Aral Balkan2d ago

If your stated goal is to make computing into a “utility” (aka subscription) you can only obtain from Big Tech and if your entire industry is comprised of rentiers, it makes perfect sense to also make actually owning a general computing device as expensive as possible.

As far as Big Tech is concerned, this is a feature, not a bug.

It’s capitalists acquiring capital and pricing it out of the reach of those they want to make dependent on them.

Also: fuck these people. https://social.heise.de/@heiseonlineenglish/116301661509651336 https://social.heise.de/@heiseonlineenglish/116301661509651336

Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)2d ago
@aral They've also made landlines rare, endangered publicly-owned postal services in many countries, and attacked and defunded libraries. Those of us who know how to use older tech will still have trouble relying on it.
Show threadKévin ⏚2d ago

@meganL @aral the landline thing I’ll never get over, it places the responsibility of maintaining backup power or options in the hands of the end user. It also prevents getting around internet blockages by running a phone line elsewhere to allow people to dial in.

If you don’t have the means to stay connected in an emergency or a blackout then capitalism is totes cool with you just dying for their cause

Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)2d ago

@kc @aral Yup. I speak about this and people act as if I'm a crank who is simply too slow to get with the times.

I mean, in the US the phone company is a corporation, but at least the laws & regulations were passed back when legislators had more backbone. So there were certain givens. They were responsible for the equipment so - surprise - they built it to last.

Show threadKévin ⏚

@meganL @aral I like to give a good example if it helps your cause, particularly in my area, because the now private but former state monopoly owns all the infrastructure, their current game with fibre connections is to disconnect old customers (of any provider including their own) to install their new ones.

We have this non stop stupidity of high fibre coverage figures on paper but everybody is being ripped out of the wall in a circular fashion.

I have a backup xDSL line, that network will be terminated in 2030 nationally. If you don't have good/any mobile coverage (I don't) your options are basically send a letter.

This is the unfortunate reality when it comes down to it, they'll never improve the infrastructure but instead see its cheaper to just keep on sending technicians to manage capacity problems, then maybe do it again in a month when the circle comes back

Mar 28 at 8:47pmWeb
Show threadMegan Lynch (she/her)1d ago

@kc In the US, ATT didn't like the CA Public Utilities Commission forcing them to keep copper landlines working so they decided to just keep elevating the prices to make people voluntarily leave. This included downstream customers like ISPs who had DSL packages.

Then when they can, they'll rip up the copper lines and no one will be able to have a landline anymore. They'll be free of public-minded regulations and have the later, worse regulations on cell carriers.