The social contract between the user and the OS is broken | Hacker News Reader

The social contract between the user and the OS is broken

4 pointsm348e9123 comments

Here are just some of the social contract rules that have been reneged upon:

* Hitting the X means close/quit the app.

* Close/quit means end the task/program, not minimize it and run in the background.

* Searching allows you to search for a file or a program quickly and directly.

* No ads on an OS that the user paid for

* Clicking "No" means stop asking, not "remind me later"

* User's data should remain user's data

* If a user backs up files to the cloud, it doesn't mean they automatically get removed from the users machine without permission

* AI shouldn't be shoehorned into all apps unless enabled by user

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The social contract was void the first time any consumer device displayed "Welcome" or "Hello"

Windows got obscenely shifty at 11 when depending on the liability or gain of the interaction at hand the initiative of the dialog switches from MSFT to the user:

Windows will install updates...

(updater running) You're XX% there. Don't turn off your PC.

Copilot: What do you want to do?

Defender: Your PC is unprotected

(Installation) We're getting a few things ready

With Tesla cars, "Full" Self Driving does not include a crash; when the system determines a crash to be unavoidable it takes its hands off and "returns control to the driver" in the moment of impact, such that Tesla can deny liability in the episode.

Consider intentionality and design patterns of the "click wrap" license agreement, or terms of use updates that are implicitly accepted by "continuing to use".

The shifty BS is pervasive

>With Tesla cars, "Full" Self Driving does not include a crash; when the system determines a crash to be unavoidable it takes its hands off and "returns control to the driver" in the moment of impact, such that Tesla can deny liability in the episode.

I didn't know about this one, interesting

I kind of agree with that, but this is because I started my carier when it was Windows 95 and I remember that contract between me and Windows. But if you will try to compare it version by version you will see that it was changing constantly, but maybe was not so visible before win 11. Core principles were untauched.

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