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It's merely an accident of history that we have general-purpose computing at all [0], let alone anything like FOSS. It wouldn't be hard to imagine a universe wh

It's merely an accident of history that we have general-purpose computing at all [0], let alone anything like FOSS. It wouldn't be hard to imagine a universe where all consumer computers were locked-down appliances, and general computing was limited to a small number of credentialed researchers and professionals. In such a universe, similar claims would be made about the only purpose for general computing being piracy, crime, etc. At any rate, while I'd prefer fully open devices, it's also a false choice: strategies like Apple's code signing on MacOS could allow for authenticating binaries for the purposes of detecting piracy/malware, without requiring a monopoly on distribution. [0] https://boingboing.net/2012/01/10/lockdown.html https://boingboing.net/2012/01/10/lockdown.html

chii 6y ago
> merely an accident of history that we have general-purpose computing at all [0] and a good accident. But because it's such a good outcome for society, the society in question _should_ look to create more of this. Like how democracy is a mere accident, but it's a good outcome, and society should work to replicate it and improve it. If parties under the current system don't stand to benefit, but the over all benefit is greater, then it's a good choice. Apple isn't entitled to own their walled garden - it's not a right. It's their privilege they built, but society can tear it down by decree if tearing it down leads to better outcome for society.
pjmlp 6y ago
As someone that enjoyed the gardens of 8 and 16 bit computing, the accident was interesting, but I still would rather that Amiga and Atari gardens would have won over the PC.