Is the Web closing? | Hacker News Reader

Is the Web closing?

abc.net.au

13 pointsevolution696 comments

Within the tech community, there is much angst about whether the Web is about to be "closed." Will it be controlled by companies like Apple, Facebook, and Google, or will it remain "open" to all? Will individuals be able to reach any content they choose? Will developers be able to serve users on any platform?

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OT but these "Is something something?" headlines are driving me nuts. Make a headline that isn't a linkbait question for gods sake you companies!

"Are the ABC offices staffed by bonobo monkeys?" (click link to find out the answer is probably no but now we have your eyeballs and lovely lovely advertising possibilities)

What's with the headline that looks like was scraped automatically from the article? Your account may be new but your submission history so far doesn't look particularly automated.

Editorialization of headlines is usually discouraged.

Note: When I added this comment, the title had the suffix "by ESTHER DYSON". It's been fixed since.

My apologies, it had been fixed by time I got here. Frankly, I agreed with you that the title seemed off as per my other comment, I assumed you were referring to the same.

I'm far less worried about threats to the web's openness from Apple/Google/Facebook than I am from the United States government. If people want to lock themselves into curated services, so be it. None of those players "control" the web in any sense of the term. As long as TCP/HTTP/DNS are open, the "Web" is as open as it needs to be. Sadly the US continues to assert that they control DNS, etc.

If you don't like how Google filters results, use a different search engine. Don't like Apple's walled garden? Welcome to Boot to Gecko. If anything this is an article about getting ensnared in increasingly restricted and curated platforms. I think we all understand that trend and the risks associated with buying into them.

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