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Yes, I am also recommending to people to not buy devices that they do not feel come with enough control. Phones are at the forefront of the convergence, but I w

Yes, I am also recommending to people to not buy devices that they do not feel come with enough control. Phones are at the forefront of the convergence, but I will invariably want to be able to override (and audit) the software in my microwave too if I have any reason to believe it could harm me. For example, if microwaves started coming with voice interaction, requiring a microphone and an Internet connection, I would want to control the whole stack to be confident that it was not being used to invade my privacy (or overcook my meal), and to feel in control. Edit: I should also note that adding the possibility of control doesn't cost anything extra from the perspective of those who wouldn't use the higher levels of control. The same simple interface would only have a "more control" (aka settings) button, as usual, and as platforms converge the low-level support pretty much comes for free (for example, if phones used x86_64 instead of ARM, USB boot would be implied). The desktop is a pretty good model actually.

flyinRyan 13y ago
This is exactly what we're trying to get away from with "appliance as a computer". The desktop is a good model for creators like most of us but it's horrible if you're selling it. The issue is, if you provide a "more control" button there will be a lot more people who imagine themselves competent enough to use than actually are. And they're going to break their appliance. What do you think happens when they do something stupid and break their appliance? Simple; they blame the vendor being an incompetent piece of garbage. This is the main reason that Windows, even today, has a reputation of being unstable while OSX has the opposite. I suspect OSX probably has a higher bug-per-loc but Apple tries to create a culture that doesn't "tweak" so they strip out most of the "user doing something stupid" crashes. Personally, as long as I can do whatever I want on my desktop, I'm fine if I can't run a web server on my smart phone.
- vy8vWJlco 13y ago
  > Reset buttons are highly under-rated.
  - flyinRyan 13y ago
    I would say they're overrated by the tech crowd. They cause a lot of support trouble for anyone who provides one.
    - vy8vWJlco 13y ago
      Actually, resetting a device solves most problems, as was repeatedly made fun of by the appropriately-named (for your comment) "IT Crowd": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Ph8zwpNyI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Ph8zwpNyI If I may only have one button in life, please, please, let it be reset (I think it already is).
    - illuminate 13y ago
      "They cause a lot of support trouble for anyone who provides one." I can't picture anyone working int tech who's ever had support trouble because of the existence of one, unless the end-user chooses to use it during a firmware update.

flyinRyan 13y ago

This is exactly what we're trying to get away from with "appliance as a computer". The desktop is a good model for creators like most of us but it's horrible if you're selling it. The issue is, if you provide a "more control" button there will be a lot more people who imagine themselves competent enough to use than actually are. And they're going to break their appliance. What do you think happens when they do something stupid and break their appliance? Simple; they blame the vendor being an incompetent piece of garbage. This is the main reason that Windows, even today, has a reputation of being unstable while OSX has the opposite. I suspect OSX probably has a higher bug-per-loc but Apple tries to create a culture that doesn't "tweak" so they strip out most of the "user doing something stupid" crashes. Personally, as long as I can do whatever I want on my desktop, I'm fine if I can't run a web server on my smart phone.

vy8vWJlco 13y ago
> Reset buttons are highly under-rated.
- flyinRyan 13y ago
  I would say they're overrated by the tech crowd. They cause a lot of support trouble for anyone who provides one.
  - vy8vWJlco 13y ago
    Actually, resetting a device solves most problems, as was repeatedly made fun of by the appropriately-named (for your comment) "IT Crowd": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Ph8zwpNyI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Ph8zwpNyI If I may only have one button in life, please, please, let it be reset (I think it already is).
  - illuminate 13y ago
    "They cause a lot of support trouble for anyone who provides one." I can't picture anyone working int tech who's ever had support trouble because of the existence of one, unless the end-user chooses to use it during a firmware update.