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> Both these types of users can't co-exist on the same device type or ecosystem. That's my point though. One size fits all doesn't work all that well in pract
by eunoia 8y ago
> Both these types of users can't co-exist on the same device type or ecosystem.
That's my point though. One size fits all doesn't work all that well in practice. As a technologist you seem to prefer the freedom of general compute. As a fellow technologist, I agree. We are a minority though. The vast majority of people don't seem to want much more from their devices than a working browser. (and maybe Instagram). To them things like root access are more a liability than asset.
> Grandma might not invent the next internet on an iPad but your kid is also never going to get that opportunity.
This is a real concern to me. What happens when whole generations view computers as black boxes of consumption rather than tools of creation / something to tinker with? Probably nothing good.
- wvenable 8y agoI think we agree... I highly recommend iPhones and iPads to non-technical friends and family members for that exact reason. They are essentially foolproof. But I really don't like the fact that they are fully gated devices. Apple has already keep useful, but competitive-to-them, applications off their platform. They've force developers to eliminate user-beneficial changes to their applications. This is not good even for non-technical users but it's much more difficult to quantify. One real example is that all users would benefit from alternative competitive web browsers on iOS but they can't have it.
- briandear 8y ago“User-beneficial” — according to whom? How do all users benefit from alternative web browsers on iOS? I would argue that users benefit more from security. Is there really much a user can’t do on iOS? What exactly are they missing out on? And whatever that is, does it offset the value from being reasonably safe from malware or badly written apps?
- scarface74 8y agoWhat competitive software is not available on iOS? Every service that Apple sells has a comietitjr on iOS.
- wvenable 8y agoChrome
- scarface74 8y agoIt's on the App Store.
- Larrikin 8y agoA Firefox and Chrome themed wrapper around safari are available on the app store. The meaningful components of those browsers are not.
- scarface74 8y agoWell for Google, the "meaningful parts" is to collect data. For users, it's to be able to sync bookmarks, passwords, etc.
- wvenable 8y agoCompilers and IDEs for major programming languages
- wvenable 8y agoEmulators for classic arcade games (or emulators of almost any sort).
- scarface74 8y agoEmulators from third parties not related to the original publisher are using copyrighted firmware and the only way you are going to play games realistically is using pirated images. I'm no making a moral judgement. Plenty of movies have fallen off of the back of truck onto my Plex Server. The company that owns both the original console and the copyrighted game is free to publish a game that runs on top of an emulator. Sega has plenty of games on the App Store that are basically the emulator bundled with the game image.
- toyg 8y ago> What happens when whole generations view computers as black boxes of consumption rather than tools of creation You're already seeing it. Most people under 35 have likely spent most of their "computing time" by playing games on game consoles, which are precisely black boxes of consumption. And this is the result: walled gardens.
- dragonwriter 8y ago> What happens when whole generations view computers as black boxes of consumption rather than tools of creation / something to tinker with? But that's how every generation since computers existed has mostly viewed them; tinkerers have been a small minority, even if young tinkerers-of-computers were an iconic image associated with the first generation in which that was a possible thing. That wasn't because they were common, but because it amazed (mostly older) people that they existed at all.