But if only *I* can choose what software you install and run on your device, you'll be so much *safer*!

just because you own the physical memory registers doesn’t mean you’re ever making use of them without this rentseekers work and IP.

Was its origin really meant to be pejorative or dismissive? I never interpreted it that way until now.

It already flashed and remains suspicious Appa and known malware from all sources.

So how exactly is locking down the signing keys for apps that are allowed to run at all and connecting them with government ID for developers helping security?

This purely an anticompetitive measure.

Please stop spreading lies to make people angry

Ma and Pa _need_ some form of sandbox. Sandboxing should be optional. But some form of sandboxing should exist when non-tech people will use computers.

It's a dangerous world.

I want postmarketOS on an AMD Ryzen with only 64bits (dump the 32, make a bloody atom ryzen you cowards), and a pure-64 Steam build. I want a slab that lets me play anime games if I bloody want to. And deploy a Linux fleet management solution. AND JUST LET ME DO MY THING.

@Gargron This list of replies is a hilarious string of people pretending that they’ve never looked at someone’s Windows machine *so completely fucked up with malware and viruses that the owner just blithely clicked on and installed* that the only solution was to nuke it from space and *buy a whole new computer*

For a good fifteen years the number one reason for tossing perfectly good hardware and buying a newer Win PC was virus/malware infestation. Might still be, I have no idea.

*The bad guy comes to your home, enable ADB debug, you let him connect your phone, you give him your pin, you let him few moment to load a naughty apk (bring coffees) and VOILÀ ! 🔥

BTW I had today to clean a fully stock up to date Android (you even can install bank app on) because of a "legit" Play Store bloatware setup'd lots of other adware apks 👍

Like Jaywalker is the rent seeker for car companies.

Since a mobile device is mostly a general purpose system you should be able to run any software that doesn’t violate laws and it’s not the OS vendor’s responsibility to enforce laws except those regulating the radios in the device.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalking

I agree: if someone buys a "computer" or a general purpose device, your point certainly holds.

But on the other side of a fine line I imagine (perhaps older) game consoles: when the original Nintendo came out, that company was not expected to help you run Atari software on their hardware.

They'd not preventing it - if you could figure out it, good on you. But Nintendo shouldn't be expected to make that work.

Not-supporting versus actively-preventing is the key difference for me.

@Gargron

Amen! And then there's my cars infotainment center that I can't even sideload!

Edit: I'm sure there are some absurdly smart people here who could tear apart the dash board and hard wire into the computers pinout to do it. But that's a little beyond my capabilities.

It's a genuine conflict between user rights and the need to protect the average person. Phones hold our banking apps, 2FA tokens, mics, cameras, and countless secrets.

When a sideloaded app steals data, the user doesn't say, "My sideloaded app failed." They say, "My Android/iPhone got hacked." The OS developer takes the blame.

Android's approach—allowing it, but behind a clear security warning—seems like a decent compromise in this difficult balancing act.

on the other side, why did I see no one complaining about the Mozilla stance on this?

(as long as the apps are signed by Google shhhhhhhh don't tell the regulators, the whole walled garden thing has been going so well for Apple)

Thanks for the explanation as I had no idea what this mean,I think we need to remember when you buy devices they are NOT your devices, you buy hardware, and a license to run the OS that dictates how the people who write the OS want you to do things.

I almost never do of course, but it's completely fucked up for Google to expect me to register an account with their service to receive their blessed key material in order to install my stupid side project on my own device

I don't understand how companies managed to get people to accept this...

@Gargron Bold of you to assume that your phone is really "yours". I'm sure that by buying one Google owns your soul and that of your firstborn.

We need more competition in the Mobile OS market, and Google needs to be hit with a big enough antitrust suit to cripple them for a couple of decades.

Google is selling the sideloading-ban as a measure to enhance security.
But would this “security measure” also affect app stores that are already more secure than Google’s Play Store, like @fdroidorg ?

#freesoftware #digitalrights

#AOSP#OpenSorce#GrapheneOS

But then, i guess all three of those do let you do your own thing to varying degrees.

💯%