[caned]

This show captures much of what I miss about computing in the 80s and 90s. You could get your hands on hardware, be able to largely understand what all the hardware and software was doing. You mostly used computers as tools, which only accepted commands and didn't try to affect your decisions or workflow (yes, there was Clippy). The leaps forward in computing power, memory and storage were more impactful to the everyday user. There was a sense of wonder, and it didn't envelop your and everyone's life. Most of all, we weren't yet slaves to our computers, and they weren't devices crafted to endlessly grab your attention by any means necessary.

[b3lvedere]

One thing i found very interesting over the years is that when people seem to abuse systems ( key activation, share netflix accounts, vpn, torrents) it’s considered a serious crime, but when companies openly abuse systems ( unsubscribe maze, addiction, fraud ) it’s frowned upon.

That should be the other way around. Until then systems will always try to rule over people and people will adapt for better or for worse.

[Defletter]

While I sympathise with the sentiments here, it's just not true, or at least is a gross exaggeration. While IANAL, nor have I read every jurisdiction's laws, I'm fairly certain we have yet to see someone prosecuted for sharing a Netflix password. This place would've been inundated with posts about it.

Also, the EU and other jurisdictions have already passed laws and regulations about dark patterns, and continue to do so. iirc, there are jurisdictions considering laws regarding content algorithms. There are laws regarding certain addictive patterns (remember the whole debacle regarding micro-transactions targeted towards children?). None of this is to say that these things don't still happen, but rather to refute the notion that these patterns are merely frowned upon.

[philipallstar]

In my experience it's incredibly unusual for the sharing of netflix accounts to be considered a serious crime. Does this happen on a regular basis?

[b3lvedere]

My apologies, that was a very bad example. It was more in the sense that companies might think that's a serious crime of their customers.

[smiley1437]

"to learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." - Voltaire

[electrochemical]

Funny thing about that quote, it wasn't Voltaire who said that, but was in fact neo-nazi pedophile Kevin Alfred Strom lol

[b3lvedere]

I spend a few minutes on the internet regarding this and it seems the internet is indeed of opinion that Voltaire never said it, but there's no actual proof Strom said it as well. No matter for the topic where i think the quote fits pretty well.

[bblb]

I'm not a slave to my computer. Stop using bad services that are designed to manipulate your behaviour. There's still the good old Internet out there with genuinely interesting content.

IPv8 and it's (eventually mandatory) device-attestation-auth-at-protocol-level will end all of this pseudoanonymous free thinking information exchange. It was good while it lasted.

[treyd]

That IPv8 proposal that was circulating a few weeks ago was not a serious proposal (written entirely by a single person with no substantial involvement in IETF before then) and has no roadmap to any kind of adoption.

[MrDarcy]

A reasonable proposal from a single person outside the IETF seems most likely to succeed.

It’s not like the IETF have any obvious success managing or deploying solutions to IP problems known for over 30 years.

[antonkochubey]

It’s not like that proposal offers a solution for any of those problems.

[rigonkulous]

A very subjective view - but as originators and not just users of technology, we must be objective, too.

There are, genuinely, people out there who will believe anything their phone will tell them to believe. Its not just about 'good old Internet' - its about the literacy rate of the user.

Literacy can be assayed by many different metrics - mine, personally (back to the subjective), is this: the ratio between whether the user is capable of programming the computer, compared to the computer, programming the user.

[rigonkulous]

Time is running out to do something effective about that enslavement - well, there are other very effective things that can be done to 'cure' people of electronic enslavement (EMP and/or other disaster) - but the point is, if we want to do something effective, we must be teaching new generations, old technology.

Technology doesn't get old - users do. However, users getting older 'feel better about this fact', often ignored, by upgrading to new technology - and into this very slippery wheel of consumerism has been deposited a great deal many traps, by operating system vendors, to keep us in the wheel.

The solution is to promote, among as young a generation as can tolerate it - immediately - the idea of using old technology to do wonderful and new and interesting things.

>Everyday user

Yes, a majority of every day users do not need this kind of backwards-focused thinking, to get work done. It is, very specifically, about the kids.

We have to make sure there are still hackers in 10 years time.

[UberFly]

I feel the same way when I work on older cars.

[magic_hamster]

Computers still do the exact same thing they did back then, which is to read opcodes and do binary math. That is all. It is people and corporations that found a way to monetize them which is hostile to us users. But I think that with time, this too shall pass and computers will still do what they always did. You can still enjoy designing a small PCB, working with microcontrollers and building something fun.

[abc123abc123]

This is the way! Just because shitty and privacy invading and infatile services and tools exist, does not mean you have to use them.

Self-host, program in C or what ever you find sexy, and enjoy.

If you work for Evilcorp, perhaps consider joining a smaller company and settle for a lower salary in return for being treated like a human and not like a cog in a machine?

Worked for me, and I am happier for it.

[Forgeties79]

“It’s the thing that gets you to the thing.”