> why should I not be able to do so on my phone? Why would one computing platform be different from the other?

If Microsoft had its act together PCs would have been just as locked down as phones are today and we wouldn't be questioning a difference.

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Zak 10 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Microsoft proposed locked-down PCs decades ago and got criticism from sources as mainstream as the New York Times. Everyone more technical than that, with the possible exception of corporate IT types flatly rejected it.

I'm sad there was so much less backlash to restricting user control on phones.

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/30/business/technology-a-saf...

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repeekad 10 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I think what you meant to say is if US regulators weren't asleep at the wheel phones would be just as unlocked as PCs.

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ApolloFortyNine 10 hours ago | parent [-]

Well here's EU regulators working with Apple directly to allow it. I honestly think that's worse, the EU government took the time to allow this directly. It's not just a case of the existing laws not being clear in this instance, it's the EU working with Apple to come up with this 'solution'.

5% tax on all digital transactions (still applies to Kindle ebooks too I'm guessing?) and all applications have to go through an Apple review process. That's ridiculous for a government to explicitly agree to.

	▲	toukale 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Governments will agree to that because at the end of the day it gives them a party they can go to. In this instance if they want Apple or Google to remove an app they can. It gives them the ability to use that option whenever they don't like something it's not by accident. Its a win-win for them and Apple/Google. You are never going to get the wild wild west we have on the pc platform ever again.

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HumblyTossed 10 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

What the heck does this defeatist argument have to do with it???

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gumby271 10 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

If [shitty thing] had been normalized years ago, we wouldn't be questioning [shitty thing]'s existence today. I mean, yeah dude.