The people who think capitalism sucks are not the ones "harnessing" AI. The capitalists are. There is zero precedent that capital will do anything but exploit and oppress with this fancy new tool they've got (that everyone hates).
I uploaded a picture of a board game table from when I was playing with friends last week. Other than the obvious (they’re friends who like playing board games) it got literally everything wrong. It was in Asia and it guessed a western city. The ethnicity, sexuality, median income, and political views it prescribed to us were all hilariously inaccurate.
It’s frankly embarrassing that they have to come out and say that they are going to make Explorer “faster and more dependable.” It’s amazing how badly they fucked up the most basic function of managing a graphical operating system.
24 hour mandatory wait time to side load!? All apps I want to use on my phone are not in the Play Store. So I buy a new phone (or wipe a used phone) and then I can’t even use it for 24 hours?
1) The one-time, one-day waiting period only applies if you go through the advanced flow to allow installing unregistered apps. You can still install registered apps (ie. apps made by developers who have verified their identity) even if they're distributed outside the Play Store.
2) You can use ADB to immediately install unregistered apps. ADB installs are not subject to the waiting period.
So let's say I'm F-Droid, an organization making a direct competitor to the Google Play Store and openly pointing out how much scammy shit is available in that store. My options are 1) submit my identity to Google (my competitor) so they can identify me and choose to revoke that verification at any point, or 2) I can tell all my users that they must go through these scary dialogs AND wait 1 day before they can use my competing product? That's cool, glad we've got the options laid out in front of us.
I forgot 3) instruct my users how to use ADB from another computer to install my competing app. Awesome.
You'd think regulators should make Google ship a 'Choose my store(s)' screen at setup, but Google thinks the opposite is the case and Google should also be able to control app distribution outside of the Playstore.
Developers who distribute Android apps on other app stores are not strictly required to undergo verification and thus can remain anonymous, but if they choose not to, then later this year (when the enforcement of verification goes active) their apps can only be installed on certified Android devices via ADB and/or the new advanced flow.
Thus, you can still install unregistered apps if they're distributed via F-Droid or other sources, but to do so, you will need to use ADB and/or go through the new advanced flow. And remember, the new advanced flow is a one-time process - once you go through with it, you can allow your device to install unregistered apps indefinitely!
"As of the date of this update, it exists only as a blog post and UI mockups. The community is being asked to accept a product announcement as a functional safeguard five months before the mandate takes effect."
"Until Google provides a shipping implementation that can be independently verified, our position remains unchanged: all apps from non-registered developers will be blocked once their lockdown goes into effect in September 2026."
I want to use the apps that don't hellbent on your Google right away. This is MY phone. I paid my money. I don't want Google to dictate what I should do.
From purely a usability standpoint, not a freedom standpoint, I would actually be okay with that for my personal use if it stayed like that. But the point is that they're just making it worse and worse. They won't stop with this. I can arrange to do without an important app for a day, even if I had to get a new phone unexpectedly (If I had to skip attending an event and stay at home where my computer is, because I could only properly be on call with my sideloaded app, I'd chalk it up to an unusual situation). But it won't be long before they change it again.
Yeah, it's terrible. I buy a new phone and then can't effectively use it for 24 hours? Half my apps are downloaded from F-Droid, which I've used for over a decade. Just gives me another reason why I'm very happy to have recently moved over to GrapheneOS.
So? My employer has my SSN, address, work history, etc. but I don't want them to know about where I go on the weekends. It's a fallacy to say that just because an entity knows a lot about you that it's OK if they know everything about you.
It's amazing how cheap Hisense TVs are, but the two we got are developing really bad white spots just outside the warranty period. You get what you pay for I guess.
Ya know, I just spun up a version of a user-driven exploration game, as an homage to the sf0.org from back in the aughts. https://irl2-production.up.railway.app/
Google auth still not hooked up, but otherwise good enough for now. And it's open source.
Anecdotally, I have been dealing with a new wave of bots that have been trying to join a group I moderate. Three of them were named Marcus. Glancing at the top 20, several of their names show up there.
The people who think capitalism sucks are not the ones "harnessing" AI. The capitalists are. There is zero precedent that capital will do anything but exploit and oppress with this fancy new tool they've got (that everyone hates).
reply