Digital Needs: Overview

by Pat Gratton

Created: 10/9/2001

Modified: 3/5/2002

Version: 2.02

Intent

In The Need for Digital Needs, it is pointed out that the consumer facing digital technology market has failed to meet several important desires of consumers, and that these failings have been expensive to the consumer. For example: the desire for open, non-proprietary file formats has not been met, and this absence has cost the consumer the ability to communicate accurately, efficiently and inexpensively.

This failure to meet consumer desire is due to the absence of active consumer demand in the form of: 1) clearly stated requirements, and 2) concerted consumer action.

To correct this failure, Digital Needs seeks to inspire and assist active consumer demand for digital technologies. To fulfill this mission:

–

It provides a draft statement of consumer requirements.

–

It proposes an implementation to meet the stated requirements.

–

It analyzes the transition to the proposed implementation by considering technical, commercial and legal factors and the interests of the various stakeholders.

–

It proposes mechanisms for building commercially viable concerted consumer action. (See Digital Consumers Unions.)

Technologies Covered

Digital Needs spans digital technologies ranging from common peripherals (mouse and keyboard) to wearable computers, from file formats to digital publishing, from personal privacy to cyberwar, from ease of use to digital consumers unions.

vs. Other Digital Technology Books

There are many books on the current state and future possibilities of digital technology. What makes Digital Needs different from them?

–

Digital Needs expects self-interested behavior. Many consumer focussed books castigate vendors for self interested behavior. In contrast, Digital Needs expects vendors to act in their self-interest – and expects consumers to do the same.

–

Digital Needs discounts “sex appeal.” Many visionary books limit themselves to exciting and provocative new technologies. In contrast, Digital Needs recognizes that solutions to important problems often lie in relatively mundane, well understood details (e.g., the use of file standards to improve communication).

–

Digital Needs accepts complexity. Many visionary books expound “silver bullet” solutions, suggesting that a single solution, e.g., speech recognition, will solve a vast number of ills. In contrast, Digital Needs recognizes that though simple solutions should be sought, complex problems often require complex solutions.

–

Digital Needs integrates across digital technologies. Most digital technology books cover only a limited set of technologies. In contrast, Digital Needs recognizes that the difficult digital problems cross technological boundaries – and that their solutions must do likewise.

–

Digital Needs integrates across disciplines. Many digital technology books restrict themselves to technical solutions to problems. In contrast, Digital Needs recognizes that the difficult digital problems usually have strong commercial and legal aspects – and that their solutions must span the same disciplines.

Utility

So, what does Digital Needs do for you? The answer depends on the nature of your interest...

Consumer Benefits

–

Provides a detailed description of consumer requirements and of a technical, commercial and legal implementation which meet these requirements across the whole of consumer facing technology.

–

Provides commercial mechanisms for greatly improving consumer representation in bargaining with providers of digital equipment, services and goods.

–

Provides commercial and legal mechanisms for protecting the privacy of consumers.

–

Provides a credible picture of future technologies which can be used to guide investments.

Commercial Opportunities

–

Describes technical components which might be developed and sold. While many of the technologies described are well known and are already under development, some are not known or are underestimated in their impact.

–

Describes businesses which might be pursued. While full development of these businesses will generally require the co-development of the proposed commercial and legal infrastructure, many of these businesses can be initiated and expected to prosper under current market conditions. (Note: Digital Needs explicitly considers transition paths from markets to future markets for many businesses.)

–

Describes a vision and design which might be used by companies and investors to advance more directly to a stable, desirable market solution – and thus to increase ROI.

Open Source Software Support

–

Acts to improve distribution of open source digital goods, and to clarify their legal status.

–

Acts to increase demand for open source software, especially on the desktop.

–

Acts to increase funding for open source development.

Legislative, Regulative and Legal Opportunities

–

Specifies a legal infrastructure which will need to be fulfilled by regulation, legislation and contracts.

–

Specifies roles to be filled by governmental agencies.

Note: Digital Needs generally proposes market solutions in preference to governmental approaches. For example: personal information services and commercially oriented digital consumers unions are proposed. However, it also recognizes that some roles (e.g., an office for national cyber-security) are best filled by governmental agencies.

©2001 Pat Gratton, Email: pasquery