Hacker News Reader

Comment by nologic01 | Hacker News Reader

A repairability index is about as objective as can get: a list a components and their modes of failure along with a checklist of:

* what can be repaired by the owner using spare parts, instructions and common tools

* what can be repaired by an independend third party

* what must be repaired by the manufacturer

* when must something be junked and how much of it can be recycled

These are not "opinions". At some point we need to start calling out the criminal indifference of vested interests (and their shills) to the sustainability question

View on HN

A freedom index is about as objective as it can get: a list of categories and their rights along with a checklist of:

* what kinds of guns can be owned

* what kinds of cars can be owned

* what kinds of speech is allowed

* what proportion of income one can keep

These are not "opinons". At some point we need to start calling out the criminal indifference of vested interests (and their shills) to the freedom question

I feel you are trying to make some kind of point but I am not getting it.

Sure, start a democracy index by the methods you stated and compile a list and put it somewhere online and I'm sure people would find it useful. Those facts are useful for people looking into the freedoms of different places.

We are talking about repairability here though.

What is the complaint?

I think some confusion here is about "a number" people keep mentioning. Is it a single number that has to be objectively weighted by the facts? Or are we talking "a list of..." or data points which _are_ just facts can people can make their own opinion of?

Are they facts?

Uh yes?

What types of guns you can own is a fact.

What types of components in a phone can be replaced by the user and those replaced only by apple is a fact.

I'm not quite sure what you are implying. Are those not facts?

Is it a fact that the United States is the most free country? Your index isn’t called “index of phones by number of parts replaceable”, just like mine isn’t called “index of countries by gun ownership”. Like I said, you attached a number to your opinion and want to present it as a fact.

> Is it a fact that the United States is the most free country?

Probably not? Who said it was or wasnt? Maybe if we had a list of facts about each country we could determine for ourselves, no?

This was my above comment.

I don't think anyone wants a single number "index".

Just give the facts.

Its not called "index of phones by number of parts repalceable" its "here are the facts on these 5 axis about the repairability of various phones" go make your own choice. Its not called "index of countries by gun ownership" its "a list of freedom facts about the country, one of which is gun ownership"

The irony is that they are defending the right of a manufacturing cartel to limit the options of what these valiant freedom fighters can do with stuff they own (with the "hard-won" money they managed to rescue from the evil "taxman" :-).

But assuming they indeed want the "freedom" to have unrepairable cars, what about my freedom to want a market that offers them. Same with a market for cars that are not surveillance devices etc. Are their needs more important than mine?

Political extremism turns people into ugly entitled morons. Alas its not a sad circus to watch from afar. They are taking society down to their sociopathic dark world.

You're right in that freedom is subjective, but you're getting downvoted because you're presenting it in a way that people are finding annoying.

I actually don't think that's why they're getting downvoted, nobody is arguing that freedom isn't subjective, it's not a very insightful point.

I think they're getting downvoted (note: not by me, I downvote very little) because they've introduced a controversial strawman around a much more ambiguous topic than one about the repairability of mechanical and electrical consumer goods. It is not some sort of flight of fancy to think we could define what is important about repairability for consumer goods and have at least some objective criteria that is communicated to the consumer.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com