this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2024
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We need to exert more pressure on apple and eu to not remove PWAs. Every signature counts, please sign and share EU has already started a preliminary investigation on this http://archive.today/2024.02.26-223134/https://www.ft.com/content/d2f7328c-5851-4f16-8f8d-93f0098b6adc

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[–] [email protected] 69 points 6 months ago (6 children)

It seems the solution is simple. Don't use apple products anymore. Windows or linux.

Unlike apple, there's ways to make windows private and secure and most distros of linux are mostly private and mostly secure

[–] [email protected] 23 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Windows is the one where I need an account to install and that spies on me and throws ads in my face, that one?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Like I said, there's ways to make it private. And there's ways to block the ads. There's ways to use it without a Microsoft account too.

Apple devices have a second network adapter to bypass your VPN and any adblocking software you have to serve you locally relevant ads.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

second network adapter

Source? A quick search didn't turn up anything.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

You don't need an account. De-bloating scripts take care of most other annoyances. You can fairly easily beat windows into submission

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago (3 children)

You don't need an account.

Technically true but worthless to your average consumer. You need to interrupt the installation process, enter a command in a terminal after knowing how to access the terminal and then you can use a local account.

This is worthless to your average person.

The same argument applies when Linux neckbeards waddle out of a basement to declare something is simple; just open terminal and do Y.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago

The average consumer doesn't know what NTFS or FAT32 is. I don't think they'll understand the privacy implications of Windows reporting.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Not tried in a while but it used to just be a case of leaving it disconnected from the net during setup.

Failing that you can still sign up with a throwaway account and convert it to local in the options after installation iirc. It's not ideal but it's still something at least.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

There are additional steps now which I mentioned.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

your average consumer

People aren't "consumers" A consumer is a gaping maw that eats everything until there's nothing left.

People are people. They're home users, they're customers, they're clients, they're citizens, they're legal residents. But they are not now or will they ever be "consumers"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Consumer noun

a person who buys goods or uses services

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/consumer

Please link the dictionary your definition comes from.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Last time I checked you could sign in without a Microsoft account by deliberately interrupting your internet connection while setting up Windows.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

They even have an offline installer mode with local account only. Just need to download the correct image from the Microsoft server.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Too bad when more and more people buy Apple phones for some reason, well at least where I live (which is the poorer part of central Europe), I have no idea how people can spend this kind of money for a 4 or 5 year phone, when you can buy something more capable for the same money and you will actually know it will get supported with updates for more than 2 years

Can't wait for this to be more widespread in the future to the point iMessage will be the messaging standard

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It's mostly a moot point anyway. The vast majority of people who buy apple products "for some reason" will have no frame of reference or desire to learn what has changed as far as web apps are concerned.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Except I live in central/eastern Europe and most of these people were android users

It definitely is just a brand thing and the fact they maybe bought a shitty budget phone and then went straight for the iPhone 11s/12s and thought "this is so good and android sucks", because that's just the fact the price is 4 times higher compared to the old phone

For example for the same price you can get a pixel 7 or an iPhone 12 (or an Samsung A54, S20 FE or a flip 3, which aren't that great considering they are on sale currently, and I'm comparing this price to the normal prices of the other two), imo the pixel is a lot better value than the iPhone in that case

Also the retailer in question is czc.cz, probably the best retailer in Czechia for tech because others just focus on appliances or aren't as good (but tbh they do quite suck since they just for some reason have crazy prices or don't have some things other retailers here and around the world have)

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Same reason poor people buy overpriced designer handbags. Status symbol…

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Yup, those status symbols are for poor and upper middle class people.

  • poor - a few nice things makes you appreciate them a lot
  • upper middle class - no need to save money on such things, so you get "the best" or whatever
  • rich - you get bespoke stuff, "designer" stuff is for plebs
  • middle class - "a few nice things" isn't as good as "lots of pretty good things" and a funded retirement

Source:

  • poor - my in-laws
  • upper middle class - DINKs I work with, wealthy neighbors
  • rich - movies
  • middle class - me
[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

What I always found odd is that many people will try Android. And at the first problem they'll switch to iPhone.

However the iPhone may demonstrate the same exact problem, among many more, yet they just deal with it anyway.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago

Probably because on Android there is likely a way to fix it, but it involves a bit of research and picking the best way.
Whereas on iPhone, thats yhe wayvits intended to be so "suck it up".
Some people just dont want to have to deal with the choices

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago (4 children)

This topic is about mobile devices, not desktop. Last I checked, Windows and Linux aren't mobile OS's.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Android is LTS kernel + Google patches. I know it's not the flavor of Linux you are talking about, but most of my apps are side loaded via F-Droid and a few from Aurora as a Play store proxy on a de-Googled ROM (GrapheneOS). There is no walled garden here.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The most relevant part to this discussion is that Android doesn't restrict Web browsers. On Apple, all Web browsers, even Firefox, are nothing but reskins of Safari.

So their restrictions on Web apps affects all Web browsers on IOS because they only allow their own html engine.

It's absolutely insane how far we have fallen from the 90's. Back then MS got in trouble just for including a browser with the OS. Now Apple has the majority market share in the US and is allowed to not only to bundle their own browser, but doesn't allow any other browser other than their own.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago

While you’re right about Android not restricting browsers, the context that is missing here is that the EU is (rightfully) forcing Apple to allow actual alternative web browsers/engines. In doing this, Apple is claiming that it’s too hard to support pwas while complying with the EU rulings.

It’s utter bullshit, and pwas should continue to be supported in safari and other browsers on iOS, but Apple’s just gotta be a spiteful asshole while complying with the letter of the EU law.

I live in the United States, currently use iOS devices, and regularly use pwas. It’s pretty unlikely my next phone will be an Apple device. I’ll probably end up with a pixel running Graphene.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 months ago (1 children)

There are mobile Linux distros.

I am looking forward to installing Ubuntu Touch on my device:
https://ubuntu-touch.io/
https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/

There are also a bunch of others, which I haven't looked into.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_for_mobile_devices

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Yup, and Linux specific devices: Purism Librem 5, Pinephone, and Pinephone Pro. I was hoping to replace my phone with one this year, but they're not quite there yet for what I need, but I'll probably get one anyway to mess around with.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

You know what they mean.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Maybe now, but Postmarket, Ubuntu phone, and Purism could be relevant in the future

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 months ago

Windows is a disgrace.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Why windows.. apple does a better job in general and that's saying something

[–] [email protected] -1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

"In general" isn't really a metric you can use to compare operating systems.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

Apple isn't an operating system