Pot, meet kettle: a response to Steve Jobs’ letter on Flash

“Watching two proprietary software companies deeply opposed to
computer user freedom lob accusations back and forth about who is
more opposed to freedom has been surreal, to say the least. But
what’s been crystal clear is that the freedom these companies are
arguing about is their own, not that of their users. And what they
are calling freedom isn’t freedom at all—it is the ability to
control those users. Adobe is mad at Apple for not letting Adobe
control iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users via Flash, and Apple is
mad at Adobe for suggesting that Apple is arbitrarily abusing its
control over Application Store users.

“Steve Jobs’s “Thoughts on Flash” is the latest volley in this
bout between pot and kettle, and while it makes many dead-on
criticisms of Adobe and Flash, it does not change the fundamental
character of this disagreement, nor does it solve any concerns
about Apple’s broader intentions.

“What’s strangely absent from “Thoughts on Flash” is any
explanation for why proprietary technology on the Web is bad, or
why free standards are good. Noting this omission helps us
understand why, though we agree with his assessment of the problems
with Flash and the importance of free Web standards, Jobs is led to
a solution that is bizarre and unacceptable.”

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