Slashdotted

[Werner Almesberger]

Marcel wrote:
> That's the selling point for us more-or-less nerds. But the average 
> oh-the-iphone-has-so-nice-bling-bling-user cannot see the value an open phone 
> has for us [...]

I think they see it, indirectly. If the openness attracts developers,
they build things. First they build things that excite only themselves
and their peers, i.e., other developers. But eventually, they build
things that also appeal to non-developers. And that's when the system
becomes interesting to the "(wo)man on the street".

Eventually also non-developers thus make the connection that "open"
is "good". They have to understand the underlying principles about as
much as anyone needs to understand differential equations to know
that a heavy object once released falls towards the ground.

Of course, that rarely stops us developers from trying to tell them
anyway, especially after a few drinks at a party ;-)

- Werner