A Killer Product

Talking about stopbadware.org, he mentions this is what he's trying to do:

"It's stuff you download to your machine that reports back its vital signs and running code to the rest of the herd. Then I can ask the herd, before I run new software, how many other people in the herd are running it. We'll be able to figure out several things, like how many self-described experts are running it versus clueless people, when the herd first encountered it, and is it brand new. That will help users decide if they even want to run the code."

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This is a pretty useful scenario. There's a fantastic startup idea, no doubt, in that as well-- to replace Windows's "Do you trust this program" UI with something that uses the knowledge of all the other people using the same software. Maybe someone here might want to run with it? A small group of talented hackers could probably put out a better product and really get it in the hands of users.

I look forward to reading his book, but I hope he takes time to really delve into the issue of how openness is at odds with great user experience. At the end of the day, great products can only be achieved through razor-sharp attention to detail. This usually means from within one organization, and there must be hard but fair rules for 3rd parties.

Look at what Apple has been assuring by semi-closing their iPhone through a rigorous app approval process -- they're trying to assure that apps sold are solid and not buggy. You won't miss calls because of some errant game you download.

In an era of increasing device and software complexity, that type of peace of mind just might be worth a walled garden.