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I detest the walled garden, but we know from experience that most regular people that own their "own" computers rarely control what's on them. For them it's ei

I detest the walled garden, but we know from experience that most regular people that own their "own" computers rarely control what's on them. For them it's either control by Apple/Google/etc or "hackers".

chongli 13y ago
I find it distressing. The knowledge of how to control, secure and modify my computer is so essential that I'd feel illiterate without it. Either you own your technology or your technology owns you.
- ckaili 13y ago
  But I think that knowledge of securing your computer develops over time as you perhaps make mistakes along the way or threats evolve. Security isn't like an on-off switch. The issue that arises from app stores letting loose and letting people fend for themselves (particularly for an "overlord" like Apple or Google) is that it does nothing to address things like viruses or malware that proliferate due to a large enough population of people who lack that security experience. This ultimately affects the ecosystem as a whole and even those who are particularly cautious. It's like how religiously washing your hands is only going to get you so far in terms of avoiding getting sick when you are surrounded by people who are already sick. Especially now a days where access to personal information can have many entry points due to social networking (e.g. Facebook posts/pictures), unless you limit yourself to a sterile bubble, what effects the ecosystem will ultimately affect you.
Houshalter 13y ago
Can we put some blame on Windows for that? It's not just that they can download software from wherever, it's that the software can do whatever it wants when it's on the computer, without the knowledge or consent of the user. The best you get is a generic warning with some variation of "do you 100% trust this program to do whatever it wants?" which is unrealistic even for the most competent users.

chongli 13y ago

I find it distressing. The knowledge of how to control, secure and modify my computer is so essential that I'd feel illiterate without it. Either you own your technology or your technology owns you.

ckaili 13y ago
But I think that knowledge of securing your computer develops over time as you perhaps make mistakes along the way or threats evolve. Security isn't like an on-off switch. The issue that arises from app stores letting loose and letting people fend for themselves (particularly for an "overlord" like Apple or Google) is that it does nothing to address things like viruses or malware that proliferate due to a large enough population of people who lack that security experience. This ultimately affects the ecosystem as a whole and even those who are particularly cautious. It's like how religiously washing your hands is only going to get you so far in terms of avoiding getting sick when you are surrounded by people who are already sick. Especially now a days where access to personal information can have many entry points due to social networking (e.g. Facebook posts/pictures), unless you limit yourself to a sterile bubble, what effects the ecosystem will ultimately affect you.

Houshalter 13y ago

Can we put some blame on Windows for that? It's not just that they can download software from wherever, it's that the software can do whatever it wants when it's on the computer, without the knowledge or consent of the user. The best you get is a generic warning with some variation of "do you 100% trust this program to do whatever it wants?" which is unrealistic even for the most competent users.