“The enclosure of internet commons”

DHH makes a few valid points as to why smartphones are general computing devices and why Apple and Google want them to be just phones.

And he’s right, it sucks that smartphones are so closed off when it comes to the system. I would like to be able to install an alternative operating system on my smartphone or install apps from sources other than the official app store without much effort.

It’s particularly ironic that it should be Apple that has lead both this enclosure movement and the specific pivot to ad-infested software. Given how they were themselves were able to escape Microsoft’s dominance of the 90s due to the rise of the cross-platform internet, and because they pride themselves on caring oh-so-much about privacy in advertisement (and certain aspects of their platform design).

https://world.hey.com/dhh/the-enclosure-of-internet-commons-613ed798

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