> As a desktop user I need little to none scrtuiny. My web browser, IDE, toolchains, IM, video player and computer games all work together well and while techni

> As a desktop user I need little to none scrtuiny. My web browser, IDE, toolchains, IM, video player and computer games all work together well and while technically any one could own any other, this simply does not happen. It takes some (little) skill to avoid obvious malware, and then generally you're fine. It's not just downloading malware that is an issue; you also have to worry about security flaws in the apps you trust. Web browsers are a perfect example; they are constantly downloading untrusted code and executing it. Even when the javascript engine doesn't have a flaw, you have exploits like Rowhammer.js[1] which sidestep them entirely. > It takes some (little) skill to avoid obvious malware, and then generally you're fine. I think you're underestimating the knowledge needed to secure your computer properly, and overestimating the savy of the majority of users. The current state of computer security (huge botnets, etc.) is a testament to the fact that the current model isn't cutting it. > On the other hand, I get to open my video file in my IDE, edit IM's data files in a word processor, and move things around seamlessly with OS; everything is expected to work and no program tries to lock me in. If the lock in is an open file dialog, or passing a filename by command line, all of the examples you list would work fine. > Desktop environments don't need that much sandboxing because there isn't that much crap going on. You are missing an important difference; most users are far more liberal in downloading apps for mobile than for desktop, and if they were just as liberal on their desktops they would be pretty much guaranteed to get malware. Because of this, many apps which are only used in a browser on a computer are used as apps on mobile (which is needed at the very least for performance reasons). Sandboxes aren't perfect, but they move the ability to infect a device via installation from "totally trivial" to "requiring significant vulnerability". [1]: https://github.com/IAIK/rowhammerjs https://github.com/IAIK/rowhammerjs