Recently at a conference, one of my media colleagues asked an interesting, and basic, question: What exactly is an open system?
Many of us think we know what an open system is, but the ensuing discussion provided several different answers, many of them centred on what an open system is NOT (rather than what it is).
An open system does not limit a customer’s options. An open system provides maximum flexibility as a system evolves over time. In other words, an open system doesn’t lock you in, or limit your choices. If your technology roadmap takes a sharp left turn, an open system allows you to adapt, to incorporate new technologies introduced to the market, etc., without incurring a lot of extra expense.
In this regard, an open system lowers the level of “pain” for the end user customer. It “shouldn’t take a...