Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

iPad Is a "Huge Step Backward"

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the who-needs-rights-anyway dept.

An anonymous reader writes "FSF's John Sullivan launches the Defective by Design campaign and petition to rain on Steve's parade, barely minutes out of the starting gate. 'This is a huge step backward in the history of computing,' said FSF's Holmes Wilson, 'If the first personal computers required permission from the manufacturer for each new program or new feature, the history of computing would be as dismally totalitarian as the milieu in Apple's famous Super Bowl ad.' The iPad has DRM writ large: you can only install what Apple says you may, and 'computing' goes consumer mainstream — no more twiddling, just sit back, spend your money, and watch the show — while we allow you to." What is clear is that the rise of the App Store removes control of the computer from the user. It makes me wonder what the next generation of OS X will look like.

5 of 1,634 comments (clear)

  1. he doesn't get it by mugurel · · Score: 1, Redundant

    it's all for our own safety!

  2. It's a choice. Aren't we allowed to have choices? by master_p · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I will not buy the iPad, because I don't like to be locked up in the AppStore. However, other people don't mind that.

    I think the FSF gives much more credit to Apple than it deserves to. Apple is not a monopoly in the market; in fact, they have a small market share in the desktop, laptop, netbook and smartphone sectors.

  3. You can actually programs without permission... by Anik315 · · Score: 1, Redundant

    It just has to be a web app. The App Store model is actually a response to software piracy. If anyone could write and execute app store programs without permission, it would be much more difficult for app developers to make money.

  4. Re:Simple by Pojut · · Score: 0, Redundant

    The reason people are so pissed is because it COULD have been amazing. I could learn to deal with no USB ports, no SD Card slot, no upgrade path...I could learn to deal with that.

    But using the iPhone OS, meaning that everything is locked down tight? No flash or multitasking support? Sorry. Not for the $500 entry fee. Theys hould have ported OSX or created a new OS for this thing. Considering the price point and its locked-down design, there is no reason to buy it.

    Had they not used the iPhone OS and instead made it fully functional, I would buy three.

    --
    Living With a Nerd
  5. Re:Grab a snack...this may take a while. by Pojut · · Score: 0, Redundant

    That said, once jailbroken the iTab should satisfy most of us.

    I can understand hacking a device so that it can do more or work better, but...well...

    I'm yelling this as loud as I can:

    I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO HACK A DEVICE TO MAKE IT WORTH USING. When there are other options that cost less and already do more, we call that a fail.

    --
    Living With a Nerd