4 ms·

I don't understand why this is getting downvoted. Not being able to control what you run on your own computer is kind of ridiculous.

• scarface74 9y ago
  Do you control what you run on a game console?
  • JustSomeNobody 9y ago
    How is this even an argument? Why is it that someone always trots out the "well other company/industry does it" argument? Actually, yes, I want to control what I run on a game console, a smartphone, a router, a computer and even my refrigerator.
    • scarface74 9y ago
      If that's your desire you are free to buy an NVIDIA Shield for your game console, an Android for your smart phone, any computer, a well known easily hackable router, etc. Vote with your dollars.
      • saagarjha 9y ago
        > an Android for your smart phone There are but a precious few of these that allow you to unlock your bootloader or acquire root access.
        • lern_too_spel 9y ago
          There are many that allow you to unlock the bootloader. If all you want to do is run your own apps, pretty much all of them allow it.
          • incompatible 9y ago
            Are there any cheap phones with unlockable bootloaders? I've only found it available on relatively expensive models, like Moto G5 (yeah, that's expensive to me).
            • freedomben 9y ago
              Definitely check out the OnePlus 5T. Sweet phone, very good price, and uber hackable by its owner (if said owner wants to).
            • lern_too_spel 9y ago
              All Android One devices allow unlocking the bootloader, and they are meant to be inexpensive.
            • userbinator 9y ago
              Any of the Chinese ones based on MediaTek SoCs. They're not only unlockable, they come that way by default.
              • incompatible 9y ago
                Not in every case, I have a cheap MediaTek MT6572-based phone which I've so far failed to unlock. It's something to consider though.
      • nickonline 9y ago
        Side note, just was delivered a Shield. They are horrible. - Constantly hijacking HDMI from other sources - Remote has a sticky down button - Voice turns on and off for no reason and starts operating.
        • christoph 9y ago
          I think they are great for how old they are, price and their capabilities - 4k, HDR, HEVC decoding, inbuilt Plex server, etc. Switch off CEC (this should stop the HDMI jacking). The supplied remote is truly awful. I use either my home cinema amp remote and/or TV remote (but this requires CEC enabled) and have no problems. Check the r/ShieldAndroidTV/ there's lots of good/cheap remote recommendations in there.
      • wasx 9y ago
        >Vote with your dollars. I hate this saying. It's such a bullshit saying. a) There is no viable competition and b) It's incredibly profitable to lock people into an ecosystem, so even if you do "vote" with your dollars (hint: you're not voting) every company that you've now "voted" for has an interest in locking you into their ecosystem. The very act of "voting with your dollars" is part of the problem. This requires a principled stand and a demand, not more consumerism.
        • scarface74 9y ago
          I gave you plenty of examples. There are plenty of Android manufactures with some phones more locked down than others. There are plenty of routers - some more hackable than others. There are plenty of alternatives to dedicated game consoles.
  • saagarjha 9y ago
    I do, actually. Mostly because I use older console that have been reverse engineered enough for this to be possible…
    • newfoundglory 9y ago
      You do have the option of running an older phone that has been reverse engineered too.
  • randyrand 9y ago
    Comparing a game console to a smartphone is a nonstarter, IMO. That said I'd very much like to control what runs on my game console.
  • apsdsm 9y ago
    https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque
• cm2187 9y ago
  Another thing is the long term impact on developer skills. The majority of the current stock of programmers came to programming before locked platforms became widespread (basically until 2010-ish), often in their teenage years or at college. But now between tablets, smartphones, ChromeOS, and a clear intention by both Apple and Microsoft to phase out their open OS for a locked down version (iOS, Win10 S), new generations will not have much opportunity to tinker with their device, create their own executables. Of course a minority will always get into linux or whatever will be left of Windows and MacOS in 10 years, and go around that. But for the overall population, isn’t it going to dumb down users, and reduce the pool of future software developers (while the demand for more software is only ever increasing)? The car analogy is an interesting argument against: you needed to be an engineer to operate early cars, but not anymore, and that didn’t reduce the supply of engineers and mechanics expert on cars. But I would argue that cars is an extreme in term of standardisation, where few engineers are required to design a fleet that satisfies the whole market. While software is highly specific to many different applications, and you need tons of software designers for each corner case (even if we reinvent the wheel way too often).
  • swiley 9y ago
    Cars lack the recursive properties of computers and computer programs.