Submitted 4 months ago by solrize@lemmy.ml to technology@lemmy.world
https://tonsky.me/blog/needy-programs/
If you’ve been around, you might’ve noticed that our relationships with programs have changed.
Older programs were all about what you need: you can do this, that, whatever you want, just let me know. You were in control, you were giving orders, and programs obeyed.
But recently (a decade, more or less), this relationship has subtly changed. Newer programs (which are called apps now, yes, I know) started to want things from you.
The one area I would sorta disagree is on updates, although only inasmuch as they’re needed for security fixes on things connected to the internet. But if it’s not connected? No, no updates needed unless I encounter a bug or they add a new feature I really want.
No, no updates needed unless I encounter a bug or they add a new feature I really want.
Fine, but maybe the update fix a bug that hit other users and that still not have hit you, be it for sheer luck or any other reason.
I think most proprietary apps these days have frequent updates because they don’t actual have in house testing and use frequent updates to constantly roll out changes. They are also constantly changing the app with feature switches/AB testing to increase important business metrics.
This same strategy can be seen in the gaming industry with games being in an alpha/beta state for years, at least they are upfront here of the unfinished quality of the software.
None of this would be possible if software was still shipped on physical media. Developers would actually have to test and think through product functionality before releasing it.
Newer programs (…) started to want things from you.
Do you remember “Blade Runner”? People wanted to know from robots what they are: human or robot.
Today robots are demanding this from people.
The most obnoxious case of needy apps I witnessed was when I disabled Google Play Services on a OnePlus phone. Every default app (including Phone and SMS!) would spam notifications saying something like “Google Play not found, functionality is limited” every minute or two, while the real impact was minimal.
I think it’s more like “our interests are impacted!!!”
hperrin@lemmy.ca 4 months ago
Idk man, Linux seems not like this at all. But windows and the rest of corpo-software-hell, yeah.
unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 4 months ago
The www is the same for everyone no matter which OS you use sadly. The need for accounts doesnt go away completely on linux but at least not for anything OS related.
BillyCrystalMeth@slrpnk.net 4 months ago
Yeah, FOSS doesn’t have the incentive and have a different ideological root