Tim Bray joins Google, slams iPhone ecosystem

Rodney Gedda

Rodney Gedda is the former deputy editor of CIO and former editor of Techworld.

As I’ve discussed a few times on TalkingTech, the iPhone is a great paradigm-shift in mobile computing, but Apple’s stranglehold over the application ecosystem is too restrictive. Well, XML pioneer Tim Bray, in his blog post about leaving Oracle for Google, has reiterated my feelings – and then some. Bray has joined Google to work on Android so you’d expect some friendly banter when discussing the iPhone, however, he certainly wasn’t pulling punches with statements like:

”The iPhone vision of the mobile Internet’s future omits controversy, sex, and freedom, but includes strict limits on who can know what and who can say what. It’s a sterile Disney-fied walled garden surrounded by sharp-toothed lawyers. The people who create the apps serve at the landlord’s pleasure and fear his anger.

I hate it.”

A little harsh perhaps, but Bray does give credit where it’s due and commends Apple for producing “great” hardware and software in the iPhone.

And Bray makes a pertinent point by contrasting Apple’s “open” technology for notebooks, PCs and servers.

I say “open” because the level of openness of a product is a relative thing. Apple’s computer products are proprietary by design, but they ship with open source software, allow unrestricted application development and leverage industry-standard components.

This is in stark contrast to the iPhone and its application ecosystem. The iPhone ships open source software inside it, but that’s about as open as it gets.

I, for one, hope Apple can bring the openness of its computer products to the iPhone, but that looks like wishful thinking at this stage.

Best of luck with Android at Google Tim, I can’t wait to hear the “weird spiking-blood-pressure sensation in my eyeballs” story of why you left Oracle.