[abtinf]

Turns out it wasn’t enough.

What we were just barely starting to grasp then was that, among the “other users” we need to be protected from, were the software vendors themselves.

In other words, I am not a single user; the combination of me and various groupings of binaries are the user, and they must be carefully isolated. And now, it turns out I want still another layer of protection too (e.g. multiple browser profiles/containers).

Back then, most people were still on dialup internet. It was still relatively rare that software would record everything about us and report all of it to HQ. We used to call software like this “spyware”, which isn’t really a word that even exists anymore.

The idea for the need for something like Qubes OS would’ve been completely alien.

[freedomben]

Yes great point and very true. I don't think we have complexity for complexities sake, there are real problems we are solving. It's sad that we have to protect ourselves from software vendors, but you're right we absolutely do. The simplicity of the past was based on something that is no longer (probably never was but that's another discussion) true, which is that code the user is running is running with consent of and on behalf of the user.