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1183 points robenkleene | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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jjoonathan ◴[] No.24838965[source]
"You don't need kernel extensions, we'll provide APIs for you! We won't abuse the power that gives us, promise!"

...and now Apple has altered the deal and we must pray they do not alter it further. Disgusting. Predictable, expected, unsurprising -- but still disgusting.

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nix23 ◴[] No.24839174[source]
Dont pray, just dont buy Apple Products
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ineedasername ◴[] No.24839473[source]
What's the alternative for the typical user? Windows has its own problems, and let's face it: market forces on this sort of thing or any other practices by the two of them have not driven people to use desktop Linux instead. For most people, there's simply no reasonable option to switch to that would avoid these things or employ market forces to get these companies to change their ways.
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brlewis ◴[] No.24840171[source]
Are you saying that because large numbers of typical users have not yet switched to desktop Linux, we can conclude that desktop Linux is not a reasonable option they can switch to?
replies(1): >>24841534 #
1. ineedasername ◴[] No.24841534[source]
No, the fact that Linux is not currently a practical option for most users isn't proof that it can't be or never will be.

I am saying the lack of desktop adoption is indicative of the difficulties of doing so. There is a level-of-effort barrier and technical-knowledge barrier to it. 20 years of progress have lowered those barriers a lot, but even if something like Ubuntu will often be fully functional with a standard install, most users never have to install an OS. They can't walk into Best Buy and come out with a computer that runs desktop Linux.

I think the success of Chrome Books show that people would be receptive to alternative operating systems, but we don't have a retail or post-purchase support environment in place to facilitate it, and I don't see that coming on the horizon.