[ih] protocol structure -> economic structure

[Miles Fidelman]

At 12:10 +0000 2012/03/02, Tony Finch wrote:
> There's an idea that the structure of a protocol (or the topology implied
> by the protocol or that emerges from it) determines the economic 
> structure
> of the service providers and users of that protocol. Sadly I can't now
> remember where I got this idea from.
to which,  John Day wrote:
> I don't think one could say "protocol" does and I don't see how a 
> mapping that preserves some invariance would have any effect on it, 
> but architecture certainly does and has been used for this and well 
> understood for decades.
>
Not to be pedantic, but does not "the topology implied by the protocol" 
imply "architecture"? :-)

Also, it's probably worth noting that the broader notion of a protocol - 
as in "legal protocol" or "diplomatic protocol" - can very much impact 
the structure of an industry, market, society.  These days, a lot of 
legal, business, and diplomatic protocols are "embedded in code" as 
Larry Lessig would say (stock markets, airline reservations, DRM, ....).

Miles Fidelman






-- 
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.   .... Yogi Berra