"'Openness' may be reaching hyperbolic proportions in Silicon Valley, but the idea is relatively good natured at heart. The practice is rooted in the notion that sharing various assets (i.e., underlying code, operating and communication standards) benefits both consumers and businesses. However, one could argue that the current fad of openness is little more than a Trojan horse. Take for instance these four tricks companies recently employed to convince us of their openness:
"1. Joining an 'Openness' Consortium
Saddling up to an Openness group is easy. We saw this last year with the Open Handset Alliance. This week it's all about Google, Facebook, Plaxo, LinkedIn and SixApart joining the DataPortability Working Group..."
