This is a very encouraging graph -   We need more fun in our too-techie lives.

Newsweek has posted an interview with Jonathan Zittrain, author of "The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It" and it’s generating some interesting discussion.  Whether he’s a kook or a canary is too early to judge but I will say this – he’s gotten me thinking.  I’m old enough to remember the dominant computing model of the 1970s.  It was based on a large central CPU with dumb terminals hanging off it.  Most if not all the actually computing tasks were managed by the centralized computer with the terminals providing the user interface and not much else.  The model worked very well.  Many large, profitable and influential companies grew up around this architecture – IBM, Digital, Wang, Data General, Control Data Corp, etc.  Customers were well served and major advances, both technical and productive, were accomplished. 

So what happened?  Why is it that only IBM survives out of the list above.  The microcomputer was introduced.  At first it was seen as just a toy.  In reality, it represented a shift that, though small at first, quickly became tectonic.  Suddenly the average Joe had control over computing power.  Turns out we discovered that when our information future was owned and controlled by others we didn’t get what we wanted and overpaid for what we got.  So the public armed themselves and the revolution began.  Innovation exploded from all directions, prices cratered and big hardware companies lost their grip on customers.  "Power to the People" was Apple’s mantra and "A computer on every desk" was Microsoft’s.  We’ve been living with the results of their success ever since.

So here’s the thing.  Cloud computing, browser-based applications, proprietary application and network architectures (ala Facebook), closed network devices, all these things start to look suspiciously like the 1970s computing model.  By tacitly accepting this direction, we are in effect ceding control over many parts of our informational existence to large corporations (sound familiar?).  We are giving up the freedoms we fought for and received over 20 years ago.  Maybe that’s ok.  I’m not saying the analogy is exact.  But it has me wondering what the costs will be.  History has shown that big corporations don’t always do what’s in the best interest of their customers.  They are slaves to their investors and shareholders.  But hopefully we’ve learned. 

I am a firm believer in a democratic, bottoms up model of innovation.  The PC and Internet are my examples of its power and effectiveness.  So, I agree with Zittrain that this is something we need to watch.  The last thing we need is a repeat of the 70s.