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A Closed Off System?
AnarkiNet wonders: "In an age of malware which installs itself via browsers, rootkits installing themselves from audio cds, and loads of other shady things happening on your computer, would a 'Closed OS' be successful? The idea is an operating system (open or closed source), which allows no third party software to be installed, ever. Yes, not even your own coded programs would run unless they existed in the OS-maker-managed database of programs that could be installed. Some people might be aghast at this idea but I feel that it could be highly useful for example in the corporate setting where there would be no need for a secretary to have anything on his/her computer other than the programs available from the OS-maker. For now, let's not worry if people can 'get around' the system. If each program that made up the collection of allowed programs was 'up to scratch' and had 'everything you need', would you really have an issue with being unable to install a different program that did the same thing?"
As far as I'm concerned, Ubuntu and the other Linux'es are already this. I never figured out how to install *anything* on the damn things. If it wasn't in the catalog, then you had to be a full-time dork to get it working.
All in all, the experience wasn't bad. There were some good programs in the list. However, maybe just because I've been around PC's for so long, there are certain programs that I wanted to use, and was frustrated that they never worked. I don't know if this would bother regular people.
The only problem with this is sometimes (often), the catalog titles didn't even work right, then you're stuck with no alternative, and a new, expensive doorstop.
Suffice to say, I now use Windows.