4 ms·

How can we praise the Nintendo Switch? It is a computer we cannot freely write a program of. It's evil, like the most of DRM protected gaming consoles.

by ezoe 9y ago

beeskneecaps 9y ago
You’re entitled to your opinion, but I think that evil is a stretch. That one aspect is certainly disappointing. Maybe I’m just in love with something that is evil.
dtech 9y ago
Why is it so important that we should be able to control what it runs? It's a consumer gaming device and does that perfectly well. No one is complaining that you can't run your own programs on the dishwasher or thermostat, or your car (and I fear the day we get jailbroken autonomous cars)
- ianai 9y ago
  Adding the ability to program and run whatever on it actually asks Nintendo to add on a lot of extra project management, development, and overall support. This is a 300$ console not a 600$ laptop (and even that would be a low price for gaming on a laptop).
- Legogris 9y ago
  It's funny you use the car example, because actually yes, I have heard FOSS fundamentalist using that as a textbook example of when you as a user want to be able to verify what's actually running. It's not that far off from tractors and the like, which actually is a problem for owners when they become abandonware. Comment thread and documentary on that: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16386012 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16386012 I'm happy with my Switch despite it being locked down, and hey, it's Nintendo and people are already running Linux on it: https://twitter.com/fail0verflow/status/964954316892119040 https://twitter.com/fail0verflow/status/964954316892119040
jasongill 9y ago
Damned evil companies trying to return profit to shareholders by selling products that get rave reviews and are generally beloved by customers and fans. Not everything has to be an RMS-style pissing match about DRM and lack of open source compatibility. This is a game console made for the most novice of users; not a PC with a Windows license being forced on you. Calm down.
b4lancesh33t 9y ago
Most people don't espouse the FSF's definition of evil.
crtasm 9y ago
Some people can: https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/20/nintendo-switch-linux-mod/ https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/20/nintendo-switch-linux-mo... Video demo: https://twitter.com/fail0verflow/status/964954316892119040 https://twitter.com/fail0verflow/status/964954316892119040

How can we praise the Nintendo Switch? It is a computer we cannot freely write a program of. It's evil, like the most of DRM protected gaming consoles.

by ezoe 9y ago

How can we praise the Nintendo Switch? It is a computer we cannot freely write a program of. It's evil, like the most of DRM protected gaming consoles.

beeskneecaps 9y ago

You’re entitled to your opinion, but I think that evil is a stretch. That one aspect is certainly disappointing. Maybe I’m just in love with something that is evil.

dtech 9y ago

Why is it so important that we should be able to control what it runs? It's a consumer gaming device and does that perfectly well. No one is complaining that you can't run your own programs on the dishwasher or thermostat, or your car (and I fear the day we get jailbroken autonomous cars)

ianai 9y ago
Adding the ability to program and run whatever on it actually asks Nintendo to add on a lot of extra project management, development, and overall support. This is a 300$ console not a 600$ laptop (and even that would be a low price for gaming on a laptop).
Legogris 9y ago
It's funny you use the car example, because actually yes, I have heard FOSS fundamentalist using that as a textbook example of when you as a user want to be able to verify what's actually running. It's not that far off from tractors and the like, which actually is a problem for owners when they become abandonware. Comment thread and documentary on that: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16386012 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16386012 I'm happy with my Switch despite it being locked down, and hey, it's Nintendo and people are already running Linux on it: https://twitter.com/fail0verflow/status/964954316892119040 https://twitter.com/fail0verflow/status/964954316892119040

jasongill 9y ago

Damned evil companies trying to return profit to shareholders by selling products that get rave reviews and are generally beloved by customers and fans. Not everything has to be an RMS-style pissing match about DRM and lack of open source compatibility. This is a game console made for the most novice of users; not a PC with a Windows license being forced on you. Calm down.

b4lancesh33t 9y ago

Most people don't espouse the FSF's definition of evil.

crtasm 9y ago

Some people can: https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/20/nintendo-switch-linux-mod/ https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/20/nintendo-switch-linux-mo... Video demo: https://twitter.com/fail0verflow/status/964954316892119040 https://twitter.com/fail0verflow/status/964954316892119040