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Comment by pheroden | Hacker News Reader

I on the other hand love it. I use Linux, Windows and OSX on a daily basis. I use an iPhone and an Android tablet. Each device has its purpose, and levels of trust, and a kowegeable buyer knows the strenghts and weaknesses of each platform going in. If you're getting upset that Apple is enforcing its rules for what it views as a security concern, is silly in my opinion.

If you don't want someone overzealously protecting you, then don't get an iPhone. If you don't want all your data sent to a server, then don't get an android or windows device. No one is ever forced to use an iPhone personally, and the flux devs knew they were breaking a set of rules which is why they were using the approach they were.

No rose coloured glasses here, I just don't get worked up over things I could have seen coming a mile away.

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What if I don't want somebody "protecting" me but I also don't want Google or Microsoft taking all my data?

Apple enforcing its rules by forcing somebody to take down content hosted on a web page, content which does not infringe any copyrights or trademarks or other IP, is stepping out of bounds, in my opinion. There are a lot of things I dislike about Apple, but this crosses a line for me.

People bought Android instead of WebOS and killed the most open platform mobile has ever seen. Hell, you could boot a kernel over USB, and Palm gave you the tools and commands to do it. On their official website.

Google does the same with its Nexus devices[1] in that you can build a completely open-source version of Android except for certain hardware-specific binary blobs.

[1] https://source.android.com/source/running.html

So... You can build the complete OS... Except for all the hard driver parts.

The hard driver parts are for things like LTE, GPS, GSM, wifi, camera, etc. which the device manufacturers haven't chosen to open-source. I don't see how it's relevant to Android itself, any other OS would have the same problems with that hardware.

As does Google. Or has "fastboot boot" stopped working on Nexus (and many other bootloader-unlocked) devices?

> Hell, you could boot a kernel over USB, and Palm gave you the tools and commands to do it

So does Google. All Nexus devices allows you to do "fastboot boot kernel.img".

Other devices with unlocked bootloaders supports/supported this too (like my old HTC One M7), using the same standard Android tools.

It's sad that what you're describing sounds scandalous today.

The market has basically failed your particular niche. Until enough people (or lawmakers) step up on privacy Apple is your best bet, all things considered.

Sorry.

I wouldn't say the market doesn't provide them; there are Ubuntu and FirefoxOS smartphones. It's just that a niche demand only gets a niche supply.

That's my conclusion as well. I use an iPhone but I'm not terribly happy with it. It may be the best choice, but that doesn't mean I can't complain about its many deficiencies, among which Apple's stupid "security" policies are some of the worst.

I'm pretty happy in Apple land, but the battle was lost years ago when it comes to the internet. Gmail tracks me. Facebook tracks me even though I'm not a member. YouTube tracks me because I use Gmail. Google tracks me because of Gmail. Everything tracks me.

And the only solution is to throw out every piece of electronics I own. That's not happening.

We need laws. Some day, perhaps. Too bad the TPP didn't include EU countries (I know), maybe there would have been ONE benefit.

> Too bad the TPP didn't include EU countries (I know), maybe there would have been ONE benefit.

You think the TPP including the EU would have led to better privacy protections? To it seems obvious that the point of addressing privacy in the TPP would have been watering down the EU's existing protections, not trying to increase the privacy protections available anywhere else.

I imagine you're right that that's how it would have gone. But at least someone would have been trying. The EU is still pretty pissed over Snowden.

Do a web search for TTIP.

I wonder what would have happened if the f.lux developers refused to take down the code, besides cancelling their developer account.

iOS does not send data to server?

I didn't say that, did I?

But I want f.lux on my iPhone :/

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