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Google have declared Droidscript is malware

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Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#211

Post by dmm »

x86ARMsRace wrote: post #42
eplanit wrote: post #25

It's seriously time to re-embrace the idea of ownership and control of our devices, and reject Android and iOS altogether. Developing for those platforms has become worse and more restrictive over the years, and this kind of crap is now just everyday news. How good are Pinephones[1]? Are there better alternatives? [1] https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/

> Small numbers (1-3) of stuck or dead pixels are a characteristic of LCD screens. These are normal and should not be considered a defect. Their product line does not really inspire much faith. I can't say I've bought a device in the past 10 years which has dead pixels on the display. To me, this is a defect, given that I can pick up a device, overwrite Windows with Linux, and have a device without dead pixels.

They're selling at near-cost for developers. The pinephone is not ready for end users.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#212

Post by Igelau »

e3bc54b2 wrote: post #188
heywherelogingo wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Android and gmail are my last two to get rid of. I was wanting to play with mail in a box, but this morning had an alert on my phone demanding my birthdate within 14 days. So, I'll be expediting google out of my life within the next 14 days.

If you don't use YouTube, I bow to you good netizen. But in all honesty, it is very very hard to avoid Google. Android, Gamil, YouTube and Search are big four left on my list.

I'm using YouTube less and less. The ads have become intolerable, and I had my own bad experience with their copyright violation detection. That's the easiest one for me to abandon.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#213

Post by leowbattle »

pdkl95 wrote: post #73
nromiun wrote: post #26

> We don't allow apps with any code that could put a user, a user’s data, or a device at risk. If Google thinks the ability to execute arbitrary code puts users' data at risk why don't they go the full iOS route and ban everything, from scripting apps to other JS engines beside Chromium? I am so sick of their behaviour, the only reason I am still on Android because things like F-Droid still exists and iOS is even mor…

>> "Can't you just make us a general-purpose computer that runs all the programs, except the ones that scare and anger us? Can't you just make us an Internet that transmits any message over any protocol between any two points, unless it upsets us?"[1] The War On General Purpose Computing continues. Far too many business models depend on selling general purpose computers as "appliances". They presume it is possible to…

From the article parent linked: "It doesn't take a science fiction writer to understand why regulators might be nervous about the user-modifiable firmware on self-driving cars"

It's not just regulators who are nervous! What if someone modifies the firmware in their self-driving car and introduces a bug that causes the car to crash and kill someone?

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#214

Post by ddtaylor »

ajross wrote: post #14
blakesterz wrote: post #2

I had to go look to see what this was: "DroidScript is an easy to use, portable coding tool which simplifies mobile App development. It dramatically improves productivity by speeding up development by as much as 10x compared with using the standard development tools. It’s also an ideal tool for learning JavaScript, you can literally code anywhere with DroidScript, it’s not cloud based and doesn’t require an internet…

Time for one of these again. So... having read through their marketing material, this is an on-device tool that opens up what appears to be most of the Android application API to at least the user of the device, and potentially to any Droidscript applications they grab from other sources, and... maybe to other apps on the device? It's not clear from a quick read how extensive the runtime control is. So just right out…

> but it makes advertising fraud trivial to deploy.

Compared to what? If someone wants to run a random APK that has some kind of ad fraud in it, they very easily can even if Droidscript doesn't exist.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#215

Post by caleb-allen »

mrtranscendence wrote: post #179
glsdfgkjsklfj wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Arbitrary code isn't banned on iOS It is. Even mozilla firefox is banned on the premise that it can run arbitrary code and yes, that is the official apple instance. The fact that they apply it when they see fit and allow other times, and that it is totally arbitrary and opaque based on their own private interests , is exactly what everyone with common sense tried to explain when criticizing the walled garden.

My understanding is that what's banned on iOS is not arbitrary code per se, it's arbitrary code downloaded from the internet. Code you enter yourself, like in Pythonista, is just fine.

I believe Pythonista is interpreted, not compiled, and outside of Apple's Swift app you are not able to run compiled code

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#216

Post by criddell »

ncann wrote: post #161
pdkl95 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> "Can't you just make us a general-purpose computer that runs all the programs, except the ones that scare and anger us? Can't you just make us an Internet that transmits any message over any protocol between any two points, unless it upsets us?"[1] The War On General Purpose Computing continues. Far too many business models depend on selling general purpose computers as "appliances". They presume it is possible to…

Even as a casual Android dev I've noticed it becoming more and more restrictive over the years, from restricting apps from reading storage, to restring apps from accessing clipboard, to restring apps from running in background, and a ton of other things all in the name of protecting customer. Every time I update to a new phone with a new Android version my hobby apps (which only I use, not published anywhere) are bro…

> at least give the power user some choices damn it

At some point it just doesn't make economic sense to do that.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#217

Post by dalbasal »

FredFS456 wrote: post #105
pdkl95 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> "Can't you just make us a general-purpose computer that runs all the programs, except the ones that scare and anger us? Can't you just make us an Internet that transmits any message over any protocol between any two points, unless it upsets us?"[1] The War On General Purpose Computing continues. Far too many business models depend on selling general purpose computers as "appliances". They presume it is possible to…

There's nothing wrong with the appliance business model - embedded devices that use microcontrollers are Turing complete and yet no one complains about those. It's only when devices are marketed as general-purpose (i.e. smartphones, PCs) but are locked down to prevent running arbitrary user-loaded code that it becomes a problem.

>> There's nothing wrong with the appliance business model

Do you mean that literally? There is daylight between "appliances shouldn't exist" and "there's nothing wrong with appliances." I mean, I agree that microcontrollers and smartphones/PCs are different. There's obviously something wrong if problems emerge at some point along a scale. There's no real defining line between GPCs and microcontrollers.

I also don't think it's a problems if someone somewhere has a locked down PC. It is a problem if most people do.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#218

Post by adrianN »

leowbattle wrote: post #213
pdkl95 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> "Can't you just make us a general-purpose computer that runs all the programs, except the ones that scare and anger us? Can't you just make us an Internet that transmits any message over any protocol between any two points, unless it upsets us?"[1] The War On General Purpose Computing continues. Far too many business models depend on selling general purpose computers as "appliances". They presume it is possible to…

From the article parent linked: "It doesn't take a science fiction writer to understand why regulators might be nervous about the user-modifiable firmware on self-driving cars" It's not just regulators who are nervous! What if someone modifies the firmware in their self-driving car and introduces a bug that causes the car to crash and kill someone?

Then presumably we do the same for that as we do for other illegal modifications or reckless driving today.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#219

Post by echelon »

ballenf wrote: post #87
pdkl95 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> "Can't you just make us a general-purpose computer that runs all the programs, except the ones that scare and anger us? Can't you just make us an Internet that transmits any message over any protocol between any two points, unless it upsets us?"[1] The War On General Purpose Computing continues. Far too many business models depend on selling general purpose computers as "appliances". They presume it is possible to…

The battle really parallels the larger right to repair debate. (Especially if we realize the latter is probably is better called the right to exercise control over purchased goods.)

Apple is guilty of this too.

No general computing company should be the single ingress point to running on their platform. For platforms with significant penetration, this is a market monopoly. [1]

For Apple, it's iOS and, increasingly, MacOS.

For Google, it's Android, and as has become glaringly obvious, Chrome. They shouldn't be allowed to run a browser.

The DOJ needs to stamp out this anti-competitive, anti-consumer behavior.

You can "protect" consumers with a permissions model and malware signature warnlist regardless of whether you enforce a store. Microsoft does it. Microsoft is the only company playing fairly.

([1] And no, this doesn't apply to game consoles. They're toys with lots of alternatives. You don't do business, banking, dating, note taking, drawing, stock trading, etc. on them.)

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#220

Post by harrierpigeon »

dcow wrote: post #144
Aperocky wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it's just time to see phones as what they are - a phone. I don't really care what software is ran in my truck, as long as it works (And that's why I'll not buy a Tesla). It's a phone, use it to call text and guide and browse some internet. That's it.

What’s wrong with Tesla software?

One thing that comes to mind is that the wiper functionality has to be accessed from the center console touchscreen, and generally when you need it on you need it right then.
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