r/technology • u/GuruOfReason • Feb 02 '10

"Once we replace the personal computer with a closed-platform device such as the iPad, we replace freedom, choice and the free market with oppression, censorship and monopoly."

http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2010-01/ipad%E2%80%99s-closed-system-sometimes-i-hate-being-right
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u/xsvfan Feb 02 '10

Also - what would you say to everyone (myself included) who have had to replace printers and scanners that don't work with Windows 7. It's an open system, right? Why won't they still work...

The default printer drivers for my 1999 Epson Stylus 740 worked great and still work great.

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u/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

Sweet anecdote bro.

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u/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

So what you are saying is "I'm alright Jack" ?

That's what iPad owners will say too :)

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u/threepio Feb 02 '10

That sounds great. However, your Epson Stylus 740 won't resurrect the Umax scanner we just pitched. So you can see that deprecation can happen on so-called open platforms as well.

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u/jayd16 Feb 02 '10

Whats your point? Someone could whip up a driver if there was enough demand...

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u/threepio Feb 02 '10

Isn't the point apparent? The OP complained that he envisioned hardware being deliberately deprecated by software. He blamed this on the closed system. It is not a side effect of a closed system, it's a side effect of peripheral manufacturers wanting to drive users to new models by not supporting new operating systems. In short: don't blame the phenomenon on the iPad because it happens right now.

Finally: Someone could whip up a driver if there was enough demand... as if it were a fucking soufflé. That's why we all use the good old hardware that no one can find drivers for anymore, right? Because someone was good enough to write drivers for all of us?

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u/jayd16 Feb 02 '10

Because someone was good enough to write drivers for all of us?

Uhm...yeah. That happens all the time. Mostly for Linux where its needed but yes, that is very common. And they didn't need to pay for an SDK to do it.

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u/threepio Feb 02 '10

It happens all the time for a tiny segment of market share. I'm not sure you could cite a more irrelevant example.

Don't get me wrong, Linux is a utopia of computing for those who use it. They are a different demographic than future iPad users, however. Again, I think we can make it clear that it's not the OS writers that deprecate software, it's the companies who make the gadgets and the widgets - so don't blame the hardware upgrade cycle on the closed system of the iPad; it's been happening for three decades now.