A Reading from the Gospel of Jobs
I wonder how Steve Jobs would define an “open system.” His main complaint in his 1,700 word trashing of Adobe Flash is that;
Adobe’s Flash products are 100% proprietary. They are only available from Adobe, and Adobe has sole authority as to their future enhancement, pricing, etc. While Adobe’s Flash products are widely available, this does not mean they are open, since they are controlled entirely by Adobe and available only from Adobe. By almost any definition, Flash is a closed system.
What’s so open about Apple, Steve? I can only buy Apple products at the Apple store. I can’t simply configure my Mac the way I want it, I have to select from standard, pre-built systems. If my motherboard blows out and I need a new one, I can’t buy a new one and replace it myself, I have to bring it to one of your proprietary stores and have a proprietary “Apple Genius” install a new proprietary motherboard. If a 3rd party software company wants to offer a new app for use on one of your mobile devices, it must first be approved by the folks at Apple and then offered through your proprietary App Store. I could go on and on here about how very anti-open Apple actually is.
But Steve Jobs doesn’t want us to think about what he says. He just wants us to accept it as new chapters and verses in the Gospel of Jobs. It’s this attitude, this “we know what’s best for you so shut up and just take it,” that turns me off when it comes to Apple. I own an iPhone and an iPod. They are wonderful devices. Yet Apple, and more specifically Steve Jobs, will probably never count me among the members of the Cult of Apple, simply because I can’t stand being told what’s best for me. Steve Jobs doesn’t want us to use Flash because it’s old and he wants the world to move forward. Well you know what, Steve? There is a world of the present, and a large segment of that world relies on Flash. The iPad is being sold to us as the future of internet interaction, but ignores the fact that a large portion of that internet uses Flash. Why would I want to invest in a device that only allows me to browse a portion of the internet? The arrogance of Steve Jobs is on full display in that manifesto. He relies too much the cult of personality he has created and that he uses to keep the devoted Apple people prostrate at his feet. He can’t continue to ignore what that same customer base is calling for! Some day, it may end up costing him a good portion of his customer base.
A Serious Thinking Problem 
I CAN BY A IPUD AT WAL-MART TOO, NOT JUST APPLE STORES. YOU LIE. JOBS IS GOD.
Flash on iphone or ipad to me seems like a bad idea. Think of the websites inundated with flash ads, rollovers, and other items that when accessed via iphone would be almost impossible to navigate.
I’d rather the decision to avoid certain sites or certain types of content was left up to me. If the Apple people really believe that Flash is a problem, put a Flash blocker in the options for the on-board browser. I don’t like the unilateral decision that “you don’t need this.”