Comment on Google's plan to restrict sideloading on Android has a potential escape hatch for users

• knitwitt@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Cough medicine can induce drowsiness, but you probably shouldn’t be taking it as a sleep aid. The distinction between intended vs unintended effects is an important distinction to make, in my opinion, to prevent drugs from being unintentionally misused.

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  • badgermurphy@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    While that is true, it does not invalidate the poster’s point. All of the effects of drugs are just “effects”. They could just as easily market cough syrup as a sleep aid with the “side effect” that it suppresses coughing.

    The difference in definition in this context is simply that “drug uses” is the list of its effects that they were going for, and “side effects” are a list of effects that they were not. Its entirely a man made distinction. Extend that reasoning to the “installing” vs. “side loading” discussion to see the poster’s point.

    I believe him to be suggesting that “side loading” is a very different word for “installing” that can be loaded by PR people to shift public opinion against the practice. Whether or not they are doing that I can’t say myself, but that appears to be the point being made.

    They could just as easily have coined it “direct installing” or “USB installing”, but they didn’t even though those terms are more descriptive. Draw from that whatever you will.

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• jjlinux@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Wait, so now I have to talk to a doctor before installing from F-Droid? Well, shit.

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  • yardratianSoma@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    You are the master of your body, the person who decides ultimately what goes in and out of your body, No doctor can force you to take anything. That’s what I mean, The play store aka the doctor wants to become the master that decides what apps go in or out of your phone, instead of the user. My comment doesn’t invalidate the premise of the use of the term sideloading, because I don’t agree with the term to begin with.

    Whether the effect is ideal or not does not change what is chemically happening in the body. The body can’t tell apart side effects from the main ones, so this distinction exists because humans deemed it so, just like the distinction between play store sanctioned apps, and everything else. It’s a distinction that Google is now abusing for it’s own monetary benefit.

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  • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    It’s a bad comparison because some people do take the medicine to get the side effects. For example taking benadryl to fall asleep.

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• Tollana1234567@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  you shouldnt be taking medication not for his intended purpose, it has many warnings.

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  • yardratianSoma@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Talking to the wrong guy here, I’ve taken many a medications against their intended purpose: I am a curious guy.

    But that sounds like saying, in the context of Google’s intention of disabling app sideloading, that warning users that it poses a security risk because it’s their intended purpose for android, is fine because the authority on android is Google.

    Don’t just take the word of authority at face value, when they prioritize profit and mindshare over personal freedom.

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