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Is it possible to allow sideloading and keep users safe?

(shkspr.mobi)
205 points ColinWright | 7 comments | 30 Aug 25 12:03 UTC | HN request time: 1.015s | source | bottom
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enriquto ◴[30 Aug 25 12:59 UTC] No.45074254[source]▶
> Are you allowed to run whatever computer program you want on the hardware you own?

Yes. It is a basic human right.

> This is a question where freedom, practicality, and reality all collide into a mess.

No; it isn't. The answer is clear and not messy. If you are not allowed to run programs of your choice, then it is not your hardware. Practicality and "reality" (whatever that means) are irrelevant issues here.

Maybe you prefer to use hardware that is not yours, but that is a different question.

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rikafurude21 ◴[30 Aug 25 13:18 UTC] No.45074396[source]▶
It seems that this is another one of those things where the lowest common denominator sets the rules for everyone. Most people arent tech savvy programmers so giving them the freedom to do 'whatever they want' will lead them to hurt themselves in some way. Of course this is not an excuse for locking down your hardware. Smartphones just came into being as a consumer-first product and didnt require many of the freedoms that programmers needed, which is why computers are fundamentally more open than smartphones. Apple of course is trying to change that with their Macs
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1. squigz ◴[30 Aug 25 13:20 UTC] No.45074418[source]▶
You don't need to be a "tech savvy programmer" to be aware of the risks on the Internet and not do stupid shit.
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2. rikafurude21 ◴[30 Aug 25 13:22 UTC] No.45074435[source]▶
https://xkcd.com/2501/
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3. fleshmonad ◴[30 Aug 25 13:27 UTC] No.45074492[source]▶
Only that nothing about this requires big expertise. If you are a user of computers, you should be able to navigate the basics. It's the same like driving a car, you must know the traffic rules and how to behave, but that doesn't mean you have to understand how your engine works in detail.
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4. rikafurude21 ◴[30 Aug 25 14:19 UTC] No.45074901{3}[source]▶
If you want to drive a car you go through driving school and have to pass the tests to get a drivers license. Theres no drivers license for the internet and not really any strict set of rules you have to follow in order to get online - most people pick up a sense for rules online by osmosis, usually about how to not get scammed or get malware - sometimes they have to learn by first hand experience. If we go by your comparison this would be like learning to drive by crashing a couple cars. I definitely believe anyone whos even a little tech savvy underestimates how complicated or confusing technology can be for the average person.
5. fc417fc802 ◴[31 Aug 25 03:46 UTC] No.45080206[source]▶
TBF historically systems were designed with such poor UX that it was sometimes quite difficult not to do stupid things. Such as using Windows back in the day without installing software from the internet at large (ie there was no reputable package manager).

But that's a system design issue as opposed to an argument against user freedom.

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6. pjmlp ◴[31 Aug 25 06:13 UTC] No.45080789[source]▶
You mean like using curl, shell, and sudo that is so prevalent these days?
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7. fc417fc802 ◴[02 Sep 25 04:27 UTC] No.45099138{3}[source]▶
Is it? I certainly don't do that. We have access to multiple well known and reasonably well designed distribution mechanisms today. Anyone going the curlbash route is doing so of his own accord and with zero excuse if his known bad choices bites him in the ass.

(For the record I have nothing but disdain for those that choose to go this route. Looking at you rustup home page. In contrast LLVM has the decency to provide an apt repository for nightly images.)