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Malleable software: Restoring user agency in a world of locked-down apps (2025)

162 points · 75 comments · evakhoury

  1. apatheticonion · · focus · HN ↗
    I believe it is critical for regulators to force mega-corporations (and software vendors in general) to permit third party clients.

    I use services like YouTube every day, why can I get sued if I write my own YouTube client that's better than the one provided by Google? Why can I get sued if I create a chat client that aggregates the myriad of chat services I use?

    I'd argue that this even extends down the stack. Why is there only Android and iOS? It's because hardware drivers are practically impossible to write for undocumented hardware (which is virtually all hardware). Vendors should be compelled to document their hardware such that drives could be produced for them.

    Asahi Linux is a testament to a team attempting the impossible and making unbelievable progress - but it's still not competitive with first party drivers.

    I want a world where I can run Linux on my MacBook Pro and my phone. I want a world where I can flash a custom firmware to my TV that removes the bloat and spyware. I want a world where I can use the services I depend on in ways that are better than what the vendor can produce. I want a world where I can rebuild applications and games lost to time.

    I have the skills and desire to do these things.

    But nah. Not allowed.

    1. TeMPOraL · · focus · HN ↗
      > But nah. Not allowed.

      Some of it, you are. At least for personal use. Our minds are our own jails here - we treat abstraction layers as more than suggestions, and vendor preferences as more than opinions. I recommend to try and challenge it.

      <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=49875994">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=49875994

      LLMs, whatever you think of them, currently alter equation a lot when it comes to one-off work like this. I have the skills too (for some of these things), but I don&#x27;t have time&#x2F;energy&#x2F;capacity to do the things necessary to bypass around the obstacles. LLMs do.

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