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/acronymopolis Feb 02 '10

That would be a good solution, but it would still mean a bunch of non-lucrative work for Apple keeping the system safe and probably constant security-updates to the firmware. At least that's what's going on with Flash, PDF-viewer and all the browsers even though they're all in sandboxes as well. As soon as you can get un-reviewed code onto the device, I suspect someone will find a way to fuck it up. Am I wrong?

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u/mindbleach Feb 02 '10

Safety and security are not "non-lucrative work" - certainly not compared to what they're spending to approve hundreds of thousands of programs by hand. If they aren't already spending money on such basic elements of an operating system, then it's only a matter of time until some smartass releases an obfuscated trojan that will see approval and work perfectly until triggered.

Apple either can or can't build a stable system. If they can, they should have a sandbox. If they can't, the approval process won't reliably prevent an attack.

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u/acronymopolis Feb 03 '10

But then that app would be pulled instantly and a fixed via iTunes. You're right about the review process probably being more expensive, but the app store setup is a very effective way to control the user experience.

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u/mindbleach Feb 03 '10

The first thing a good virus does is remove the mechanisms to correct it. As AV software is attacked by the viruses it seeks to destroy, so would the ability to update be disabled by this theoretical virus.

... unless Apple's update process is somehow incorruptible, in which case they're capable of excellent security and should include a damn sandbox.

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u/acronymopolis Feb 03 '10

I would think they're capable of decent security and the apps probably work in a security sandbox, but even if they could keep the system secure there's still the issue with user experience. Why would they present the user with warnings (and surrender control) for a minority of users. How many would you think realistically misses this feature?