alt Hacker NewsThe presumption that started this thread is that open standards are always good for competition. I think browsers are a good counter example where open standards led to three browser vendors, we have less competition rather than more.
Replies
fsflover • last Monday at 7:14 PM
Do you expect that browsers relying on closed standards would result in more competition under the same circumstances? You didn't demonstrate that.
➕ show 1 reply
Without open standards, we would need to pick a browser and provide for it.
If we needed to support another browser we'd need to provide a new solution built to its specification.
Open standards have allowed the possibility of multiple browser vendors, without making the life of browser consumers (i.e. developers and organisations providing apps and sites) a living hell.
Without this, we'd be providing apps and sites for a proprietary system (e.g. Macromedia Flash back in ancient history).
Furthermore, when Flash had cornered a market, it had absolutely no competition at all. A complete monopoly on that segment of the market.
It took Steve Jobs and Apple to destroy it, but that's a different story.
--
The reasoning for only three engines, isn't the fault of open standards.
There are many elements of our economic system that prevent competition. Open standards is not one of them.