[roboteti]

Just a few things (I'm the author).

First: I'm kind of blown away that anyone's reading this and thinking about it at all -- including those of you who disagree. Thank you all. Second: I don't want anyone to think that I believe the iPad is more powerful than a regular computer. Several people have said that I think that, and I don't. I know I couldn't survive on just my iPad. But what I am saying is that the iPad is kind of like computer training wheels. For a lot of normal people, it makes it possible for them to explore without worrying. That doesn't mean in any way, shape, or form that all computers should be like that. I don't think so. That would be terrible. We need open computers, but there is a place for that and a place for closed ones, and I think most people do better with a closed one.

Finally, I am well aware what the Android folks mean by "openness", and I am deliberately redefining the term. Call it "relative openness" if you care that much. Openness comes at a cost, and unfortunately, it doesn't scale. Have any of you ever watched someone use an Android device? They don't get them. They find them confusing and difficult. They make people hate their electronics because they aren't worth using, and that's no way to push things forward.

I would never want to live in a country made and run like iOS, but a country is not the same thing as an electronic device used to communicate with others and the same principles cannot be applied.

[Raphael]

We need a rich language in order to communicate effectively. By using a term differently than expected in your post, and then mixing it with the original meaning, you're making absolutely no sense. Let's call the iOS interface "accessible" (covering any number of characteristics) and acknowledge the missing feature of "arbitrary installs".

I'll grant that Android is not perfect. But the arbitrary install feature does not seem to be the issue. The crucial non-nerdy segment would never need to know about it, as they are free to explore the default market app to their heart's content. In fact, arbitrary installs are disabled by default and have to be enabled from deep in the settings menu.

As for the principle of disabling arbitrary installs, it's insulting, like a pair of safety scissors (an inferior product for intended safety).