Eu to make Apple open up operating system to rival tech (link added forgot to include it this morning) (apnews.com)
from Rob200@lemmy.autism.place to technology@lemmy.world on 19 Sep 2024 14:25
https://lemmy.autism.place/post/364598

An erra is to come to an end as the Eu says enough is enough and introduces new rules and hefty fines.

#technology

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demesisx@infosec.pub on 19 Sep 2024 14:34 next collapse

Let’s go one further and compel Apple, Microsoft, and Google to open source their entire operating systems. :)

shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip on 19 Sep 2024 14:43 collapse

I am almost certain there would be two major impacts from that. The first being that operating system development would slow to the pace that the community wishes instead of having big money behind it. And the second is that security updates would come quite a bit faster.

Edit: I figure brand new major features would be slower in coming. But security would be improved.

OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml on 19 Sep 2024 15:09 next collapse

Open source doesn’t mean open source development. But yes on the bugfixes

nfms@lemmy.ml on 19 Sep 2024 15:11 next collapse

The operating system that runs most servers, a lot of them doing web cloud and networking, with high levels of security (developed by security companies) is open source, the *BSD distributions and also Linux.
But I also have doubts if this is the right move.

Maeve@kbin.earth on 19 Sep 2024 15:50 collapse

But I also have doubts if this is the right move

Can you share those and the reasoning, please?

nfms@lemmy.ml on 21 Sep 2024 20:08 collapse

Sorry for replying late.
iOS is a key component in apple’s business and I’m not sure this won’t set a precedent. I think we need competitiveness in industry, albeit a fair one.

Maeve@kbin.earth on 21 Sep 2024 22:18 collapse

No worries, and that actually makes sense, now that you mention it. Thank you for your reply.

Drusenija@lemmy.world on 20 Sep 2024 05:13 collapse

I figure brand new major features would be slower in coming. But security would be improved.

I feel there’s going to be an element of “old man yells at cloud” here, but that isn’t inherently a bad thing. I just use Windows at work at the moment but there’s very little I do in Windows that I couldn’t do as far back as Windows XP as long as driver support kept up. I don’t use it for the OS, the OS just enables me to use the applications I need.

Same with MacOS. I know Apple always act like every minor enhancement is the greatest thing ever (look, we added Tabs to Finder 🤩), but ultimately the OS is there to act as the pathway between my applications and my hardware.

If the focus switched from features to security, would we really lose anything of value? At a minimum I wouldn’t have family contacting me cause their PC looks different than it did previously (looking at you centralised Windows taskbar 👀).

shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip on 20 Sep 2024 09:42 collapse

I agree. That definitely would not be the worst thing ever.

mumblerfish@lemmy.world on 19 Sep 2024 14:45 next collapse

What does it mean to “open up” an operating system in this context? Do they mean something like the possibility to intall other OSes on their devices, or that the app stores needs to be more open? I’m guessing it does not mean they have to start open source:ing parts of the OS… or?

pennomi@lemmy.world on 19 Sep 2024 14:55 next collapse

Probably to allow proper sideloading of apps, instead of the contrived bullshit they already tried to pull.

helenslunch@feddit.nl on 19 Sep 2024 21:16 collapse

What they’ve done can be described as nothing other than malicious non-compliance and the EU has been dragging their feet on enforcement.

ptz@dubvee.org on 19 Sep 2024 15:06 next collapse

I would love if device makers were forced to open up their hardware to other OSs. Unlockable bootloaders for all as well as allowing users to install their own signing keys so secure boot can remain enabled.

Granted, there would still be black box firmware required to use half the components inside, but that’s another battle.

kayazere@feddit.nl on 19 Sep 2024 15:51 collapse

This should be a right of the consumer that purchased the hardware. Same goes for gaming consoles. You used to be able to officially install Linux on a PlayStation.

ptz@dubvee.org on 19 Sep 2024 15:58 next collapse

“But we’re selling the hardware at a loss, so letting you own what you paid for would break our crappy business model” /s

kayazere@feddit.nl on 20 Sep 2024 05:58 collapse

That didn’t force Value to lock down the Steam Deck.

bizarroland@fedia.io on 19 Sep 2024 17:10 next collapse

I'd be okay with it even if it were on a time delay.

Like if device manufacturers had to publish their software in order to no longer officially support the device that would be a welcome compromise and at least a step in the right direction right?

kayazere@feddit.nl on 20 Sep 2024 06:01 collapse

Yes I think we this in addition to be able to unlock the boot loader. This allows the community to continue to provide security updates after the company abandoned the product through planned obsolescence.

Squizzy@lemmy.world on 19 Sep 2024 20:15 collapse

Yeah agreed to an extent but I would say a massive portion of those who installed linux attempted to pirate games. It makes sense to block it.

I’d prefer to mandate that they allow other stores on the consoles or mandate no advertisements or promotions on the console.

freeman@sh.itjust.works on 20 Sep 2024 09:42 collapse

That’s a lie.

The original Sony feature did not give access to all the hardware and thus it was not possible to play ps3 games on it.

Their ban actually motivated people to crack Sony’s measures and install Linux with full access to the hardware.

Squizzy@lemmy.world on 20 Sep 2024 10:49 collapse

Well it wasnt a lie it was an estimation of the use, I ws in that scene then and it was intrinsically linked to homebrew. I am a proponent of piracy and feel that media should be collected and stored to ensure we dont lost content in the years to come. But I emulate and pirate loads of games and consoles.

otter@lemmy.ca on 19 Sep 2024 15:58 next collapse

From the last paragraph, it sounds like the intent is to make it easier to switch devices and services, which would be great

Broken_Monitor@lemmy.world on 19 Sep 2024 17:33 collapse

We are talking about lawmakers making this demand. They don’t have a fucking clue what the difference is between all these possibilities.

umami_wasbi@lemmy.ml on 19 Sep 2024 15:48 next collapse

Apple opening up would makes to mean toward them more. Still, I’m only going to get a new phone after 2026, after the EU’s battery mandate in force.

Rob200@lemmy.autism.place on 19 Sep 2024 18:28 next collapse

Hey comment section I forgot to add the URL to this post before posting it earlier today, I added it in now.

LunchMoneyThief@links.hackliberty.org on 20 Sep 2024 01:22 next collapse

Rather than waiting around for the legal system to nanny me, I’ve gone ahead and committed to only purchase hardware that does not attempt to restrict me.

Rob200@lemmy.autism.place on 20 Sep 2024 02:08 collapse

Such as Android, (which some these restrictions seem to be coming to Android to to an extent.)

mal3oon@lemmy.world on 20 Sep 2024 07:11 next collapse

The thing with AOSP though, that it has the potential to stand on its own, given a talented dev team behind it. I see this everywhere in the ROM communities. So actually Android is a great example, despite what a lot of people say about Google “monopoly”.

LunchMoneyThief@links.hackliberty.org on 21 Sep 2024 04:14 collapse

I think you and I have different thresholds for what counts as ‘not restricting the user’.

Tuxman@sh.itjust.works on 20 Sep 2024 11:08 next collapse

Hey EU! Microsoft is not letting me play Mario Odyssey on their closed system!! Fix it!

frog_brawler@lemmy.world on 20 Sep 2024 12:12 next collapse

Damn… this is the first time I don’t agree with the outcome of an EU decision regarding Apple.

dosaki@lemmy.world on 21 Sep 2024 14:21 collapse

Why not? Opening up a system to competition usually makes it better, no?

frog_brawler@lemmy.world on 21 Sep 2024 16:14 collapse

Their stuff is designed to specifically work with their stuff, and that’s a big part of their IP.

claudiop@lemmy.world on 24 Sep 2024 08:23 collapse

The I in IP stands for intelectual; AKA, the clever things they reached with their thoughts. The artificial limitations are not IP, simply mechanisms they included exclusivity. They needn’t be clever. if (!apple) { rejectApp(); hideDocs() } is not IP.

h4lf8yte@lemmy.ml on 21 Sep 2024 16:20 collapse

Let’s make them open up their hardware instead with all the software or documentation needed to run it and have them compete with aftermarket operating systems.