Quick Thought on the Flash Wars

This (very slightly modified) excerpt from an open letter by one of the clashing companies’ executives, is a perfect example of how both sides are trying to use the same basis for their arguments against the other side. Unless you know already, who wrote this (and assuming you’ve been following the mess at all), I doubt you could tell me which company this came from:

The genius of the Internet is its almost infinite openness to innovation. New hardware. New software. New applications. New ideas. They all get their chance.

[We] believe open markets are in the best interest of developers, content owners, and consumers. Freedom of choice on the web has unleashed an explosion of content and transformed how we work, learn, communicate, and, ultimately, express ourselves.

If the web fragments into closed systems, if companies put content and applications behind walls, some indeed may thrive — but their success will come at the expense of the very creativity and innovation that has made the Internet a revolutionary force.

We believe that consumers should be able to freely access their favorite content and applications, regardless of what computer they have, what browser they like, or what device suits their needs. No company — no matter how big or how creative — should dictate what you can create, how you create it, or what you can experience on the web.

When markets are open, anyone with a great idea has a chance to drive innovation and find new customers.

It’s actually from the Adobe Open Letter, but can’t you see the same message coming out of Cupertino just as easily?

Myself, I lean more toward Apple, not out of any fanboyism, but because, IMO, they are only trying to exert reasonable control over their own products – rather than Adobe’s approach of wanting everyone to use their product. Regardless, this common philosophical ground should be the foundation of some sort of compromise to end the fighting.