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But if the user (read: a power user, like myself) really, REALLY wants to give a app that access, what now? I have no choice but to operate a root'ed device?

But if the user (read: a power user, like myself) really, REALLY wants to give a app that access, what now? I have no choice but to operate a root'ed device? They're leaving no way out, and making things like "Syncthing" and general file managers really hard to continue operating.

realusername 8y ago
> I have no choice but to operate a root'ed device? That's becoming the answer with everything on Android, for anything useful you want to do, you need to root the phone. The stock phone is becoming just good for running Facebook and Candy-crush.
- marcosdumay 8y ago
  They are becoming phones. A communication-only device that can take photos and browse the web is very useful, but I think it will lose market to a proper computer every time.
  - TeMPOraL 8y ago
    > A communication-only device that can take photos and browse the web is very useful, but I think it will lose market to a proper computer every time. It might not. Every phone company has strong incentives to optimize their offering to the lowest common denominator. Majority of people are not tech-savvy, and they have no context for what computers are capable of and how those capabilities could be applied to their lives, so they simply choose from what's being offered by hardware and software companies. People who care about this stuff are a minority, and there's not much money in catering to them. If computers could be bicycles for the mind, the modern trend is making people sit on their ass instead, and consume what's delivered to them.
ggggtez 8y ago
Probably. What you are describing is essentially creating an app that runs as root, I guess. Literally the only thing changing is that your downloads and photo folders will now be Content Providers instead, I assume. You never had full access to the file system without OS level permissions.
- ubercow13 8y ago
  No, you did have access without OS level permissions. That is why those apps currently exist. That is exactly what is changing.

realusername 8y ago

> I have no choice but to operate a root'ed device? That's becoming the answer with everything on Android, for anything useful you want to do, you need to root the phone. The stock phone is becoming just good for running Facebook and Candy-crush.

marcosdumay 8y ago
They are becoming phones. A communication-only device that can take photos and browse the web is very useful, but I think it will lose market to a proper computer every time.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago
  > A communication-only device that can take photos and browse the web is very useful, but I think it will lose market to a proper computer every time. It might not. Every phone company has strong incentives to optimize their offering to the lowest common denominator. Majority of people are not tech-savvy, and they have no context for what computers are capable of and how those capabilities could be applied to their lives, so they simply choose from what's being offered by hardware and software companies. People who care about this stuff are a minority, and there's not much money in catering to them. If computers could be bicycles for the mind, the modern trend is making people sit on their ass instead, and consume what's delivered to them.

ggggtez 8y ago

Probably. What you are describing is essentially creating an app that runs as root, I guess. Literally the only thing changing is that your downloads and photo folders will now be Content Providers instead, I assume. You never had full access to the file system without OS level permissions.

ubercow13 8y ago
No, you did have access without OS level permissions. That is why those apps currently exist. That is exactly what is changing.