I really hate this new world where one jurisdiction - California, Europe, wherever - makes a law and suddenly every other jurisdiction has to comply because the law-making jurisdiction is big enough that tech companies can't abandon it.

And since it doesn't make sense to have dozens of different versions of their apps, they write to the strictest jurisdiction's laws.

If everyone has the power to make laws that apply to everyone...it's chaos.

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bitwize 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Beige PCs. Made to comply with German workplace-equipment laws. Yes, the Bundestag legislated the color of office equipment. That has always been the way of fhe world.

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rpdillon 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Wow, TIL. Thanks for mentioning this. I ran across this as I was researching the background:

> The "beige box" era was largely the result of strict German workplace ergonomics standards (specifically the TUV and DIN standards) that became the de facto rules for the entire global industry. The law didn't explicitly say "thou shalt use beige," but the regulations were so specific about light reflectivity and eye strain that beige (or "computer gray") was essentially the only compliant option.

	▲	bitwize 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		IBM prepared some light-gray ThinkPad prototypes but were really committed to the black design. They negotiated with the German workplace ergonomics agency who allowed them to sell black ThinkPads but with a "not for office use" label. I wonder if something similar could be done for California's restrictions?