>We can have console-style computers and general purpose computers, and they can both exist simultaneously without one having to win and the other having to los

>We can have console-style computers and general purpose computers, and they can both exist simultaneously without one having to win and the other having to lose. No, we really can't, and you probably didn't read the article if you think we can. Making general purpose computers and the software to support them is less profitable than making smartphone-ish locked down computers. It's just a fact. The corporations will gravitate towards the most profitable options, as they always do. "But as long as there's a market, even small, someone will make them" you say. But you're forgetting that computers don't exist in isolation. They just don't work that well on their own. The main reason they're so useful is because of networking. You can be running a computer with 100% free software, but you will probably still use online services that are not free. You need to use them to live a normal life in the world of today. But thanks to hardware DRM, you might not be able to use these non-free services on a free device for much longer. Do you know what happens when you try to open the McDonalds app on an android phone running a custom operating system? It doesn't run. The server tells you to fuck off. It sends a message to your device's TrustZone, a black box security chip that you have absolutely no control over, asking if the device is running an original locked-down OS. The chip signs the response with its own private keys that cannot be extracted and sends it back to the server, which can then decide to reject you if it's not the response it wants. This is the reality of smartphones. It's not a joke. And now, with Windows 11 requiring a TPM chip which is just TrustZone for x86, this is coming to desktops. And everyone is eating it up, to the point where TPM expansion boards went up in price after the announcement. Nothing will stop it. 10 years from now you will try to open some random popular website on your linux computer and it will not work. It will detect that you are not running an authorized system and reject your request. Want to order food? Too bad, use a locked down device. Want to buy something and have it delivered to you? Too bad, use a locked down device. Want to access your bank's website to check your account, or even just spend money? Too bad, use a locked down device. The bank part is already a reality, many banks today require verification using their app before letting you make online purchases, and the app only works on locked down smartphones. Eventually, when enough network services stop working on "general purpose computers", 99.9% of the population will not want to use them anymore and they will disappear.