The Coming War on General Computation (2011)

The biggest war on General Computation is that devices are replacing our computers. I work for a non-profit education company. We have 2 Dell All in One computers in every classroom. Hard to argue we need $1,000 computers when they are basically a web browser machine. Now Apple is making an iPad to be useful for the average person's computer use 95% of the time.

Who needs DRM when the devices themselves lock people out.

Given then Chromebooks can go into dev mode and run linux and you have windows subsystem for Linux, really what we are seeing in 2017 is the ubiquity of linux and the gpl stack

There is a kind of sequel to this talk:

Fighting Back in the War on General Purpose Computers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT6itfUUsoQ

This is a rather hyperbolic talk. I kept thinking of counter examples; non-spyware devices, general purpose computers I've browsed by the hundreds in the last week; ways to maximize the use cases for devices sold at ridiculously low "black box" price points; missed opportunities to pour even worse regulation on the innocent user, etc.

I dunno, I just can't get there. I don't see a war on general computation. Maybe a shifting set of industry priorities around it, but that isn't a war...

interesting read, especially today when everything is a computerized device.

Seeing how often the cracks where infected, this approach by the - not - entertainment industry, will be the road the giants of tomorrow will take. Apple, google - they will try to brick any remaining free device.

Again?

FYI: This is from December 2011.