June 17th, 2007
What’s Generative and What’s not?
This is a follow up on my previous post regarding Generativity.
Now, what’s generative and what’s not among the following examples?
Legos and Dollhouse. Legos are highly adaptable, accesible, and easy to master. They can be built, deconstructed and rebuilt into whatever form the user wishes, and third parties can publish "recipes" for new forms. The less-generative dollhouse supports imaginative play but is itself unmodifiable.
Hammer and Jackhammer. A hammer is accessible, easy to master, and useful in any number of household tasks. A jackhammer is less broadly accessible, harder to master, and good only for breaking up asphalt, concrete, and stone.
PC and TiVO. A PC is an adaptable multipurpose tool whose leverage extends through networked access to new software and other users. TiVO is an inflexible tethered appliance. Though based on the same technology as a PC, it can be modified only by its maker, restricting its uses to those that TiVO invents.
Bicycle and Airplane. Bicycles are accessible, there’s no license to pedal, relatively easy to master, and adaptable by large communities of avid users and accessorizing firms. Airplanes are highly useful for long-distance travel but not very accessible, adaptable, or easy to master.
The above examples were taken from the Harvard Business Review magazine.
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