4 ms·

I switched away from Android in part because I wanted a phone that was just an appliance that always worked. I enjoyed fiddling with alternative ROMs and such b

I switched away from Android in part because I wanted a phone that was just an appliance that always worked. I enjoyed fiddling with alternative ROMs and such but I eventually realized that, as a tinkerer, the only way to make sure my phone always worked when I needed it was to pick a device I couldn’t root and tinker with. I think the market is big enough for both models and we’re all worse off if the users that want the Apple experience are unable to pick it.

nervlord 3y ago
[dead]
nerdix 3y ago
Just because you can root and tinker with something doesn't mean you have to. Millions of people use Android phones without ever having touched a third party rom (or even have the knowledge that they exist). Additionally, Apple allowing a user to install a browser with a rendering engine other than webkit does not preclude a completely different user from experiencing the "Apple experience". The default experience will be the Apple experience. I really don't understand this common sentiment that more freedom for a user to use a device in the manner in which they want to somehow takes away the freedom of others.
- fiddlerwoaroof 3y ago
  I know myself well enough to know that I need a phone that prevents me from tinkering if I want a device that works reliably.
matheusmoreira 3y ago
These days Android is just a worse iOS anyway. All the freedom we used to have was wiped out by hardware remote attestation. If you tinker with anything, your phone will fail attestation and you'll be refused service everywhere. Might as well buy into the better kept garden if that's how it's going to be. I have exactly two reasons to still prefer Android: Termux and GrapheneOS. Who knows what Google's going to break next though? There's already hints that the Linux system calls used by Termux will be sandboxed away someday. If that happens, there's no reason for me to use Android anymore. Stuff like remote attestation should be illegal. They should be required by law to interoperate with you no matter what software you choose to run.

nervlord 3y ago

[dead]

nerdix 3y ago

Just because you can root and tinker with something doesn't mean you have to. Millions of people use Android phones without ever having touched a third party rom (or even have the knowledge that they exist). Additionally, Apple allowing a user to install a browser with a rendering engine other than webkit does not preclude a completely different user from experiencing the "Apple experience". The default experience will be the Apple experience. I really don't understand this common sentiment that more freedom for a user to use a device in the manner in which they want to somehow takes away the freedom of others.

fiddlerwoaroof 3y ago
I know myself well enough to know that I need a phone that prevents me from tinkering if I want a device that works reliably.

matheusmoreira 3y ago

These days Android is just a worse iOS anyway. All the freedom we used to have was wiped out by hardware remote attestation. If you tinker with anything, your phone will fail attestation and you'll be refused service everywhere. Might as well buy into the better kept garden if that's how it's going to be. I have exactly two reasons to still prefer Android: Termux and GrapheneOS. Who knows what Google's going to break next though? There's already hints that the Linux system calls used by Termux will be sandboxed away someday. If that happens, there's no reason for me to use Android anymore. Stuff like remote attestation should be illegal. They should be required by law to interoperate with you no matter what software you choose to run.