Haakon's blog

TechCrunch reports that Facebook developer Joe Hewitt, the man behind the immensely popular Facebook application for iPhone, has just tweeted that he’s done with the project.   He told TechCrunch.

The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer. In the long term, I would like to be able to say that I helped to make the web the best mobile platform available, rather than being part of the transition to a world where every developer must go through a middleman to get their software in the hands of users.”

The story is picked up by The Future of the Internet blog.

JZ [Jonathan Zittrain] argues that the PC and the internet have been the perfect combination for generativity. The internet itself could itself be a solution to the control of mobile platforms. But these pieces point out, yet again, how even that combination isn’t untouchable unless we’re constantly, actively working at it.

I agree with Zittrain that the combination of devices anyone can make applications for, and the Internet at least as we are used to, has enabled rich innovation. This is something valuable we must continue working at.

PaidContent.org reports that “Yahoo Shuts Down Yahoo Go; Will Continue Building Smartphone Apps“. It seems that the focus will be on (mobile) web services and applications for high end smartphones (= Android and iPhone?).

Yahoo Go is probably the victim of both poor strategy and execution. The application itself never impressed me.

I haven’t used Yahoo web portal in ages, but took a brief look at their new web site recently. The site used to be the Internet equivalent to TV channel packages as brought to you by your cable or satellite TV provider. Now it looks more like your own mash-up of web sites.

The web will continue to be the platform, but I do not know what a portal look like. It won’t be like Yahoo Go, but is the new Yahoo web site the way to go?