It's really a can't eat the cake and have it too problem. We want hackability but we also want convenience and feeling save (Trust). On Linux dists this trust is put in the opensource developers and distro maintainers. When you need to build something yourself the source is open for you to see. Developers and maintainers take pride in their work. On the mobile platform it seems from my point of view like more development is fueled by profit. If you combine profit seeking with sideloading proprietary applications i believe the end result would cause iPhone sales to drop as their USP no longer holds true (conveniece for the everyday user not having to deal with security, trust, payment processors).

I am using Android as I've been for the last couple of years for this hackability, but i rely more on F-Droid than Play Store.

I understand both Apples and Epics point of view, standard consumer would probably be hurt by Epic getting their way while HN crowd would benefit (possibly short term only) from Epic getting their way.

One thing to keep in mind is that there's a reason why Apple is doing this, and it rhymes well with what every single person i know says about the iPhone. It's simple, it just works, you know how to use it, It's convenient. All these things sound like things one can only achieve in a walled garden.

Apple does what's best for their shareholders, and what's best for their shareholders is if people stay happy with their iPhones and keep purchasing them. I'll stick to Android and all the associated spyware until there's a proper opensource alternative for day2day use and some decent music streaming service available.

How else am I supposed to mention how many thousands of dollars of apple gear I've got!?

It's a fallacy to think you can play gatekeeper regarding 'hacking' just because I (or more generally the HN audience) like and value one phone ecosystem over another. Surely you knew that already though, right?