3 ms·

I'm not making a normative claim - I don't want a corporate mall, either. I'm making a prediction. The unregulated internet is a risk to some very powerful int

by _jal 3y ago

I'm not making a normative claim - I don't want a corporate mall, either. I'm making a prediction. The unregulated internet is a risk to some very powerful interests. They cannot tolerate that. And despite what some people thought early on (me included), IT is a power-amplifier, not an equalizer. I'm not optimistic.

zlg_codes 3y ago
In that vein I agree, nation states are about control, and giving any control to people comes with risk. Personally, I would argue that if they can't trust their own people with basic computing power, it says a lot about the administration's character and capabilities to defend itself. Maybe don't piss off people who outnumber you and are responsible for the prosperity of the state? Royal "you", of course. That's why I think we have to go the legal route, as little as I trust society and its policies, others do. We need to consider the personal use of property as an extension of the 1st amendment, at least in the States. If I purchase a computer, I should be able to do whatever I want with it, especially if I'm not hurting anyone or violating rights. Ownership needs to mean something, or capitalism's core tenet is lost and the veil begins to slip. Building spying nanny chips and other "safeguards" are really just obstacles to ownership. It should be considered anti-consumer and a form of military-grade espionage. The John Deere escapades are a prime example of what will happen to general computing if we don't make some sort of effort to protect and enshrine computing freedom. Maybe it won't be an issue and we'll be 3D-printing PCBs from open or patent-expired schematics so it won't matter. Maybe e-waste will be enough of a problem that there will be enough to hobble along until something bigger coalesces. I'd rather not go on maybes though, and would rather vote for legislation that ensures the government will punish any business that sells me something and then tries to prevent me from exerting control over it as the owner. That is such obvious fraudulent behavior, there's no good defense for it. Business already enjoys the protection of copyright, trademark, and patent. An important aspect of business is actually parting with what you are selling, and giving up control. The control is what is being bought!

by _jal 3y ago

zlg_codes 3y ago

In that vein I agree, nation states are about control, and giving any control to people comes with risk. Personally, I would argue that if they can't trust their own people with basic computing power, it says a lot about the administration's character and capabilities to defend itself. Maybe don't piss off people who outnumber you and are responsible for the prosperity of the state? Royal "you", of course. That's why I think we have to go the legal route, as little as I trust society and its policies, others do. We need to consider the personal use of property as an extension of the 1st amendment, at least in the States. If I purchase a computer, I should be able to do whatever I want with it, especially if I'm not hurting anyone or violating rights. Ownership needs to mean something, or capitalism's core tenet is lost and the veil begins to slip. Building spying nanny chips and other "safeguards" are really just obstacles to ownership. It should be considered anti-consumer and a form of military-grade espionage. The John Deere escapades are a prime example of what will happen to general computing if we don't make some sort of effort to protect and enshrine computing freedom. Maybe it won't be an issue and we'll be 3D-printing PCBs from open or patent-expired schematics so it won't matter. Maybe e-waste will be enough of a problem that there will be enough to hobble along until something bigger coalesces. I'd rather not go on maybes though, and would rather vote for legislation that ensures the government will punish any business that sells me something and then tries to prevent me from exerting control over it as the owner. That is such obvious fraudulent behavior, there's no good defense for it. Business already enjoys the protection of copyright, trademark, and patent. An important aspect of business is actually parting with what you are selling, and giving up control. The control is what is being bought!