| Exactly this. It's now "industry standard" to mug people; why should I swear your Hippocratic oath when everyone else is getting rich? Instead of asking developers (the organizations, not the individuals) to mend their ways, we users need to take action to defend ourselves. - Education. People who didn't use computers in the earlier age of full user agency might not even imagine a world where they fully control their devices. - Advertising. One should not be allowed to advertise "selling" something without handing over full control. - Law. Shrink-wrap licenses should be neutered, software patents limited, DMCA abolished; these are legal moats around developers' power. - Technology. Open software, open hardware, open data, self-hostable services. - Platforms. It's time to treat software as hostile by default, the way an Internet connection is now de facto hostile. The OS needs to be hardened not only against hackers, but also against developers. These are vague generalities, not concrete suggestions, and there are huge obstacles to each. Perhaps others have useful suggestions. |
One must cultivate one's own garden.