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> I think it’s important to understand why these trends are happening if you want any hope of reversing them. Why? Because we let it happen. We keep buying the

> I think it’s important to understand why these trends are happening if you want any hope of reversing them. Why? Because we let it happen. We keep buying these things that have this function as a feature. The answer is simple but it demands dedication and resilience. Simply stop buying them and using them. Yes, a boycott. There is no other answer because they are making ton of money doing things this way and the one;y way they will stop is if we stop making it profitable for them.

photochemsyn 4y ago
You need across-the-board regulation, things like right-to-inspect-and-repair rules written into law, enforceable by independent parties via civil lawsuits in law courts - and that's because the entities involved have monopoly/monopsony power in the markets. At some point, it's like telling people who don't want to drink dirty water that they should boycott their one and only water provider.
conradev 4y ago
Boycotting is not a practical solution for so many reasons for so much of the technology we use every day. It represents a black-and-white way of thinking about the problem when the entire point I am trying to make is that everything is gray and if you work in technology you need to understand the different shades of gray better.
TeMPOraL 4y ago
Boycotting doesn't work. It never does, it never did. Neither in tech nor anywhere else. Maybe there would've been a chance if it was easy to prove that for every TPM chip they have to manufacture, they need to kill a small kitten. Or, if computing hardware was a commodity like a laundry detergent, so you could just choose an alternative that has near-identical specs, near-identical design and near-identical price, but comes without that one feature you don't want. The companies don't care what you think, because this is a supplier-driven market. As a consumer, you can only choose out of what's available on the market. There's only so many players; barriers to entry are high, and they corrupt those who scale them[0]. They're going to keep making money and keep telling you what to buy, because they know you have no other choice. ---- [0] - You need a lot of up-front capital to start a hardware or software business. You're not going to pay for it out of your own pocket. The kind of people that will happily lend you money? They're the ones that will make sure your product fucks end-users over in every way possible, because they want to maximize returns on their investment. So even if you started wanting to do good, you're unlikely to be still doing it if you succeed.

photochemsyn 4y ago

You need across-the-board regulation, things like right-to-inspect-and-repair rules written into law, enforceable by independent parties via civil lawsuits in law courts - and that's because the entities involved have monopoly/monopsony power in the markets. At some point, it's like telling people who don't want to drink dirty water that they should boycott their one and only water provider.

conradev 4y ago

Boycotting is not a practical solution for so many reasons for so much of the technology we use every day. It represents a black-and-white way of thinking about the problem when the entire point I am trying to make is that everything is gray and if you work in technology you need to understand the different shades of gray better.

TeMPOraL 4y ago

Boycotting doesn't work. It never does, it never did. Neither in tech nor anywhere else. Maybe there would've been a chance if it was easy to prove that for every TPM chip they have to manufacture, they need to kill a small kitten. Or, if computing hardware was a commodity like a laundry detergent, so you could just choose an alternative that has near-identical specs, near-identical design and near-identical price, but comes without that one feature you don't want. The companies don't care what you think, because this is a supplier-driven market. As a consumer, you can only choose out of what's available on the market. There's only so many players; barriers to entry are high, and they corrupt those who scale them[0]. They're going to keep making money and keep telling you what to buy, because they know you have no other choice. ---- [0] - You need a lot of up-front capital to start a hardware or software business. You're not going to pay for it out of your own pocket. The kind of people that will happily lend you money? They're the ones that will make sure your product fucks end-users over in every way possible, because they want to maximize returns on their investment. So even if you started wanting to do good, you're unlikely to be still doing it if you succeed.