Hello Linux
Google already has started locking-down android, and, is a few months from completely locking it down. Visit keepandroidopen.org for more information on how it affects you, and, what you can do about it. I will try to make this series easy enough to help you understand why we (as a species) are in this situation now. This post is part 4.
Side-loading is not good per people at google. Perhaps they are people who want to be dramatic about it for your security; it makes their jobs easier. They do have the right to save you from being scammed. You - the consumer. Side-loading is a glorified term for obtaining software (and installing in on your phone) on your own without the intervention of the appstore. The software program could come from the internet, or, your friend, school, etc.
But have you heard of Linux? You may equate this term to an operating system. However, what you really need to look into the story about how it came about.
Linux is an operating system software - like android, or windows. Linux stands for is software freedom. And most lay people of today might easily mistake it as a privilege that their phone's appstores give it to them. The right to install any software they want. The actual essence of software freedom is lost when you talk about appstores like the playstore or apple store.
A vital part of this freedom is all about upholding all the following principles when we talk of distributing software:
1. the right to install any software you want and run it on the hardware you own (provided it can).
2. the right to install software from any source.
3. the right to obtain the source code, modify and distribute copies of the modified version
4. the right to run the software the way you want
Android embodies all of this. But the software on their appstores need not really have to. However, the point of focus in point #2. It is the vehicle via which a plethora of digital scams happen today. People can download software from untrusted sources. This way they can perhaps impersonate your banking app and capture your bank's credentials, and, finally siphon your savings. However, one has to realize it is "evil" lurking in the world - doing its bidding - instilling fear in the product managers and consumers.
If linux or even windows was evolved around the concept of a walled garden in the early days, that could have been another parallel universe. A hard/pessismistic fact to admit here is that scams are the natural price or consequence of software freedom. But scamming has always happened throughout human existence sans the advent of computers or "software freedoms". The same phenomenon (i.e digital scams) happens irrespective of people understanding the significance of "software freedoms". We must all come to terms to the flaw in humans as a species. If a victim happens to be reading this, it might be hard to swallow. It doesn't mean the victim is forever weak; everyone eventually comes out of this weakness.
Let me summarize some key points:
1. Unsuspecting victims fall prey to digital scams. Some of them lose their life savings. Some are driven to suicide and depression.
2. Scams in whatever form cannot be ethically prevented. It means they will keep recurring no matter the technological civilization we live in. Many people accept this hard fact. Still many other people are oblivious to it.
3. But in the face of this, "software freedoms" have evolved, and, gave us the gift of linux. (Android is a derivative of linux). (Although I say this, I mean here that point #2 of the freedoms is essential for such a kind of progress), and, the android os and its appstore violate this principle. It wasn't so at the beginning; when android was in its infancy. Recents events surrounding this topic of side-loading suggests the violation of freedom #2.
4. Now certain people are complaining that side-loading (which is a conflated term for freedom #2). They claim we should get rid of it to protect the consumers.
I can see why people come to that conclusion, but, I wish they upheld freedom #2. At face value these decisions to me (who isn't a victim of digital scams yet) seems incongruent.
I am sure the world is drowning with paranoia because of the digital scams. Let us assume those few people at google win and decide to lock-down android. What then?
The evolution of linux operating system has the answer to this question. So for those unfamiliar with that, I would just say that the speed of innovation might just be slowed down a bit. Now is the world and therefore life/civilization really a balance of "speed of innovation" and "the plethora of scams"? I will leave you to ponder on that.
Thankyou for reading.
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