[xg15]

I applaud that goal, but currently I see no trend pointing in that direction - on the contrary, the rise of highly locked down smartphones and IoT devices has shown to everyone interested just how much control you can take away from users without serious complaints, let alone actions.

Even moreso, there are a growing number of stakeholders and even entire business segments, which require locked-down devices for their activities: The entire business of streaming services only works because they get to place an opaque black box in users' homes and can dictate arbitrary rules and constraints for playback.

The entire app ecosystem is only economically viable because the devices make it impossible (iOS) or really inconvenient (Android) to install apps without paying for them. Also, the devices give the user no way to modify the apps, so developers can implement whatever hostile logic they want and users have to put up with it. The ability to do that is a major appeal locked down platforms have for businesses.

(IMO, the imagination of far too many people in the industry is already running wild with all the kinds of crazy rules, restrictions and "business models" you can implement on locked down devices.)

I think we should reverse this trend and install some actual computer literacy in larger parts of society before we make computers mandatory for everyday life - otherwise, the whole thing will end in a dystopia.