The MAC OSX and Freedom of Choice

I read an article this past weekend which refers to Steve Jobs as some kind of dictator. The author out of all things is trying to or actually intends to switch to Ubuntu/Linux. The author of this article is basing his decision on not having freedom of choice. I believe that if you run a business and you use your computer(s) to keep that business running then you should always have the freedom and choice to move to a different platform. However in this case I believe that the author of the article may not be doing it for the right reasons.

He claims that Apple is putting restrictions on his operating system and that Steve Jobs most likely will not continue to develop the MAC OSX any further or that at some point it will become stagnant. He also credits Microsoft for having a great OS in Windows 7 but also says that this OS is also too restrictive; And that all of Apple’s development will most likely go into the iPad/iPhone.

I feel that most users don’t care about freedom when it comes to a computer or software; to them they see it as a dishwasher or a refrigerator. If your not a geeky techie type then you really would not care about this and actually pay as much as you can for a piece of hardware/software regardless of what freedoms it may or may not offer you. Well if you are a business owner you should really pay more attention to this kind of freedom and stop looking at your computer as some piece of appliance equipment because it actually holds valuable information and it is an extension of you, yes an extension. Most PC user keep tons of personal information in it such as pictures, music, movies, documents etc… So what happens if and when you do decide to switch to a different operating system such as Windows or Ubuntu/Linux? Well on the MAC I think is fairly easy to move as it does not seem to have too many restrictions like on a Windows platform. Although anything like movies you’ve downloaded or anything that you have not created yourself maybe a bit hard to transfer over due to DRM (Digital Rights Management – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management / http://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm) restrictions.

The MAC OSX is actually a great operating system. The only issue is that is extremely expensive although some might argue that you are actually paying for quality which I tend to agree to a point. As far as freedom goes you have the freedom to do what you like with your own personal stuff that resides in that computer but like Microsoft you don’t really own the OS, you are merely renting it since you can’t make any modifications or anything like that and that is fine because most users don’t care(although they should).

So I wonder why is this particular author complaining about the MAC OSX since he knew from the start that the OS had its terms of agreement and he agreed to it when he purchased his MAC book pro.

Steve Jobs will not make the OS stagnant specially since the MAC is gaining so much market share and most Windows users seem to be switching over. I will also point out that they are not just moving to the MAC OS but also towards Linux(mainly Ubuntu). If you have no issues with renting an OS and not being able to tweak it as much as you like then the MAC OSX gives you freedom enough to the point were you can move your personal stuff in and out of it as long as you play within Apple’s rules and the same goes for Windows (DRM anyone).

The one thing the author was 100% correct was that at some point you will eventually be totally locked in on either platform(MAC OSX or Windows) and also claims this is the reason why he is moving to Linux, I will closely follow his progress and see how it goes.

But again if you don’t care about your OS freedom the MAC OSX is a damn good system.

Article: http://www.salon.com/technology/dan_gillmor/2010/06/20/from_mac_to_linux/index.html

iPad Security Issues! Say what…

Another day and yet another iPad commercial of how great it is, well tell that to the 114,000 email owners who’s emails where hijacked by a brute force attack on ATT’s network. Apparently a poorly written script was the culprit. I know your saying well what’s this got to do with the iPad. Ah hello it only happened to iPad 3G owners which means because the iPad 3G has essentially a sim card to connect to the 3G network they were able to hijack customers personal information.

So far the reports are only saying that they were emails but who knows what else they got from these iPads. The worst part about it is that consumers think that these devices are secure when they are not. Yet they make you enter your personal information right from the device instead of having you go to a secure web site to do so or better yet doing it right from an ATT / Apple Store, who cares if consumers are lazy these companies should make them. Convenience over security these criminals love every minute of it.

This is only one of the issues with this device. There are other security issues such as Safari XPS attacks (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4196) which not only affects the iPad but also the iPhone, iPod Touch, MAC OSX and yes you guessed it Safari running on Windows as though Windows does not have its own security issues to deal with.

Sure the device is great to show your friends and for you to say “hey look at this cool device, is a big version of my iPod touch, I can’t get enough of these things” - pathetic. People please get it together identity theft is very real and can bring you some serious headaches. For you small business owners stay away from it sure is great for presentations and such but there are other more secure devices coming which will run the Android OS; have more bang for the buck and will be more secure such as the Notion Ink’s Adam Tablet (http://www.notionink.in/adamoverview.php) and the current WePad (http://tinyurl.com/y9x7joj).

Consumers need to start thinking before going out there and spending their hard earned money. They need to look at all aspects of the devices they are looking to purchase. Specially if such a device deals with making digital Internet connections over wireless networks.

For more on this story continue reading:

• ‘Brute force’ script snatched iPad e-mail addresses
• Up To 114,000 AT&T iPad Customers’ Security Has Been Breached