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Comment by l3s2d | Hacker News Reader

Absolutely.

As much as I dislike Apple, their ecosystem works for them and their users. Unfortunately the general public isn't aware of the restrictions imposed on them until it matters, like when their screen is broken and they can't pay $$$ for a first party repair.

We need regulation coining and enforcing accurate terminology for the relationship between vendors like Apple and Tesla, and their users. It's not ownership. If I can't run whatever software I want on hardware that I paid for, I don't own the hardware.

Can you imagine if your mattress didn't work with third party bed frames? Or pillows?

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Of course their ecosystem works for their users, those of us it doesn't work for have left.

We are just encouraging the rest of you who actually enjoy computers to leave too, and warning app developers to avoid that platform if your app is actually interesting or if a lot of people's careers ride on it, since who knows what apple may decide is not acceptable in the future.

I'm sitting here as a developer, contemplating if my next phone should be an iPhone or Android - and this is the gist of what I think:

- If I buy an Apple I buy into this developer unfriendly ecosystem with a big gatekeeper.

- If I buy an Android I pay with all my privacy, on top of that Google is also a big bully to small app developers.

- Besides Google or Apple, what choices are there?

How do you pay with privacy if you get an Android phone? On an Android phone, you get to choose which SMS app you use, which means neither Apple nor anyone else sees who you are messaging in order to check if you're messaging an iMessage user. You get to install apps on your device without telling anybody. You get to develop apps for your own device without giving your banking details to anybody. You can find your location without sending your location to Apple or anybody else. None of those are possible on iOS. Freedom and privacy go hand in hsnd.

This is something that should definitely be discussed a lot more. And in defining this new relationship we should also define the responsibilities of the parties. Like for example who is responsible for recycling. I believe such a relationship is fine as long as it is not confused with traditional ownership.

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