The discussion I stumbled upon, about this SSH app for Android, is really worrying. Will Google really manage to make it impossible to root your phone?
But there’s more to this, it’s more complicated. In the Big Picture, Google has every incentive to make these changes — they lead to more security, and they’re aligned with Google’s corporate goals as well.
- When talking to users, Google will emphasize control over hackers.
- When talking to stockholders, Google will emphasize control over users.
Edit: I disagree with “they lead to more security”. That’s not “security”, let’s not turn words upside-down.
A phone will be an appliance, and I’ll just do very basic stuff with it. Real computing will be done at the desktop anyway.
Nah this is changing.
This of course is what they said about tablets. Now people are replacing desktop or laptop workflow with tablets, or alternatively tablets are being designed with removable keyboards so the lines are blurred.
I know scientific researchers who now only travel to conferences with tablets instead of their laptops.
Finally, I predict that we’re moving to cloud computing. It’s the natural way. You VPN into a network and your computing is done on a cluster or on a central computer.
The same is already happening for gaming. People are connecting controllers and glasses like the Xreal Air to phones, then networking into a computer to play a desktop game on their phone.
Not for me it isn’t, smartphones and tablets have always been a horrible user experience (and I’m always bewildered by stories about them replacing desktop/laptops for people), I only have a smartphone out of social pressure, making them even worse is going to drive me away further.
I couldn’t imagine ever replacing a PC with a tablet. Almost none of the software I need is available as an app and what is available just isn’t the same. The lack of processing power is also a big issue. A cheap laptop is much more powerful than an expensive tablet. Also, I don’t want a tablet that is pretty much owned and controlled by Google or Apple.
Running interactive software in the cloud doesn’t work very well if you don’t have a good, low latency fiber internet connection.
While this is the case for me personally, a lot of folks just pull out their cellphones to do the work they need. I feel like we’re the minority with this opinion.
That’s fine, that’s their choice. I get the feeling some here want to impose how things should be for others too.