Most Promising for Web 2008: Open Source Movement
Earlier this week we announced our Best BigCo of 2007 as Facebook and our Best LittleCo of 2007 as Twitter. In this post we'll give you our pick for Most Promising for Web in 2008.
Originally we planned to pick the most promising Web company for 2008. But in the end the ReadWriteWeb team decided to follow the example set by Time magazine last year, when it named "You" as its 'Person of the Year'.
Likewise we think there is no single Web company that is more promising than... the open source movement, a loose-knit group that aims to make a huge impact by tying all Web companies together.
We've seen many examples of the open source movement ramping up on the Web this year:
- Web browsers; Mozilla's Firefox web browser is perhaps the best example, having made significant ground on Microsoft's proprietary browser in '07. And just this week Opera picked a legal fight with Microsoft in Europe, citing lack of open source standards as one of its complaints.
- Social networks have begun to open up; Facebook's platform, followed by Google's OpenSocial (a set of common APIs for building social applications across the web) and now seemingly every social network is opening their platform. None of these are completely open, but the trend is for that to eventually happen.
- The drive towards open standards on the Mobile Web; Tim Berners-Lee and the W3C continue to push for this. And as Rudy De Waele wrote on this blog, mobile 2.0 is about "open standards, open-source development and open access - creating more options for the user, not enclosing them in the walled gardens currently (still) used by operators."
It's worth mentioning Android Mobile OS here, the open-source mobile operating system that Google announced in November this year. Android will be available for any phone manufacturer to install and build on top of. It will allow for extensive use of Google applications, mashups based on those applications combined with third party apps and will in time live on portable devices other than phones, like car navigation systems.
- Microformats, the Web community's open standards for structured data, has a lot of promise - expect to see them implemented in not only Firefox but IE and the other browsers next year.
- The distributed group of developers working on the Open Authentication spec OAuth recently released what they hope will be the final draft of their 1.0 version. The OAuth spec will create a standardized way for applications to request permission for access to user info from other applications and for info-holding services to communicate clear rules and options for accessing parts of the data they hold.
- The open identity system OpenID 2.0 was launched in December (see Marshall Kirkpatrick's review) - this will hopefully be the catalyst for more Internet companies to adopt it in 2008.
- An open ad network is a viable alternative to Google Adsense. We reviewed a new initiative called OpenAds in June, so this will be interesting to watch in 2008.
Conclusion
We could name more open source opportunities for the Web in 2008 (and please add them in the comments), but Alex Iskold summed up the potential for 'open data' with this diagram:
As Alex wrote here: "The old perception is that closed data is a competitive advantage. The new reality is that open data is a competitive advantage. The likely solution then is to stop worrying about protecting information and instead start charging for it, by offering an API."
So overall, we think 2008 will be a bumper year for the Open Source movement on the Web. What do you think? What other parts of the Web are ripe for open source initiatives next year?
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My pick: Twine. AI meets social networking. Beyond Web 3.0, really Interactions 3.0. The Semantic Web enters the real world.
See http://doiop.com/Twine and http://www.interactions30.com .
Also see my comment over at Scobleizer: http://doiop.com/ScobleonTwine .
Open Source is so passe, not interesting anymore.. Open Data is the new paradigm.
Open source and open standards are very different things. They play well together --- I work for Mozilla and both are very important to us --- but they're not the same. Open data is a third different thing. Trying to conflate them is a mistake.
I once again submitted a comment and once again, it hasn't been approved. What's up?
What about the new trend in open source blogs becoming more of a social networking platforms for those with aspirations to build their own little media empires e.g. Wordpress
Now this is funny. So now my comment appears -- and it didn't even have to wait for moderation. I don't get it? Can you kindly provide an explanation?
Anyway, I'll disagree and state that the open source movement deserved the "Most Promising" honor for this year, *not* next year.
For next year, for 2008, it might just be the Semantic Web. I've been a bit cautious about all things tagged "semantic" (no pun intended), but with Radar Networks/Twine, Powerset, True Knowledge and Hakia, 2008 might just be the year not for the "Open Source Movement," but for the "Semantic Web."
I'm in the Twine private beta and Powerset/Powerlabs public beta, and both have their strengths. For me, Twine will have a lot more utility. For the masses, both will, with an early edge to Powerset as an Ask.com killer (and possibly a Mahalo killer, too -- although Mahalo might be able to stand on its own, especially if they offshore much of their development). Powerset might also grab share from Yahoo and Live. For Google users, especially power users, we'll stick with Google. But Powerset may very well have mass appeal.
Twine, however, is game changing. It's not just better search. It's "Interactions 3.0," where AI meets social networks -- and where the Semantic Web finally goes mainstream.
I've written extensively about Twine, so I'll provide a couple of pointers:
http://doiop.com/Twine (made the number two most widely read post on the AlwaysOn Network)
http://doiop.com/ScobleonTwine (written earlier today)
Now this is funny. So now my comment appears -- and it didn't even have to wait for moderation. I don't get it? Can you kindly provide an explanation?
Anyway, I'll disagree and state that the open source movement deserved the "Most Promising" honor for this year, *not* next year.
For next year, for 2008, it might just be the Semantic Web. I've been a bit cautious about all things tagged "semantic" (no pun intended), but with Radar Networks/Twine, Powerset, True Knowledge and Hakia, 2008 might just be the year not for the "Open Source Movement," but for the "Semantic Web."
I'm in the Twine private beta and Powerset/Powerlabs public beta, and both have their strengths. For me, Twine will have a lot more utility. For the masses, both will, with an early edge to Powerset as an Ask.com killer (and possibly a Mahalo killer, too -- although Mahalo might be able to stand on its own, especially if they offshore much of their development). Powerset might also grab share from Yahoo and Live. For Google users, especially power users, we'll stick with Google. But Powerset may very well have mass appeal.
Twine, however, is game changing. It's not just better search. It's "Interactions 3.0," where AI meets social networks -- and where the Semantic Web finally goes mainstream.
I've written extensively about Twine, so I'll provide a couple of pointers:
doiop.com/Twine (made the number two most widely read post on the AlwaysOn Network)
doiop.com/ScobleonTwine (written earlier today)
- David Scott Lewis
(BTW, this is a duplicate submission. The original is in moderation, although my prior comment went through. Goofy system, R/WW.)
Social media sites like Digg, Reddit or Mixx need to be more open and transparent (especially so because they are slowly replacing traditional media powerhouses like CNN, BBC, etc.). They should not censor or ban users simply because of differing points of view. In this respect, I am trying to build an open alternative (open source, open content and open management) here: http://abcdefu.wordpress.com/2007/12/01/open-social-media/
It will be very interesting to see what happens in this area going forward. Many people who shunned open source previously are now seeing the benefit and putting more effort into developing these platforms. This should be an interesting year ahead.
A major trend for 2008 will be the breakthrough of gamevertising, the use of adds in online games and mobile games. Not everybody is happy with this evolution, but games will become free, because the creators will earn their money via the embedded ads. Big shots like Google, Yahoo and Vivendi are already on it.
Read about it on: www.gamevertising.com
I think open source will be an interesting space. In particular, I'm intrigued by how it will be embraced by "the establishment" (aka big companies such as IBM). The question is whether this will allow open source to flourish or make it more dependent on corporate favour.
Facebook as best anything, except perhaps snake! Project Reekin' Beacon was told us all we need to know about the Facebook philosophy.
Very interesting topic, thanks for keeping us posted with regards to open source movements.
Nhick
http://www.itrush.com
I think Robert O'Callahan's comment (#2) is a topic worthy of a post all its own! I hunger for more...
Graeme
#2 & #10, acknowledged, but things change over time.
When the domain name system was first advocated in mid 80's,
we were told that .com and .net and .org meant different things
and for different thigns, and so should not blah blab blah.
Do you still believe that today?
Worst, what does .tv originally mean, or .cc, or .ms, or .ws
etc etc etc.
What #2 said.
Somewhere there must be an article that thoroughly goes through the various contexts and ways in which "open" is used.
David, apologies for your comments getting stuck in moderation. I'll investigate why.
Do you mean Free Software Movement?
Open media. We need better ways to exchange content between social networks, instead of just duplicating it into each destination.
OK. But Google is in charge of some of these initiatives. Don't you think the company deserves more merits for having such visionary approach?
I found a similar post, with different content. You might be interested
open source companies set to dominate 2008
Hello Richard
Merry Christmas and a happy new yr.
Great article but confuses the terms Open source, Open systems and open standards. Here is my take on this. hope you are well. kind rgds Ajit
http://opengardensblog.futuretext.com/archives/2007/12/open_source_vs.html