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>While I think the term "abuse" is likely too strong for corporate software's relationship with their users. For much of it, I don't think it is too strong a t

by Lerc 8y ago

>While I think the term "abuse" is likely too strong for corporate software's relationship with their users. For much of it, I don't think it is too strong a term. I think most Dark Patterns can be accurately described as abusive. There are Games that are specifically designed to irritate people into spending more money than they intended. There are layers, Some of it is ignorance, some of it is willful ignorance, the worst of it is deliberate and focused.

fwip 8y ago
That's fair. I originally worded it as "is perhaps sometimes too strong," but I've been trying to cut back on my weasel words lately.
- mikekchar 8y ago
  I think it is a very interesting choice of words given the moral imperative that launched the FSF. I always found it frustrating that while the FSF had a word for software they wanted -- free software -- they never had a word for software they didn't want. It tends to go by a variety of different names: closed, proprietary, non-free, etc. However, it's become increasingly clear to me that free (as in freedom) or not, people often leverage software to achieve pretty despicable goals. It's even interesting to me that there are occasional projects that aren't free (as in freedom) that I hold in really high esteem. For example the game Dwarf Fortress does not enable you to fix bugs, learn about the code, help your friends by making derived works, etc. However, I can understand the authors' desire to keep the project as close to their own vision as possible. It's more of an artistic venture than a utilitarian one. I'd be hard pressed to find a project that is as welcoming and nice as Dwarf Fortress. Over time software will have a bigger and bigger impact on our lives. Already there are organisations which make assumptions about me based on data that their software gathers that is completely untrue. While it is currently laughable that Google is convinced that I want to go to Hawaii, the potential for it to beyond even what the most famous dystopian novels warned us about is truly frightening.

by Lerc 8y ago

fwip 8y ago

That's fair. I originally worded it as "is perhaps sometimes too strong," but I've been trying to cut back on my weasel words lately.

mikekchar 8y ago
I think it is a very interesting choice of words given the moral imperative that launched the FSF. I always found it frustrating that while the FSF had a word for software they wanted -- free software -- they never had a word for software they didn't want. It tends to go by a variety of different names: closed, proprietary, non-free, etc. However, it's become increasingly clear to me that free (as in freedom) or not, people often leverage software to achieve pretty despicable goals. It's even interesting to me that there are occasional projects that aren't free (as in freedom) that I hold in really high esteem. For example the game Dwarf Fortress does not enable you to fix bugs, learn about the code, help your friends by making derived works, etc. However, I can understand the authors' desire to keep the project as close to their own vision as possible. It's more of an artistic venture than a utilitarian one. I'd be hard pressed to find a project that is as welcoming and nice as Dwarf Fortress. Over time software will have a bigger and bigger impact on our lives. Already there are organisations which make assumptions about me based on data that their software gathers that is completely untrue. While it is currently laughable that Google is convinced that I want to go to Hawaii, the potential for it to beyond even what the most famous dystopian novels warned us about is truly frightening.