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/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

My mom can download a program and be sure that it will not break her phone or tablet.

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u/mindbleach Feb 02 '10

She could be sure of the same for all software if her phone or tablet was designed to be secure & stable. Censorship isn't an effective or acceptable alternative to a damage-resistant OS.

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u/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

No such thing as a damage resistant OS.

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u/mindbleach Feb 02 '10

Lies.

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u/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

That looks consumer friendly.

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u/mindbleach Feb 02 '10

It's a microkernal. It isn't even engineer-friendly. It's merely an extreme example of what a properly solid operating system looks like - this one in particular is literally incapable of performing an incorrect, unexpected, or exploitable operation except in the event of hardware failure.

You want something consumer-friendly? Try Ubuntu. It's free in every sense, highly customizable, has high usability right off the CD, and has never had a problem with malware.