Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 29th May 2012 12:43 UTC
"Two weeks ago, Steve Wozniak made a public call for Apple to open its platforms for those who wish to tinker, tweak and innovate with their internals. EFF supports Wozniak's position: while Apple's products have many virtues, they are marred by an ugly set of restrictions on what users and programmers can do with them. This is most especially true of iOS, though other Apple products sometimes suffer in the same way. In this article we will delve into the kinds of restrictions that Apple, phone companies, and Microsoft have been imposing on mobile computers; the excuses these companies make when they impose these restrictions; the dangers this is creating for open innovation; why Apple in particular should lead the way in fixing this mess. We also propose a bill of rights that need to be secured for people who are purchasing smartphones and other pocket computers."
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RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer
by ilovebeer on Tue 29th May 2012 18:29
in reply to "RE: Comment by ilovebeer"
Member since:2011-08-08
ilovebeer,
"To the people who cause such a big fuss over closed-source software, instead of crying about it all the time why don't you use that time to develop an alternative that you can give to anyone who wants it? Instead of constantly pointing your finger at how these companies don't do what you want them to, just go do it yourself. If you were so innovative to begin with you would be doing that already."
You try to insult open technology promoters as being non-innovative, but in fact many of us are innovative and that's a fundamental reason for keeping technology open: we don't want corporations to have all the control.
"To the people who cause such a big fuss over closed-source software, instead of crying about it all the time why don't you use that time to develop an alternative that you can give to anyone who wants it? Instead of constantly pointing your finger at how these companies don't do what you want them to, just go do it yourself. If you were so innovative to begin with you would be doing that already."
You try to insult open technology promoters as being non-innovative, but in fact many of us are innovative and that's a fundamental reason for keeping technology open: we don't want corporations to have all the control.
It seems you didn't pay attention. I was clearly talking about people who whine whine whine but don't participate in being innovative. IE: People who are all talk and no walk.
People who are trying to stop the proliferation of closed devices do it because of how it destroys our capacity to innovate, distribute and sell our creations without getting permission to do so first. The new platforms are being designed to tax our income and control our work. There's nothing innovative about that, it's pure and simple greed.
Of course there's greed. There always has been and always will be greed in humanity. But that fact does not stop 'you' from developing completely open platforms and software. Instead 'your' time appears better spent complaining rather than doing. (* Please pay attention to the use of the ' ' .)
Now maybe you feel they're entitled to impose locks on consumer devices to control the market if they can, never mind the damage it may cause to competition and the free (as in freedom) software market. But you'd have to be an idiot to not recognise or to deny that locked platforms will harm independent developers as well as consumers who loose access to competing marketplaces.
It's not a matter of what I "feel", it's a matter of what the law provides them. These companies have the right to protect THEIR products and THEIR interests, within the law. If you don't like it, do your part in changing the law.
You'd have to be an idiot to not understand that the only "independent developers" who are harmed by locked platforms are the people stupid enough to depend on them.
Edited 2012-05-29 18:33 UTC
RE[3]: Comment by ilovebeer
by Alfman on Wed 30th May 2012 02:49
in reply to "RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer"
Member since:2011-01-28
"It seems you didn't pay attention. I was clearly talking about people who whine whine whine but don't participate in being innovative. IE: People who are all talk and no walk."
Well that's not what you initially said, but ok.
"But that fact does not stop 'you' from developing completely open platforms and software. Instead 'your' time appears better spent complaining rather than doing."
That's view is completely ignorant of what's going on. Software developers write software, hence our title. Most of us don't build or sell hardware. Very few of us have the means to do so. We write software for users and consumers to use on their hardware. If we cannot reach users any longer because more and more of them are no longer at liberty to install our software, then innovation will become constricted and stagnant. You'd have to be an idiot not to see it. What is your justification in thinking that device lockdowns will hurt only non-innovative software developers as opposed to all software developers?
RE[3]: Comment by ilovebeer
by phoudoin on Wed 30th May 2012 07:15
in reply to "RE[2]: Comment by ilovebeer"
Member since:2006-06-09
These companies have the right to protect THEIR products and THEIR interests, within the law. If you don't like it, do your part in changing the law.
True. And these days, people have learn that whining and using whatever media to relay it is more effective to influence the consumer behavior than waiting than the so-called citizen's representative politicians wake-up and change the law to match new reality.
See, it's not called whining anymore, but lobbying.
A perfectly legal citizen's right.
Welcome to 21th century.
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2011-01-28
ilovebeer,
"To the people who cause such a big fuss over closed-source software, instead of crying about it all the time why don't you use that time to develop an alternative that you can give to anyone who wants it? Instead of constantly pointing your finger at how these companies don't do what you want them to, just go do it yourself. If you were so innovative to begin with you would be doing that already."
You try to insult open technology promoters as being non-innovative, but in fact many of us are innovative and that's a fundamental reason for keeping technology open: we don't want corporations to have all the control. People who are trying to stop the proliferation of closed devices do it because of how it destroys our capacity to innovate, distribute and sell our creations without getting permission to do so first. The new platforms are being designed to tax our income and control our work. There's nothing innovative about that, it's pure and simple greed.
Now maybe you feel they're entitled to impose locks on consumer devices to control the market if they can, never mind the damage it may cause to competition and the free (as in freedom) software market. But you'd have to be an idiot to not recognise or to deny that locked platforms will harm independent developers as well as consumers who loose access to competing marketplaces.