Virtual reality dude Jaron Lanier doesn’t believe in the nirvana of open-source development. He got attacked for this position at a conference. See his argument here in a Discover magazine headlined, “Long Live Closed-Source Software! There’s a reason the iPhone doesn’t come with Linux.” Jaron cites the iPhone as an example of the beauty and perfection that can only be created in a closed-source environment, and suggests that while open-source is fine for making knock-offs, it’s not so good at fostering creativity and innovation.

Money quote: “Open wisdom-of-crowds software movements have become influential, but they haven’t promoted the kind of radical creativity I love most in computer science. If anything, they’ve been hindrances. Some of the youngest, brightest minds have been trapped in a 1970s intellectual framework because they are hypnotized into accepting old software designs as if they were facts of nature. Linux is a superbly polished copy of an antique, shinier than the original, perhaps, but still defined by it.“

Amen and much love, Jaron Lanier. You big fat Whoopie Goldberg looking freak.