Searching and Replacing Jobs' Flash Statement

Steve Jobs wrote a well-reasoned argument for Apple's resistance to Flash. I thought it was articulate, clear and technical without being overly so. I found myself nodding along. He doesn't sweep Apple's propriety systems under the carpet, he acknowledges them right up front.

However, a big chunk of his criticism could be equally applied to Apple's own policies. For kicks I did some search and replacing:

• Replace Adobe with Apple
• Replace Flash with closed, as a catchall for Apple's myriad of closed technology

Of course, Job's statement is very specific to Flash technology so the search and replace is not seamless, but it does create some funny paragraphs.

Before:

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.

After:

Apple’s closed products are 100% proprietary. They are only available from Apple, and Apple has sole authority as to their future enhancement, pricing, etc. While Apple’s closed products are widely available, this does not mean they are open, since they are controlled entirely by Apple and available only from Apple. By almost any definition, closed is a closed system.

I like that last sentence. Wish I came up with it.