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

Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

9to5google.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

671–680 of 1001 posts

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#671

Post by ulrikrasmussen »

baq wrote: post #529
medhir wrote: post #407

Every day we stray farther from the premise that we should be allowed to install / modify software on the computers we own. Will once again re-up the concept of a “right to root access”, to prevent big corps from pulling this bs over and over again: https://medhir.com/blog/right-to-root-access

In the meantime, corporate is thinking about locking browsers down. Remember this? https://chromestatus.com/feature/5796524191121408 They’ll try again, with big business and governments cheering on them.

Government in EU will want it once they introduce the Chat Control legislation and observe that it is trivial to circumvent by either modifying clients to not scan or using free open source alternatives. Logical next step is to lock down all devices and thereby also ensure total and utter surrender of all our digital infrastructure to the current duopoly in the mobile device market (Apple and Google).

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#675

Post by coldtea »

medhir wrote: post #407

Every day we stray farther from the premise that we should be allowed to install / modify software on the computers we own. Will once again re-up the concept of a “right to root access”, to prevent big corps from pulling this bs over and over again: https://medhir.com/blog/right-to-root-access

You'll own nothing (not even your digital assets) and be happy!

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#676

Post by riedel »

It is telling that they have not yet released the process for hobbyists and students. While it is clearly just an evil move, in praxis for tech people this could mean just the extra hurdle of signing an APK with your own developer account: I could see a workflow on top of Fdroid (which also just could become a developer and use their keys for all FOSS apps). But I am guessing those evil geniuses will find a way to make it harder and harder. In the end it is not Google that can make the change but rather banks and streaming services that could accept alternative attestations from e.g. graphene, e/OS or eventually also lineage. Problem is the distribution of power, that won't change with out legislators pushing (see in app payment)

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#677

Post by dariosalvi78 »

as a general philosophy, anything that I can do on the Web I do it using a browser. The less apps I have the better.

And to those, many here, who "but web apps are ugly, native feels better": you are contributing to all of this.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#678

Post by selfmodruntime »

tgma wrote: post #503

The funny thing is Stallman started his fight like half a century ago and on regular days Hacker News shits on him eating something off of his foot and not being polished and diplomatic, and loves practical aspects of Corporate Open Source and gratis goodies and doesn't particularly care about Free Software. On this day suddenly folks come out of the woodwork advocating for half baked measures to achieve what Stallma…

We really shouldn’t have the frontman of free software be someone who is a creep towards women and who can’t take care of himself.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#680

Post by zigzag312 »

medhir wrote: post #407

Every day we stray farther from the premise that we should be allowed to install / modify software on the computers we own. Will once again re-up the concept of a “right to root access”, to prevent big corps from pulling this bs over and over again: https://medhir.com/blog/right-to-root-access

Computing devices hardware and operating systems should be treated as essential digital infrastructure, with laws in place to ensure that the owner of the device retains full control over it and to prevent manufacturers or developers from over-imposing their control.
Post reply on HN