I want a computer that I own
41–50 of 668 posts
Re: I want a computer that I own
#42> Except for a handful of very over-priced models that I can't afford to buy. This statement here made me pause for a bit. He wants a computer with specific features, but doesn't want pay for the models that offer those features because they are too expensive? Everyone wants to have their cake and eat it too, but unfortunately, reality has constraints.
> He wants a computer with specific features, but doesn't want pay for the models that offer those features because they are too expensive?
Correct. He wants a computer with less complexity and less spying "features", and the market is failing hard at that.
> reality has constraints
No, these are entirely artificial restrictions. Companies invested very significant efforts to implement DRM, management engine, AMT, all sort of telemetries and backdoors.
The emerging model of "privacy for the rich, surveillance for everybody else" is it expected consequence.
EDIT: wow, downvoted to -3 already? Truly shining the hacker culture in "hacker" news /s
Re: I want a computer that I own
#43> Our computers are increasingly designed to be little more than advertising platforms and vehicles for maximizing the cloud revenues of their true owners
This applies so much to modern Windows operating systems that it's frankly disgusting. I think most phones are also solidly in this space as well.
Apple is marginally better, but their efforts to ram iCloud services down your throat at every available opportunity is pretty obvious as well. Plus the amount of things that mysteriously call home. On the plus side, they don't actively send you ads baked into your lock screen or start menu.
Re: I want a computer that I own
#44> Governments seem to be universally terrified of even the slightest possibility of anyone in the world having a private conversation. How secure do you think face-to-face conversations are? (not sarcastic or anything, just genuinely interested on measuring security of conversations)
Not the author, but I would hazard an uninformed guess at three levels of security:
(1) a government is already specifically interested in you or the person you're talking to when you have your conversation: both the fact of the conversation and the content of the conversation can probably be captured pretty easily.
(2) no government is specifically interested in you prior to your conversation, but you take no special precautions: the content is probably secure, it's probably not being recorded, but your location is probably recorded so if you later become a target of interest then the fact of your meeting is likely to be recoverable.
(3) no government is specifically interested in you prior to your conversation, and you take precautions (being careful about when and where you meet, and not bringing your phone): probably your conversation is reasonably secure.
Re: I want a computer that I own
#45> Except for a handful of very over-priced models that I can't afford to buy. This statement here made me pause for a bit. He wants a computer with specific features, but doesn't want pay for the models that offer those features because they are too expensive? Everyone wants to have their cake and eat it too, but unfortunately, reality has constraints.
> Except for a handful of very over-priced models that I can't afford to buy.
Yeah, that weakens his whole argument.
That said, I would like to know what models these are? Because I think it's pretty much universal.
I think the answer is linux.
Re: I want a computer that I own
#46One way to get closer to this goal is to buy an liberated X200 or similar machine, which can run on only free software, install a free software OS like Trisquel and only ever install free software on it. Buying such a laptop from people in the free software community will also support them and their work. There are a few shops.
On the web you will still need to deal with how everything these days is behind the currently hip and trendy CDN, but you can choose not to use such websites. You can have a main machine and your freedom respecting machine. You choose your own compromise.
I did that some time ago and I have to say I love my freedom respecting mostly distraction free X200 for writing or coding. It is a great machine to work with, if you can accept old hardware and the implied worse performance.
Re: I want a computer that I own
#47I find it ironic that the author points out in the first part of the post that companies are the real culprit but later puts the blame on governments. I wouldn't do such differentiation. They are equally wrong. Regarding free speech too. Case in point are the recent de-platformings.
Re: I want a computer that I own
#48I have a similar feeling, but with modern smartphones. Owning my computer is still relatively possible. I can build a computer from parts which I can choose, and have a choice in which operating system to install on them. Laptops are slightly more closed, but even on those I can choose the OS myself. Modern smartphones however, seem like walled gardens in which I have no control at all. I cannot choose any of the par…
Owning a computer goes way beyond simply choosing its parts or OS.
Re: I want a computer that I own
#49> Governments seem to be universally terrified of even the slightest possibility of anyone in the world having a private conversation. How secure do you think face-to-face conversations are? (not sarcastic or anything, just genuinely interested on measuring security of conversations)
That depends on a lot of things.
But some realistic concerns might include evesdropping using parabolic microphones, covert listening devices deployed at the meeting point etc.
Not to mention a) arranging the meeting and b) getting to the meeting need to be performed some how. Getting from point A to point B is, in today's society, not a surveillance free affair. Everything you carry can be used to track you, and even if you carry nothing, hundreds of CCTV cameras can likely follow you along the majority of your chosen route.
Thus the 'metadata' of your meeting is still known, even if the contents of your meeting isn't.
Re: I want a computer that I own
#50> Except for a handful of very over-priced models that I can't afford to buy. This statement here made me pause for a bit. He wants a computer with specific features, but doesn't want pay for the models that offer those features because they are too expensive? Everyone wants to have their cake and eat it too, but unfortunately, reality has constraints.
Income shouldn't be a barrier to having technology that you own completely, a concept that until recently was common.
Technology you don't own is cheaper because the provider can sell your data. I suppose it's a "good thing" there exists tech the poor can afford.