Tommi’s 2D Barcode Manifesto and why I disagree with it completely

Tommi’s 2D Barcode Manifesto

Now I saw this entry when it first went live a few days ago but was hesitant to post it because I wanted to refute the whole thing. Now that finals are over I finally have the chance to present my side of the story

1. The potential of 2D barcodes is limited only by your imagination

The potential for near field communication is only limited by your potential as well.

2. Mobile devices – formerly known as phones – will define the game

I completely agree, but I don’t think it will be 2d barcodes making this a hit, it will be near field communication

3. Barcode readers tightly integrated in devices

One again I agree, but disagree on the method. NFC is the way to go on this one.

4. Free barcode generators

How boring, what happens when I want to edit a barcode on the fly? NFC should be made an open protocol with it’s entire specifications published and freely available for anyone to use.

5. Avoiding fragmentation: emergence of global de-facto standards

Read above statement

6. Avoiding patent wars

Fuck patents, seriously, protocols are not ment to be profitable, they are meant to be used cooperatively. Use either  the GPL or the same lisencing Dave Winer used when he published the RSS 2.0 specification.

7. Avoiding the "tragedy of anticommons"

Which is why it should be made free and out there for anyone to tinker on.

8. Data Matrix and QR Code are currently the only feasible alternatives to emerge as de-facto standards

2 competing standards … sounds like the whole Atom vs RSS argument from way back when. It won’t end nice. What we need is collaboration, not a cock fight where the victor will be chosen as the de-facto standard

9. Unleashing user-driven innovation

I bet NFC devices can transmit a lot more data than a stinking 2d barcode

10. Enabling 3rd party innovation

Again, if you set it free it will take off. Don’t worry about patents, do something technically amazing for the sake of doing something technically amazing. Not to have a profit model.

Now I don’t disagree with the morals Tommi is trying to push, I disagree on the technology that will become the enabler. Near Field Communication will be what sets us free. Weather it is via bluetooth, Wibree, or whatever future wireless communication interface is established, a common software stack agreed on by everyone from handset manufacturers to software developers must be created.

2D barcodes are useless because they store a limited amount of static information. Also detrimental is they can be damaged with single swoop of a black marker. Near field communication however requires little to no power, data can be altered, and the amount of information that can be stored is much greater.

Take a few user scenarios below that would make a barcode seem utterly stupid:

I am taking a few friends out to a restaurant. We get seated and wonder what we want to order. We all take out our cell phones and swipe the base station at our table. The menu is instantly loaded, along with user reviews from people who ordered the dishes listed on our menu tonight. We now choose what we want. We then swipe our phones at the base station again to place our orders. Our lovely waitress comes 15 minutes later with our meal and we start to chow down. We talk about sports, our sex lives, interesting music or films we’ve picked up, and now it comes time to pay. We take out our phone and enter in the amount each of us wants to tip; next we can review our waitress’ performance so the restaurant owner knows who deserves that raise, and finally if we’re up for it we can review the meals we just had. Swipe our phone, get out of the place, and we’re done.

2D barcodes can’t interact with data. NFC devices can.

Let’s take the music buying experience. I’m at a record store (do they still call them that?) and I’m checking out some music. I see a CD I like so I swipe my phone against it and my phone connects to the music stores wifi connection. I’m instantly allowed to listen to the entire album, under one condition, I’m connected to that access point. So as I’m walking around the store I’ve been listening to this CD for a good 15 minutes. I hit the buy button on my phone. The MP3’s get downloaded onto my memory card, I pick up the physical CD, and walk out of the store.

A 2D barcode could have been used in this situation, but the NFC is more advanced. It informed the store that I’ve purchased said CD and when I walk out of the store the alarms don’t go off saying I stole anything since of course the NFC chip on the album speaks with the sensors at the store entrance.

How about something a little bit more personal?

I meet someone, we want to exchange contact information, why is it in 2006 we can’t just put our phones 3 inches from each other and have them work their magic. I mean think of the potential. That nano second of time required to exchange data will give me her name, phone number, screen names, websites, maybe even pictures from her mobile she set to share with people. Who knows! She can change that information on the fly, something that a printed bar code can’t do.

Now how about advertising?

With a 2D barcode all you need is some punk 14 year old kid with a sharpie and your data is ruined. Take a NFC chip and embed it into the fibers of a poster and now you’ve got yourself an ad that people can interact with.

This stack must be written and licensed under the GPL or something similar so everyone can take control of it. Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), Sun, Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) … whoever, can start building applications around this new stack. Symbian, Windows Mobile, Palm (NSDQ: PALM), watches, shoes, posters, they all must communicate with each other.

We’re at least a decade away from this happening. Frankly I prefer we skip the 2D barcode revolution because it will be short lived.