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Apple has locked me in the same cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

theregister.com

361–369 of 369 posts

Re: Apple has locked me in the same cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

#361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Just because it's commonplace doesn't make it any less hostile to users. Sure, game consoles are user-hostile. They're also great for playing games, and they tend to "just work" with less configuration and customization than a typical gaming PC. Less configuration tends to mean fewer problems and easier tech support, but the primary business reason game consoles are locked town is to make it harder to play unlicens…

> but the primary business reason game consoles are locked town is to make it harder to play unlicensed commercial games on them. Which is user-hostile. The user bought the hardware, so they should be allowed to play whatever they please. Hiding the true cost of the hardware by inflating game prices using licensing fees is monopolistic and an attempt at misleading the consumer. This is the exact same business model a…

> Hiding the true cost of the hardware by inflating game prices using licensing fees is monopolistic and an attempt at misleading the consumer

R&D is undertaken with the expectation of future reward, often including licensing fees. However, if we consider component and manufacturing costs, those have always been included in the price of the Nintendo Switch. Even the disc-based PS5 became profitable by that metric after 8 months, during a global pandemic with supply chain shocks.

Re: Apple has locked me in the same cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

#362
post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depending on your use case, Librem 5 may be more capable, since it runs full desktop OS, so you can run the same apps as on desktop, connect via ssh, install things with apt, use it in desktop mode, easier develop new apps etc.

Okay, I want to develop apps on the go and be able to plug my small device into a monitor and keyboard/mouse. If you bought an iPhone 16e and a Raspberry Pi, both devices together would be cheaper and individually have better specs than a Librem 5. Or you could just get a tablet with a cellular modem like a Surface Pro, or a laptop like a Framework. I know I'm beating this thread to death but I feel quite strongly th…

These are quite different use cases.

> If you bought an iPhone 16e and a Raspberry Pi

Now you have to manage two devices, each not individually capable of what you want. You have to care about synchronization and backups, always being online. You can't use ordinary tools like ssh -X, you can't customize your working environment. By the way, Apple's artificial limitations on what you can and can't do with your devices are outrageous.

> Or you could just get a tablet with a cellular modem like a Surface Pro, or a laptop like a Framework.

Now, you're comparing a laptop with a phone. Seriously? Similar for the tablet, which is much larger and can't provide a good development environment, especially for Linux apps.

> Fairphone

What they're doing is great, but relying on Android is a dead end in my opinion, since Google decides its development direction and they have no reason to support user freedom. They're restricting the OS more with each update. (It's similar to switching from Chrome to Chromium trying to avoid the Manifest v3.) Can you even run LibreOffice on it? Supporting alternative operating systems is strongly needed.

Re: Apple has locked me in the same cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

#363
post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've never bought anything you knew could be improved?

To paraphrase MKBHD, only buy devices for the features they have right now. Otherwise you will often be disappointed.

That's independent of wanting obvious limitations removed from a device that is already otherwise useful for you.

Re: Apple has locked me in the same cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

#364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So do I, I just don't sign up for the subscription through Apple's services but natively through the provider.

Yes. But if the price is the same, it’s much easier to manage subscriptions through Apple. Many don’t allow you to subscribe through Apple.

Many don't allow you to subscribe through Apple because Apple charges them a fee for doing so.

Even as an Apple fanboy I can understand why they would pull native sign ups through Apple.

Re: Apple has locked me in the same cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

#365
post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, I want to develop apps on the go and be able to plug my small device into a monitor and keyboard/mouse. If you bought an iPhone 16e and a Raspberry Pi, both devices together would be cheaper and individually have better specs than a Librem 5. Or you could just get a tablet with a cellular modem like a Surface Pro, or a laptop like a Framework. I know I'm beating this thread to death but I feel quite strongly th…

These are quite different use cases. > If you bought an iPhone 16e and a Raspberry Pi Now you have to manage two devices, each not individually capable of what you want. You have to care about synchronization and backups, always being online. You can't use ordinary tools like ssh -X, you can't customize your working environment. By the way, Apple's artificial limitations on what you can and can't do with your devices…

LibreOffice has an Android version, which is published on F-Droid.

Re: Apple has locked me in the same cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

#366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WRT drawing, specifically: no, they dragged their feet on introducing a pen/stylus for years. They insisted it be a "touch-only" device (Wacom's patents on display digitizers surely did not factor in /s), which sucked for those of us who couldn't afford a Cintiq, but who had a perfectly good iPad 2 lying around. There were several valiant, if flawed, stylus efforts befor the Pencil, but with awkward connection, press…

Your complaint seems to be that Apple was late to the party (as they often are). I agree that early third-party styli were a pain - I used various Jot versions, which were better than nothing but not great. But the Apple pencil + Procreate is actually great, and a fulfillment of the iPad's original promise in the drawing space.

My complaint is that the idea that the decent drawing experience that we have now was part of Apple's master plan for the iPad is incorrect. They resisted it purposely because the iPad was never meant to be a creative device. The issue wasn't limited to visual art; people who wanted to use iPads for its other major creative application - as a music controller - had to use a number of hacks to break it out of the Garageband ghetto.

The core issue is the hobbling of promising hardware because it doesn't fit the platform owner's vision.

Re: Apple has locked me in the same cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

#367
post #236
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LibreOffice is pretty bad. It doesn't tend to hold up past very basic use, and that use case has long since been taken by Google Docs. For serious work - e.g. legal services word processing, or many accounting workflows - LibreOffice doesn't hold a candle to Excel and Word. The problem with desktop Linux software is that it generally doesn't have the demands put on it that would push it to develop competitively, so i…

I'm curious, do you maybe have an example for each of the "legal services work processing" and "accounting workflows" that LibreOffice can't handle?

[deleted]

Re: Apple has locked me in the same cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

#368

Earlier quoted context omitted.

so apparently I've witnessed a new device category being born. Not a mobile, not a laptop. Which has neither the rights and obligations of real computer nor of the mobile phone. It is something new (A TABLET) and will not let me handle my photos on it as I could handle them on my phone, it wouldn't let me browse pages as if this was laptop (even though I put it in the orientation the same as my laptop had) etc. etc.…

Don't most browsers have a "Desktop site" option you can turn on to tell websites you want the desktop version? It seems weird to blame your device for websites' bad decisions, especially when your device goes out of its way to allow you to force websites to correct their mistake.

Desktop site mode sometimes didn't work, and in this case, it failed me. I wonder how did they detect the machine, probably they hardcoded something...

Re: Apple has locked me in the same cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

#369
post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are quite different use cases. > If you bought an iPhone 16e and a Raspberry Pi Now you have to manage two devices, each not individually capable of what you want. You have to care about synchronization and backups, always being online. You can't use ordinary tools like ssh -X, you can't customize your working environment. By the way, Apple's artificial limitations on what you can and can't do with your devices…

LibreOffice has an Android version, which is published on F-Droid.

Is it the same as the full desktop version? Does it have all the instruments? Even if yes, many other tools don't.
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