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How about an Index of Openness?

Sep 29, 2007  By Doc Searls

Wendy Seltzer asks, Which is more open: the Nokia N95 or the iPhone? Regardless of the answer, I'm wondering if there's an objective way to score openness... perhaps a kind of in-the-wild folksonomic list of deal-makers and deal-killers.

Rather than bias the list, I thought I'd just put the idea out there to start with, and see what variables ya'll would like to see on the list.

Good idea? Bad? Is anybody doing this already?

______________________

Doc Searls is Senior Editor of Linux Journal

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I go for the Iphone! Very

Diamond Blade's picture
Submitted by Diamond Blade (not verified) on Fri, 10/08/2010 - 18:39.

I go for the Iphone! Very versatile and easy to jailbreak. The application available and very useful.

I would say IPhone

Diamond Tools's picture
Submitted by Diamond Tools (not verified) on Sat, 07/17/2010 - 05:15.

Just because the IPhone seems to be what most people use and the extensive amount of new applications they keep coming out with. They even have applications for beginner's without programming knowledge to write applications. So as far as openness, I think i'd say IPhone.

Openness?

blades's picture
Submitted by blades (not verified) on Fri, 03/27/2009 - 19:28.

I am going to go with the Iphone. I think between the updates and the abundance of available apps...

Nokia N95

Bali Villas's picture
Submitted by Bali Villas (not verified) on Sat, 01/03/2009 - 02:36.

what operating system of Nokia N95, Symbian or Java ??

Wendy Seltzer asks, Which is

Oks Suyasa's picture
Submitted by Oks Suyasa (not verified) on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 23:48.

Wendy Seltzer asks, Which is more open: the Nokia N95 or the iPhone? Regardless of the answer, I'm wondering if there's an objective way to score openness... perhaps a kind of in-the-wild folksonomic list of deal-makers and deal-killers.

thanks

seks hikaye's picture
Submitted by seks hikaye (not verified) on Tue, 10/28/2008 - 09:56.

I would like to see someone take a crack at it though.

Neither

Shopping's picture
Submitted by Shopping (not verified) on Fri, 06/06/2008 - 10:57.

Definitely it won't be easy to score objectively between those two, but one can score easily between Linux and, say, Apple OS. Between the two, whichever phone makes installing other software on it seamless will probably be the winner. Whichever one comes with software that you can manipulate and change, that would be the most opensource one.
However, I think that makes neither good for the Opensource points :)

openess

Italy property's picture
Submitted by Italy property (not verified) on Fri, 05/30/2008 - 11:54.

Good luck with the issue regarding objectively scoring openess. My thoughts are there is no way either of these two phones are open. Linux on the other hand is of course.

I'm not sure that there

DUI's picture
Submitted by DUI (not verified) on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 22:20.

I'm not sure that there really is an objective way to score openness. I would like to see someone take a crack at it though.

I think the competition

Ingilizce Sozluk's picture
Submitted by Ingilizce Sozluk (not verified) on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 10:36.

I think the competition between them is something good for us.

perfect

Download's picture
Submitted by Download (not verified) on Tue, 12/18/2007 - 15:57.

didn't get around to making an index, or a site, or a colorful table out of it (I'm currently using zim for it). If I did the latter, it would certainly be biased, of course, because it doesn't only describe openness.

www.1453.us
www.video.name.tr
www.globaladres.net

Good Question

Franky's picture
Submitted by Franky (not verified) on Wed, 10/10/2007 - 07:16.

I think it is a good idea to evaluate the openness. In my opinion the most important factor should be that you can see and change the source code. Then it is totally open.
If this is not possible the dimensions which are mentioned before are quite good. Just rank them with an importance factor and you have your scoring model.

Some variables of openness

-dsr-'s picture
Submitted by -dsr- (not verified) on Sun, 09/30/2007 - 11:36.

For a given platform, Open-ness is about degrees of freedom:

- can you transfer it to someone else?
- can you copy it for yourself?
- can you copy it to give away?
- can you copy it and sell it?
- can you alter it and use it by itself?
- can you alter it and use it with its standard infrastructure?
- can you alter it and distribute the method of alteration?
- can you alter it and distribute the altered work?
- can you alter it and sell the altered work?
- which of these abilities can you pass to other people?
- which of these abilities can you restrict from other people?
- is there a documented ABI?
- is there a documented API?
- is there an available SDK?
- is there a free or very-low-cost SDK?
- does the programming interface expose all the features?
- can you get source code and/or schematics?
- can you redistribute the source or schematics?
- how end-user friendly is the best method of adding functions (new HW, new SW)?

Good idea.

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 09/30/2007 - 07:12.

I've started compiling a list of companies this summer, containing some information about them, like what software they are using for their site, what file formats they use, what good/bad things they've done lately (or, if they are the same all the time, throughout their history)…

I didn't get around to making an index, or a site, or a colorful table out of it (I'm currently using zim for it). If I did the latter, it would certainly be biased, of course, because it doesn't only describe openness.

For example, it lists:
About web sites:
- the web server used for the site
- how much Flash the site contains and how much it depends on it
- what other file formats are used
- what the site says about browsers (e.g. "This site is best viewed in …)
About company relationships
- what company designed the site, what company gave them software, hardware etc

Subsidiaries are all listed under the owner, and their name links to the owners name.

Also things like
“… listed 9999th in the top 40 best companies

Ford / Microsoft Program

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 11/18/2007 - 11:54.

Check out media.ford.com

FORD TEAMS UP WITH MICROSOFT TO DELIVER SYNC; IN-CAR DIGITAL SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE TO FORD

Does the "openess" scale have Negative Values?

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=25168&make_+id=trus...

SYNC™, powered by Microsoft Auto software, is Ford’s new fully integrated, voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system for mobile phones and digital music players.

linux

linuxlover's picture
Submitted by linuxlover (not verified) on Fri, 12/21/2007 - 13:18.

It s really good idea to do that! thanks i will be keep watching!