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For the vast majority of developers of iOS apps the specifics of how their data is stored and backed up do not matter. If they were not forced by Apple to adopt

For the vast majority of developers of iOS apps the specifics of how their data is stored and backed up do not matter. If they were not forced by Apple to adopt this set of constraints they would make decisions on a whim, it would lead to less freedom for user, because where there is uniformity, there is a power to abstract, there is a freedom to not micromanage. Circumventing design decicions is hard. Learning the specifics of particular design is hard practically in the same way. Hacking in an intentionally prohibitive environment is not much different from hacking in an overtly permissive environment — there's a pile of poorly undocumented design decisions which you have to grock before you get anywhere in this system. So the actual difference it political. I won't argue that preventing little Joe to write the coolest Doom clone ever by requiring all software to be cryptographically signed before running it on a particular game console is somehow more evil than forcing him to spend years learning the ropes and working late hours in QA. But I believe that imposing certain constrains on people willing to build on your platform is a good thing, because the resulting uniformity gives the platform more leverage. Whethere the constraints are technical or political /in origin/ is irrelevant.

scrod 15y ago
> there is a power to abstract, there is a freedom to not micromanage. Oh, so is that like having freedom from porn now?
- randallsquared 15y ago
  is that like having freedom from porn now? Well, it is a lot like freedom from worry about what your 10-year-old is doing with the iPhone you bought them. As long as someone offers devices that give you the abilities you want, why begrudge people who want something different?
vacri 15y ago
So let's all wear the same clothes, eat the same foods, engage in the same pastimes, work the same hours, walk at the same speeds, drive the same car. Then the only abstraction will be in our dreams - the only place we will be free! Our dreams will then be the blessed relief that we will always look forward to as our own little free moment. Point is, such didactic statements are stupid, as is the whole 'less choice is actually more freedom' mantra. Put it this way. Say the government mandated one phone. One car. One style of house. One fashion outfit. You don't need any more than that. You're freed from having to micromanage your stuff. Sure, you can wear your outfit any way you want, and get your one car in whatever colour, but hey, uniformity breeds freedom from the enduser, right? Because 'micromanagement' is bad, right?
- Splines 15y ago
  So let's all make our own clothes, grow our own foods, invent our own pastimes, work random hours, ignore road signs, and build our own cars. There's a happy middle, and I think we're approaching it (given the mobile ecosystem, from both sides). I enjoy using iOS, and for most of my apps I don't care where they store it. I do agree that there appears to be a design flaw in iOS surrounding this, but allowing users complete control over their system only allows them (including me) a greater opportunity to shoot themselves in the foot.
  - vacri 15y ago
    But we're already at the happy middle. I don't design my phone hardware, I don't design my operating system, I don't grow my own food... ... but I am free to do all of those, plus free to modify all of those in the way I choose, should I want a better fit. Sure, I may have to be a dev, and have background knowledge in how to engage in some of those, but the capability is there. Granny Jones isn't going to shoot herself in the foot because of some downloaded maps.
    - dextorious 15y ago
      Yes, abstract freedom is great. Now, how about some real freedom. Like the freedom to choose the mobile OS you want, be it "restricted" iOS or "open" Android, or whatever.
      - vacri 15y ago
        Why is 'choosing your OS' "real freedom", but 'modifying your OS' "abstract freedom"?
- dextorious 15y ago
  > So let's all wear the same clothes, eat the same foods, engage in the same pastimes, work the same hours, walk at the same speeds, drive the same car. Yes, clearly restrictions for the space available to apps on a mobile phone is the same as political totalitarianism. And user space apps not being able to address/change kernel space in Unix is also a major blow to our freedom.

scrod 15y ago

> there is a power to abstract, there is a freedom to not micromanage. Oh, so is that like having freedom from porn now?

randallsquared 15y ago
is that like having freedom from porn now? Well, it is a lot like freedom from worry about what your 10-year-old is doing with the iPhone you bought them. As long as someone offers devices that give you the abilities you want, why begrudge people who want something different?

vacri 15y ago

So let's all wear the same clothes, eat the same foods, engage in the same pastimes, work the same hours, walk at the same speeds, drive the same car. Then the only abstraction will be in our dreams - the only place we will be free! Our dreams will then be the blessed relief that we will always look forward to as our own little free moment. Point is, such didactic statements are stupid, as is the whole 'less choice is actually more freedom' mantra. Put it this way. Say the government mandated one phone. One car. One style of house. One fashion outfit. You don't need any more than that. You're freed from having to micromanage your stuff. Sure, you can wear your outfit any way you want, and get your one car in whatever colour, but hey, uniformity breeds freedom from the enduser, right? Because 'micromanagement' is bad, right?

Splines 15y ago
So let's all make our own clothes, grow our own foods, invent our own pastimes, work random hours, ignore road signs, and build our own cars. There's a happy middle, and I think we're approaching it (given the mobile ecosystem, from both sides). I enjoy using iOS, and for most of my apps I don't care where they store it. I do agree that there appears to be a design flaw in iOS surrounding this, but allowing users complete control over their system only allows them (including me) a greater opportunity to shoot themselves in the foot.
- vacri 15y ago
  But we're already at the happy middle. I don't design my phone hardware, I don't design my operating system, I don't grow my own food... ... but I am free to do all of those, plus free to modify all of those in the way I choose, should I want a better fit. Sure, I may have to be a dev, and have background knowledge in how to engage in some of those, but the capability is there. Granny Jones isn't going to shoot herself in the foot because of some downloaded maps.
  - dextorious 15y ago
    Yes, abstract freedom is great. Now, how about some real freedom. Like the freedom to choose the mobile OS you want, be it "restricted" iOS or "open" Android, or whatever.
    - vacri 15y ago
      Why is 'choosing your OS' "real freedom", but 'modifying your OS' "abstract freedom"?
dextorious 15y ago
> So let's all wear the same clothes, eat the same foods, engage in the same pastimes, work the same hours, walk at the same speeds, drive the same car. Yes, clearly restrictions for the space available to apps on a mobile phone is the same as political totalitarianism. And user space apps not being able to address/change kernel space in Unix is also a major blow to our freedom.