Comment by Karellen
3 years ago
> The web is dependent on big tech,
If that were the case, it would never have been built until big tech came along and invented it.
As the web existed for years before big tech got involved, and for a few more years after they got involved but were still playing catch-up, I don't see how that holds up.
> interoperability will always be limited by shareholder interests
Again, history shows the opposite.
There were a number of attempts by large corps to create something like the web before the web, like Minitel and Compuserve, and to some extent AOL. (Also see X.400 messaging before SMTP email) They all lost out to the web because they had gatekeepers and no interoperability, whereas the web with its interoperable standards allowed anyone to come along and build anything.
The more you tighten you grip, Tarkin...
In a sense, it is dependent on big tech. Intel, AMD, et. al make the substrate upon which all of tech is dependent.
We don't notice it so much because the era of monopolistic dominance ended 30 years ago when AMD cloned the 386. The ability to write code that didn't utterly depend on Intel came along strong in the years since.
I think we're in that era now. People are beginning to notice that "social media" isn't really. People just want to send messages to friends and family, share photos with friends and family, and maybe catch up on what somebody famous, like Richard Stallman, is doing. (I have my finger on the pulse of public taste doncha know.)