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An important part of the problem is that super complex software and hardware stacks are required today for even basic tasks. This limits customer's chioce, esse

An important part of the problem is that super complex software and hardware stacks are required today for even basic tasks. This limits customer's chioce, essentially forcing customer to use these bloated, insecure, obscure products. Even browsing the plain text Hacker News forum requires a web browser, so complex that only few companies in the world can produce it. And runs on super complex OS. I wish we had something like "basic computing / commnication device" specification. Simple, limited and transparent, that everyone can produce. With small software, That would allow to exchange messages and browse information online. Not all data formats, but a limited set of formats, good enough for basic communications. Better a frozen spec, not a moving target. (Or a very careful evolution, with very rare release of new versions) Good publishers, web sites, etc, could test their systems against the "basic comp / comm device".

jraph 3y ago
> Even browsing the plain text Hacker News forum requires a web browser, so complex that only few companies in the world can produce it. This not take anything out of your point, but HN can be browsed with simpler browsers like lynx, w3m, Ladybird or NetSurf, which are all written by a small set of people. (they do rely on quite complex operating systems though)
- avodonosov 3y ago
  Maybe the main lock-in is in drivers for proprietary hardware. Platform software like bare bones Linux / Android and Firefox is probably not the root of the lock-in. If so, maybe it's better to think of two devices: trusted device, and fancy device. The trusted device is a simple, low power and cheap device, maybe without even a camera. Just touchscreen, wi-fi and mobile internet. Fully open drivers, and hardware spec. Running bare bones Linux / Android, Firefox. Easy to root and reinstall the full software stack. There can be an open specification for at, as a "basic comp / comm device": 1 GB memory, CPU of certain performance, etc. The fancy device is a cutting edge proprietary flagman device. Great power, but risk of tracking. Every user can have both types of devices.

jraph 3y ago

> Even browsing the plain text Hacker News forum requires a web browser, so complex that only few companies in the world can produce it. This not take anything out of your point, but HN can be browsed with simpler browsers like lynx, w3m, Ladybird or NetSurf, which are all written by a small set of people. (they do rely on quite complex operating systems though)

avodonosov 3y ago
Maybe the main lock-in is in drivers for proprietary hardware. Platform software like bare bones Linux / Android and Firefox is probably not the root of the lock-in. If so, maybe it's better to think of two devices: trusted device, and fancy device. The trusted device is a simple, low power and cheap device, maybe without even a camera. Just touchscreen, wi-fi and mobile internet. Fully open drivers, and hardware spec. Running bare bones Linux / Android, Firefox. Easy to root and reinstall the full software stack. There can be an open specification for at, as a "basic comp / comm device": 1 GB memory, CPU of certain performance, etc. The fancy device is a cutting edge proprietary flagman device. Great power, but risk of tracking. Every user can have both types of devices.