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When was it okay to prevent me to do what I want to something I own ? Absolutely never ever. Region locking of DVDs, DRMs of all sorts, smartphones locking are

by wazoox 10y ago

When was it okay to prevent me to do what I want to something I own ? Absolutely never ever. Region locking of DVDs, DRMs of all sorts, smartphones locking are plain, shameless abuse. It's however particularly unacceptable to lock down what used to be open.

wastedhours 10y ago
Is worth saying that for most things, you buy them in the state they're in - there's no "right" to openness, as much as we might want it. Just because you own a house, doesn't mean you can just put a 6 storey extension in the garden. Then tension is that we've almost always been able to install Linux on standard Windows machines and so have gotten used to it being open, but I'd be loathed to say (if the manufacturers have decided to make it tricky deliberately or just not thinking) we have a fundamental right to do it.
- wolfgke 10y ago
  > there's no "right" to openness But there is a right not to buy this stuff and a right to tell other people not to buy it, too. There is also a right to tell the vendors how much you abhor them for selling such closed products and there is a right to tell journalists or other people why buying closed products is a really bad idea. And you have a right to lobby to make producing/buying closed products socially unacceptable.
  - wastedhours 10y ago
    Exactly. If you want openness then tell the manufacturers you want openness and people can put their money where their mouths are, however, I still don't believe expecting it as default when exceptionally few people (relatively speaking) ever have or will, is an entirely rational thought process.
coldtea 10y ago
>When was it okay to prevent me to do what I want to something I own? Ever since not preventing you also meant not preventing others, and thus malware, exploits, pwnage, stolen data and passwords, etc. And ever since what you wanted to do was hurting others (e.g. not driving while drunk, even if its your car) or violating other's copyright.
- vlehto 10y ago
  Interestingly alcometer locks on cars and speed limiters are very rare. Except for minorities, like truck or taxi drivers. Small groups of voters, so politicians can do what they wish with them. Seems like it's "okay" when you can get away with it. But not okay when large group of people get some slight inconvenience.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    >Interestingly alcometer locks on cars and speed limiters are very rare. If the technology gets convenient and cheap enough, they might not be.
    - vlehto 10y ago
      Car speed limiter is completely trivial, cheap and potentially life saving. "Most Japanese domestic market vehicles are limited to 180 km/h (112 mph) or 190 km/h (118 mph)." Almost twice the common maximum speed limit (100km/h).
      - coldtea 10y ago
        And orthogonal to "alcometer locks". You can be lethal as a driver well under the maximum speed limit if drunk.

by wazoox 10y ago

wastedhours 10y ago

Is worth saying that for most things, you buy them in the state they're in - there's no "right" to openness, as much as we might want it. Just because you own a house, doesn't mean you can just put a 6 storey extension in the garden. Then tension is that we've almost always been able to install Linux on standard Windows machines and so have gotten used to it being open, but I'd be loathed to say (if the manufacturers have decided to make it tricky deliberately or just not thinking) we have a fundamental right to do it.

wolfgke 10y ago
> there's no "right" to openness But there is a right not to buy this stuff and a right to tell other people not to buy it, too. There is also a right to tell the vendors how much you abhor them for selling such closed products and there is a right to tell journalists or other people why buying closed products is a really bad idea. And you have a right to lobby to make producing/buying closed products socially unacceptable.
- wastedhours 10y ago
  Exactly. If you want openness then tell the manufacturers you want openness and people can put their money where their mouths are, however, I still don't believe expecting it as default when exceptionally few people (relatively speaking) ever have or will, is an entirely rational thought process.

coldtea 10y ago

>When was it okay to prevent me to do what I want to something I own? Ever since not preventing you also meant not preventing others, and thus malware, exploits, pwnage, stolen data and passwords, etc. And ever since what you wanted to do was hurting others (e.g. not driving while drunk, even if its your car) or violating other's copyright.

vlehto 10y ago
Interestingly alcometer locks on cars and speed limiters are very rare. Except for minorities, like truck or taxi drivers. Small groups of voters, so politicians can do what they wish with them. Seems like it's "okay" when you can get away with it. But not okay when large group of people get some slight inconvenience.
- coldtea 10y ago
  >Interestingly alcometer locks on cars and speed limiters are very rare. If the technology gets convenient and cheap enough, they might not be.
  - vlehto 10y ago
    Car speed limiter is completely trivial, cheap and potentially life saving. "Most Japanese domestic market vehicles are limited to 180 km/h (112 mph) or 190 km/h (118 mph)." Almost twice the common maximum speed limit (100km/h).
    - coldtea 10y ago
      And orthogonal to "alcometer locks". You can be lethal as a driver well under the maximum speed limit if drunk.