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The convenience argument is such bullshit. We have been seduced into selling our rights down the river because we will sacrifice anything to this most pathetic
by tomc1985 6y ago
The convenience argument is such bullshit.
We have been seduced into selling our rights down the river because we will sacrifice anything to this most pathetic of gods, Convenience.
I have been fighting in this war (anti-DRM/copyleft/etc) for decades, and peoples' susceptibility to convenience has always effectively thwarted any kind of counter argument.
We are fucking lazy and we should be ashamed of it.
Yes I am bitter, we could have had a world of power, control, and ownership at our fingers... a cornucopia of content on our terms... computers that well and truly serve us and not some wanterpreneurial, rent-seeking master... but it wouldn't have been as convenient.
And now zoomers, seduced by corporate sponsorships and the cozy fiefdoms of communities like YouTube or TikTok, have almost no concept of files or their utility, of the value of owning something detached from a profiteering cloud. They have no problem enriching those who seek to exploit them.
It is all complete, utter horseshit. We fought for a better world that nobody wanted because it wasn't as convenient
- pchristensen 6y agoHow long did it take for you to write the machine code that posted this comment?
- salawat 6y agoNice deflection, but the poster is absolutely right. It's a difficulty I'm having to teach the little ones in my life around. Without the understanding of the real foundational units of computing, but a "flawless" User Experience that results in the ability to get things done regardless, we're decoupling the operating the computer from understanding it, and creating an unhealthy divergence and captive audience. This is unacceptable, and a has terrible implications for the next generation.
- fanciestManimal 6y agoDo you think there are (per capita) more or fewer software developers today than there were in 1980? I kind of think the inverse of your point is true, to be frank. On a per capita basis, I think it's it likely that way more people understand the fundamentals of computing. I just think software has made computing more accessible to people that don't know the fundamentals, which I think is a good thing. I don't think operating computers should be a gatekeeping exercise where you can't use it if you don't understand what machine instructions are, or c.
- salawat 6y agoYou misunderstand my definition of fundamentals. I'm talking things like filesystems, networking, protocols, hardware, etc. You can spend an eternity learning all the different Apps on Android or iOS. Not once will you figure out how to develop one without access to a traditional Desktop system, and an understanding of the fundamental underpinnings thereof. That's changing a bit now with some efforts in the FLOSS space, but it is roughly true today. While there may be more developers now, I do not see a significant decrease in overall tech illiteracy.
- b0tzzzzzzman 6y agoI C what you did.
- tomc1985 6y agoThere is a big difference between having to know the "machine code" of how something works vs. knowing the basic, skeumorphic abstractions that power productivity. However, both of those things seem to be too much for the latest cohort
- wizzard 6y ago> And now zoomers, seduced by corporate sponsorships and the cozy fiefdoms of communities like YouTube or TikTok, have almost no concept of files or their utility, of the value of owning something detached from a profiteering cloud. They have no problem enriching those who seek to exploit them. You’re blaming gen z for the world they were raised in? The oldest “zoomers” are about 25. You think they ran these companies for the last 20 years and made the decisions that got us here? They have no problem enriching those who seek to exploit them because there is no other choice. Nobody actually wants this.
- tomc1985 6y agoI'm not blaming them, they are a victim of circumstance. But they are now the demographic that marketeers fawn over, and the demographic that shapes the immediate future. And they just don't care.
- RulerOf 6y ago>You’re blaming gen z for the world they were raised in? I read it as complaining that the work done defending the concept of digital ownership and absolute control of one's own digital space was for nought. The people coming of age in today's digital landscape were basically raised as prisoners inside of the rent/data-extracting walled gardens we have today.
- talentedcoin 6y agoIt's because it's 99% just entertainment, and not that important to most people. Sorry to burst your bubble. Even your use of the word "content" gives the game away.
- bombcar 6y agoArguably when you had to search for content (either by ripping CDs or DVDs or browsing limewire, etc) you put effort into obtaining it, and so it felt worthwhile to put effort into maintaining it. Now it's easy gained, easy lost and so people don't care.
- f1refly 6y agoI feel your pain, exactly as you describe it. It's all horrible and wrong. And I'm 22.