4 ms·

The scope at which those alternatives exist are different than where the monopoly is established. Ie. The App Store has a monopoly on iOS, but iOS does not have

by Hamcha 5y ago

The scope at which those alternatives exist are different than where the monopoly is established. Ie. The App Store has a monopoly on iOS, but iOS does not have a monopoly in the mobile space. This is like saying a state-mandated ISP/Gas company wouldn't be a monopoly since you can just move to another country. You might wanna push the argument that nobody is forcing you to use iOS, but I think the problem runs deeper. In many fields and even just everyday life, you are now required to run a modern phone OS (eg. the option for not having the official COVID green pass app here in Italy is to find an authorized place that will print you a green pass on paper, and it's hard to find one, let alone schedule everything and get there without a pre-existing pass) and we're barely lucky that Google is playing by laxer rules than Apple is. If not punishing existing bad actors, these rules are a nice framework to prevent them for taking over in the future.

Rayhem 5y ago
> the option for not having the official COVID green pass app here in Italy is to find an authorized place that will print you a green pass on paper, and it's hard to find one, let alone schedule everything and get there without a pre-existing pass Apple's pseudomonopoly does not strike me as the root cause issue here, developing processes and using tech to solve a people problem does.
- Hamcha 5y ago
  When the public administration does things with pen and paper, it's blamed for being ancient and "should get with the times". Now they are getting on with the times, but the times are ones ruled by giant American companies with no regulation. Also, it's the country's duty to protect citizens from themselves using laws and regulations. For an example of what kind of "far west" digital tech is living right now, I point you back to before TV was regulated as heavily as today, where companies used cartoons to advertise smoking cigarettes to children (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAExoSozc2c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAExoSozc2c).

by Hamcha 5y ago

Rayhem 5y ago

> the option for not having the official COVID green pass app here in Italy is to find an authorized place that will print you a green pass on paper, and it's hard to find one, let alone schedule everything and get there without a pre-existing pass Apple's pseudomonopoly does not strike me as the root cause issue here, developing processes and using tech to solve a people problem does.

Hamcha 5y ago
When the public administration does things with pen and paper, it's blamed for being ancient and "should get with the times". Now they are getting on with the times, but the times are ones ruled by giant American companies with no regulation. Also, it's the country's duty to protect citizens from themselves using laws and regulations. For an example of what kind of "far west" digital tech is living right now, I point you back to before TV was regulated as heavily as today, where companies used cartoons to advertise smoking cigarettes to children (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAExoSozc2c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAExoSozc2c).