Ask Slashdot: Is the World Better Or Worse Because of Security Tech?

Slashdot reader krisdickie is a developer for embedded devices (and many other systems), and spends a lot of time being proactive about security. This is obviously important, and I don't necessarily see it as a distraction, but rather a complex problem that has some added thrill to being solved. I can't help but wonder though if I (and my team) would have been X times more productive or have come up with some amazing new concept or feature, if we didn't have to deal with implementing security measures.

In a utopian world, where there are no bad actors, we would have likely forfeited many of the systems and ideas that have been put into place to prevent bad things from happening. So my question is -- are we more technically advanced because of the thoughtfulness that has gone into creating these systems?

Or are we just losing precious resources and time dealing with the necessity of protecting ourselves from the perilous few?
Share your own thoughts in the comments. Is the world better or worse off because of our ongoing development of security tech?

Comments

Technology is a gift

[MrKaos]

The choice people have to make is if it frees us or enslaves us.

Re: Gaming has more investment, more of a WASTE o

[Immerman]

Bull. Music, art, dance, board games - these things exist in practically every culture in the the world, and have for at least several thousand years. Poverty is no great impediment to entertainment. Even in our hunter-gather days it's estimated that the average person only spent a few hours a day in survival-oriented activities. Abject poverty, along with the idea that anyone should spend more than half their waking life at work, are purely modern constructs of greed-oriented society.