC has far less utility today than one that is hooked to a broadband connection. Two trends have run in parallel over the past decade, which combine to make this discussion open-ended: more powerful PCs and more networked PCs.

First, the PC itself has grown more and more powerful in both processing power and storage capacity over the last decade. Microsoft software still holds the dominant position in operating systems, and we're used to a world where software licenses in an organization are assigned "per desktop."

Second, the PC has grown ever more connected. It is increasingly rare to see a PC that is not used as an Internet device, more and more using a high speed broadband connection. Such popular commercial destinations as Amazon, eBay, CraigsList; popular media sites like YouTube, popular social networking sites like MySpace, and FaceBook; and valuable search tools like Google and Wikipedia have made the Internet an amazing destination that can only be reached through an access account, preferably one that is broadband, not dial-up.

High-value websites are not the only significant change either. In the past five years, advances in Web Services have started to enable more functionality to reside on the Web. Many ISPs and web-based companies make web mail accounts and on-line storage available, which can be accessed from any device by locating a specific URL and account. Web 2.0 is a term that has come to symbolize new, innovative practices that leverage the Web as opposed to the desktop. Google has staked a position in this area to differentiate itself from Microsoft. For a full discussion of this new way of looking at the Web, see the post Web 2.0 Principles and Lessons.

The second element of System to consider is how far your organization would embrace a move to leverage what is available over the Web, as opposed to keeping content and software resident on individual desktops and laptops. Using the Web opens up the organization to new potential in collaboration and productivity. For a more in depth discussion, see this post, Three Faces of One Change: Search Engines, Mass Collaboration, and Leaderless Organizations.