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Reasons Not to Use Apple (2018)

stallman.org

101–110 of 238 posts

Re: Reasons Not to Use Apple (2018)

#101
post #6
post #2

Surprised Spotify's antitrust claims are not mentioned there Edit: All right so this website is meant to make a library of opposition against big corporations. I understand now

Not necessarily just big corporations. https://stallman.org/pay-toilets.html

>Pay toilets are nasty

Usually they're pretty nice compared to the free toilets.

Re: Reasons Not to Use Apple (2018)

#102
post #18

I disagree with the bullets about banning/censoring apps. There are ways to install and run software on iOS without using the AppStore. If developers share source code, people are free to compile and install it using Xcode. It’s also possible to run Python programs using Pythonista. Finally, programs can be run as JavaScript in Safari. Apple definitely controls the AppStore. That makes it less convenient to install p…

As an example, here is the source code for Firefox on iOS along with build and install instructions.

https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/firefox-ios/blob/master/RE...

Re: Reasons Not to Use Apple (2018)

#103
I think Apple takes privacy more seriously than anyone. They don't need to spy on people to make money, unlike many tech companies.

Content control is different from political censorship. Every company has the right to policy their content and choose their customers. It sucks, but it isn't evil.

Those are pretty old arguments, because Apple does allow Bitcoin related apps now, and has been for many years.

Re: Reasons Not to Use Apple (2018)

#104

The problem I have with Stallman is that he’s usually right, but he is remarkably horrible at coming across as someone with valid opinions. It is disingenuous to come to the table with clearly cherry-picked evidence, and calling companies and their products with stupid names is just childish. There are a lot of problems with companies, and Stallman is very good at recognizing them, but he’s just pretty bad at getting…

Agreed. It's like when he writes about Facebook and calls people "useds" instead of "users." Many of his opinions could be (or are) compelling and well-defended, but many of them are tangled up with his hostile (and sometimes childish) style of argumentation.

I wish he would tone it down sometimes, for lack of a better phrase. He doesn't have to compromise on his ideology to polish up his essays with less polarizing style. His arguments are already controversial, and he doesn't convince anyone who doesn't already agree with him by insisting on writing this way.

EDIT: Well apparently this is a controversial comment...the score just keeps going up and down.

Re: Reasons Not to Use Apple (2018)

#105
post #24

Wow - regardless of whether one agrees with RMS, alone the fact that this submission has been heavily flagged already (and will thus drop from the frontpage soon) tells you a lot about the power of Apple and their fans here. HN urgently needs to address the flagging problems, this has been the case for many important but controversial topics recently and leads to a degraded quality of frontpage submissions in my view…

I didn’t flag this, but I don’t see why this nonsense derserves special protection. If the flagging mechanism quickly moves trolls like this off the front page I think it’s working.

Re: Reasons Not to Use Apple (2018)

#106
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding his argument against paid toilets: can’t this be said about any other basic neccesity? I.e. don’t pay for food, because some people can’t afford it - so food should be free.

The difference is that using a toilet has neglible marginal cost.

Something has to pay for a cleaner to clean the piss and shit from the floor, walls and ceiling.

Re: Reasons Not to Use Apple (2018)

#107
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your Android phone is compatible[0], you might enjoy the result from installing LineageOS on it. If you wish, you can continue to use the Google Play Services package (which is where Google does all the tracking, and is also the only way to get the Play Store). I chose not to and use F-Droid and directly downloaded APKs, which saves me from running any proprietary code that I haven’t vetted carefully. It also solv…

Thanks for that comment. I still have a Galaxy 4 and last week I pulled it out of the drawer and charged it. I looked at LieageOS but was concerned about the time spent installing it. Also, my Galaxy 4 no longer has a SIM card; do you know what the LineageOS experience would be like WiFi only?

It works fine without cellular. In the hands of someone who can install Linux, it shouldn’t take more than an hour (if you have a not-dialup internet connection).

First, apt install adb heimdall-flash. These are the basic tools for interacting with Samsung phones and Android devices in general from a Linux machine.

From there, follow the instructions I linked below, which basically amounts to getting root and unlocking the boot loader using Heimdall, then flashing TWRP, which is a recovery program, then flashing LineageOS from within TWRP. It’s not hard, but be sure to follow the right set of instructions, because the files for the Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint phones are not compatible.

Assuming you have the Verizon model: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/jfltevzw/install

Re: Reasons Not to Use Apple (2018)

#108
post #14
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding his argument against paid toilets: can’t this be said about any other basic neccesity? I.e. don’t pay for food, because some people can’t afford it - so food should be free.

What's interesting about stallman is that he is zealous about his philosophy, but like all philosophies, his philosophy is inconsistent when you take it to its logical extremes. (See the paradox of closed source microwaves). Stallman's philosophy is a veneer over utilitarianism and assumption that the computer is a unique construct in society -- software should be libre because libre software provides the most value…

> but like all philosophies, his philosophy is inconsistent

All philosophies are inconsistent?

> (See the paradox of closed source microwaves)

That's not a paradox. Binary blobs are okay if, and only if, there is no way to update them anyway. This means there is no way for the copyright holder of the software to force a user to cede their software freedom, so the point is moot.

> software should be libre because libre software provides the most value to the most people due to the 0 marginal cost of software

Software should be libre because it allows users to not be beholden to anything but their own interests. Value and cost are very secondary considerations.

> even if it's less profitable to the creators

That's not a criterium.

> due to the security benefits of closed platforms

Citation very much needed.

> Stallman formed his views when he was working at MIT, with his material support from donations

No. He was working, at MIT, you just stated that.

> The economics of his philosophy are tainted by that foundational flaw.

I think you might want to get better acquainted with "his philosophy", the economics of it, before diving head first into an argument based on nothing but ad-hoc analysis of shaky assertions.

Re: Reasons Not to Use Apple (2018)

#110
post #63

+1 Richard Sure, he is cherry picking examples, but there are a lot of examples to choose from. I used mostly Linux at home for about 15 years, then switched to a decade of MacOS. My new laptop is a Linux laptop and I think I will go back to Linux as my main driver. I am really conflicted about cellphones. I was unhappy with the crap ware preloaded on my Verizon Android phones. I am happier with a Verizon iPhone, as…

If your Android phone is compatible[0], you might enjoy the result from installing LineageOS on it. If you wish, you can continue to use the Google Play Services package (which is where Google does all the tracking, and is also the only way to get the Play Store). I chose not to and use F-Droid and directly downloaded APKs, which saves me from running any proprietary code that I haven’t vetted carefully. It also solv…

It is worth noting that adb also allows the user to remove unwanted software in the event his/her device can't be rooted, which is the case of one of my tablet which resisted any attempts so far. I'm not going to get a new one because it sits on a bench 24/7 and is needed for that abomination called Whatsapp some people is forcing me to use, and beyond that it has zero value to me, but the level of crapware preinstalled made it next to unusable, so I welcomed the day I discovered that adb remove can be used also on unrooted devices to delete vendor installed "system" crapware or other unneded stuff. Just search for "adb uninstall"
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