Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade | credits: File copy
Twenty years ago, only 0.4 per cent of the world’s population was online. Today, that number has increased astronomically. About 40 per cent of the world’s population is on the Internet, with more than a trillion unique web addresses to keep people surfing.
Such a trajectory raises the question: what has fuelled and enabled this phenomenal growth?
The answer lies in the technological structure underlying the web, a foundation enabling people to share information with one another. This foundation is the “open model”, and the web’s success – both past and future – is dependent upon retaining this openness.
What exactly is an “open model”? Speaking abstractly, openness is a philosophy that drives technology and innovation. In this model, technologies and systems are fully interoperable, and people can share information, integrate, and innovate unfettered. An open platform lowers the barrier to entry for users and developers alike.
Technically speaking, openness has two flavours: open standards and an open source code. Open standards are agreed rules governing the creation of technologies. Using open standards, developers and companies collaborate seamlessly to enable greater distribution, interactivity and creativity.
The web itself is built on open standards, such as HyperText Makeup Language and Internet Protocol. They allow people to add and browse content freely.
The Internet is so inherently open that it is hard to envision a closed web, one in which an Internet “owner” determines who can join and surf the network. Today’s Internet could never have come from a closed system.
The second flavour of openness is the open source code. Whereas proprietary a software code is kept behind a company’s closed doors, the open source code is released for free in order to tap into the wisdom of massive community of developers. These developers, in turn, are built on the code. And this makes it better.
Think you are far removed from the open source code? Think again: you probably use it every day. Many popular and powerful technologies are based on the open source code. Examples are Mozilla’s Firefox browser and the Linux operating system (which runs Google search, among many other services).
The open source is also a great enabler of the user’s choice, which directly benefits everyone – including you. By kick-starting the development process, open standards and the open code reduce development inefficiency and promote the creation of more options for users.
Interestingly, when people have more options to pick from, competition between developers increases, and the web itself improves.
Seventeen years ago, two students at the Stanford University also started their own development through open services. These two students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, “bootstraped” a search engine using Linux and other initiatives from right within their dormitory rooms. This led to the creation of Google.
Thus, openness is at Google’s core and it contributes to the open source community in a number of ways, from releasing over 14 million lines of code, as the open source, to hosting over 240,000 projects on Google Code.
Why is this important? First of all, it helps to drive the web forward, because more people online translates directly into more people using online products and growing the online economy.
From informing Google technology, to supporting the underlying foundation of the Internet, openness is vital to innovation on technological advances.
Openness drives innovation, and innovation drives consumers’ choices. Keeping the Internet open will bolster its own success and the success of developers, consumers, businesses and corporations.
Source: punch
Please Always Try To Comment And Share Our Updates. This Is All We Ask Of You. Thanks And God Bless. Don't Forget To Tell Someone About Our Site Today And Kindly Come Back In Few Minutes For More Hot Updates. Show Conversion Code Hide Conversion Code Show Emoticon Hide Emoticon