Short version: every ecosystem needs rules. Otherwise, it’s a mess.
Long version: I wanted to briefly inform you about my take on Android’s purported “openness” and the need of rules and control on a mobile platform. Openness is good: everyone wants to be able to have a choice, choices make us feel in control of almost every situation. With computers, choices mean we can decide how to operate a machine. With mobile devices, choices have (sadly) come down to choosing whether or not you want to browse with Flash or find any kind of application in a marketplace.
When I was a kid my father used to repeat an old saying that goes like this: “my freedom ends where your freedom starts”. Where does a user’s freedom start? It starts with the device and the apps he can install. It goes through the settings and the discovery of a workflow. It ends with the rules imposed by the cellphone maker and content provider, which is where their freedom of doing what they want (or need to in order to ensure a great user experience) starts.
My problem with Android is that the perfectly simple meaning of “openness” has come down to openness just for the sake of it (a slogan) and a tool to use against Apple. I don’t see the openness in this. What’s worse, though, is that the original intentions have turned into bullshit PR and the exact opposite of “openness”: carrier control.
You might argue that I just said an ecosystem needs rules, so carrier control is ultimately good because it’s a kind of control relative to the network a device runs on. It’s not. I’m deeply convinced that designers are the ones who carry the vision of the product, no intermediaries should ever be able to modify it. Carriers are intermediaries. Here’s a metaphor for you: the iPhone is this website, Verizon is Rackspace hosting. Would I ever put crappy banners on my website because Rackspace - whose role is to provide the servers - wants so? No, I’m sorry. It’s very simple.
Not to mention the apps you can find in the Android Marketplace and the lack of unified interface guidelines for the platform. I believe there are some “rules” designers should follow when developing for Android, but from what I’ve seen they’re doing all but respecting UI schemes. Why? Because they’re full of openness crap. The lack of rules - in many cases and with some lucky exceptions - brought the issues to life.
I don’t hate Android. In fact, I’m looking to buy a Samsung Galaxy S pretty soon. My problem is that “openness” has become a weapon, and many seem to forget that, actually, it’s really, really simple: my freedom ends where your freedom starts. With no “where”, it’s a mess.
