Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I want a computer that I own

misc-stuff.terraaeon.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

491–500 of 668 posts

Re: I want a computer that I own

#491

Post by coder543 »

capableweb wrote: post #439
bayindirh wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll play the (intentional) Devil's Advocate here to present an alternative viewpoint. I like iOS, but not Android. Let me explain why. I personally love Linux, Unix philosophy (I'm even sometimes an old beardy zealot about POSIX standards and the old way ), and inherent customization possibilities. On the other hand, I don't want to manage my phone like a desktop or laptop computer, or a server because of a plethora…

I agree with you overall, but felt the need of commenting as I thought "Settings do not change spontaneously" was true as well but it is not! I just discovered the other day that you cannot turn off WiFi or Bluetooth. If you do try to disable either of them, they will be turned off but only for a day. The next day they enable themselves automatically. So much for not changing settings by themselves :)

The control center toggles specifically tell you what’s happening (“disconnecting from X until tomorrow”).

If that isn’t what you want to happen, you go to the Settings app and turn off those toggles. (But I wish they would have a matching statement on screen that clarifies their changes are permanent until you change them again.)

Temporary toggles being in the control center is great. Most of the time that I quickly disconnect from WiFi or Bluetooth, it’s to solve some immediate, temporary issue.

The settings aren’t “changing themselves” — they’re doing what you asked them to do. The written message tells you what you asked them to do in order to teach new users what these buttons do.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#492

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

You can't have a "computer that you own" because a computer is no longer an independent device. It's an access point - what used to be called a terminal - into a complex information ecosystem.

You won't get what you want with different hardware and an open OS unless you also fix the ecosystem.

And that means fixing ad tech, cloud services, DNS, open packet inspection, location tracking, security at multiple levels, and any number of other technologies, only the last of which is the local OS.

Worrying about the item in your hand or on your desk is almost literally looking through the wrong end of the telescope.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#493

Post by danogentili »

Razengan wrote: post #466
Siira wrote: post #438

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All those Apple apologists should go and take a look at the world; I live in Iran, and here Iranian apps just use a business profile to install. There are even alternative app stores using device management profiles. And these apologists keep bullshitting that the monopolist walled garden actually keeps people safe. The walls don’t keep out anyone powerful, they just enforce rents.

All the Apple haters keep missing the point for why Apple users prefer “walled gardens”: They are fucking beautiful respites from all the crap outside their walls. Apple has refunded me without question whenever an app tried to scam me, no matter how big people popular it was, whereas apps using third-party payment systems almost never give any refunds.

Imagine actually using free and open-source apps from free and open source app stores&operating systems instead of buying an overpriced rehash of open source software.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#494

Post by antihero »

bayindirh wrote: post #348
Xylakant wrote: post #343

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> iOS takes all of these away. Complete backups are built-in They’re not. Backups are built-in but they’re not complete. For example google Authenticator data is not backed up. Microsoft Authenticator can be backed up, but you need to go through a few extra steps (and have a Microsoft account). Other secrets are not included either - my banks PhotoTAN app doesn’t store any credentials etc. There are reasons why this…

> Authenticator data is not backed up. Microsoft Authenticator can be backed up, but you need to go through a few extra steps (and have a Microsoft account). Other secrets are not included either - my banks PhotoTAN app doesn’t store any credentials etc. AFAIK, applications allow their secrets to be backed up or not, and I'm not mad that my 2FA keys are no backed up and shipped overseas. I keep another copy of my 2FA…

1Password has built in authenticator which is obviously backed up to their cloud.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#495

Post by cmrdsprklpny »

vbezhenar wrote: post #461
MrGilbert wrote: post #415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But I also need a mac for signing, don't I? Like, a Mac Mini? That's the most annoying part, tbh. I feel fine-ish for paying 8 $ a month for my dev account (if you calculate it that way), but buying additional, expensive hardware? No, not really.

I think that you can rent a mac for a day and do all your signing. Something like https://www.scaleway.com/en/hello-m1/

I’ve had the experience that often weird bugs pop up when signing; often it isn’t that simple unfortunately.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#496

Post by hyko »

Except for a handful of very over-priced models that I can't afford to buy

What models are being referred to here? Sounds like the OP’s problem can be solved with more money.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#497

Post by wil421 »

antman wrote: post #424
bboygravity wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> iOS takes all of these away. Complete backups are built-in (I know android has it, but I don't know how bulletproof is this) Not to burn you down, but to burn Android down: no, Android does not allow you to take complete backups. Let alone "built-in". The only backups that are made are forced to Google cloud and only backs-up apps that where downloaded through Google Play and app settings for Google stuff. It is an…

Backups are a total black pattern where you either pay Apple for ever or the respective APIs are horribly broken. It would require zero effort on Apple's side to integrate backup to other servers using the OS or other Apps. That means without silently stopping them or even worse slowing them down to kb/s once in the background.

You can backup your iPhone anytime you want to your own computer. iCould makes it pretty easy to do settings and config backups that will be included in their free tier.

There is no way Apple is going to let 3rd party could providers do backups directly. I doubt exposing the iPhone as a USB device over the internet with a VM running iTunes would work efficiently.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#498

Post by dredmorbius »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #390
ROARosen wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Letters sent with homing pigeons were mostly private...

But a pidgeon leaves a trail of metadata on the ground as it carries your message, so this communication channel is still vulnerable to bulk network analysis by some Advanced Persistent Threat.

Alternatively, you can just whitewash that threat vector away.

Re: I want a computer that I own

#500

Post by grishka »

kokx wrote: post #15

I 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…

Even with unlockable bootloaders, you're still never completely getting rid of what I call predatory code signing. The code you're able to run on an Android phone after unlocking the bootloader runs with EL1 — the privilege level sufficient for an OS kernel. Problem is, there are higher privilege levels aka ARM TrustZone (I think they go up to EL3?), and you're never getting access to those. And there's a "secure OS" that runs in those, and that, among other things, manages DRM and SafetyNet.
Post reply on HN