[hogwasher]

Most people couldn't tell you how their car works, at least not enough to fix it. Is that handholding, too?

People can't be knowledgable about everything. There's just too much information in the world, and too many different skills that could be learned, and not enough time.

A carpenter can rely on power tools without understanding fully how the tools work, and it's fine, as long as the tools are made to safe standards and the user understands basic safety instructions (e.g. wear protective eyewear).

To me, making sure that apps don't screw with people, even if they don't understand how the apps work, is roughly the equivalent of making sure power drills are made safely so they don't explode in peoples' hands.

[Leno1225]

“As long as the user understands basic safety instructions” Yes, the internet has basic safety instructions, too (and probably just as many bother to read them), number one or two is “almost nothing online is ever really private”. I learned it by the mid 2000s, not knowing it in 2026 is not excusable with “people don’t need to know how everything works”.

[throw0101c]

> Most people couldn't tell you how their car works […]

Most people couldn't tell you how their furnace or water heater works, or flush toilet (siphonic effect).

[johnisgood]

And I never said that people should be knowledgeable about everything...

... and this is not what I was referring to either.

Less handholding -> more learning... but even then, what I meant is that you do not have to be knowledgeable to know that your "private messages" are not really encrypted and can be read by the admin (in case of forums, for one), and so forth.