Web 2.0 and Marshal Tito

Bill Thompson critiques O'Reilly's "fantasy", namely Web 2.0, and he pulls very few punches ...

Now we must decide whether to put our faith in Ajaxified snakeoil or to look beyond the interface to distributed systems, scalable solutions and a network architecture that will support the needs and aspirations of the next five billion users.

My problem is not with the idea of questionning this whole 2.0 thing - I think there are very valid points being raised about just what this moment we're in is all about, and what it is not. However, Thompson makes repeated reference to the use of Ajax, open APIs and other of-the-moment technologies, and I think he is missing the point.

It isn't about technology.

What we are seeing today is about building participation, social collaboration and connectivity. It is about a decentralized architecture that spreads control. Ajax and co. are just a few of the cool tools in the shed. For a truly eloquent techie reply to Thompson's piece, visit Shelly Power's blog.

And, said here quite simply:

Web 2.0's a whole lot of ways to put up stuff on the web.

The rest is hype. And the hype is dangerous. We are not looking at the wired world of the future. Anybody believing we are has been suckered by New Age Tech++. Web 2.0, as it's touted by small companies trying to make names for themselves and fat profits for their owners, is a non-starter. It will not fly.

For more fun Sunday geeky debates about this, check out Nick Carr and Ora Lassila.


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