I want to talk about this because of a conversation I had with a colleague on a lunch break a few days ago. I am a doctor, and I was talking to him about how angry I was (and still am) about the fact that the COVID vaccines, when they were first invented, were not made public, but instead were patented and sold. This basic fact made millions of people around the world suffer. I was rambling about how scientific information should always be free. How we should be able to use the internet as the greatest library our ancestors could have only dreamt of, instead of putting information behind paywalls. Even back in med school I was an avid user of sci-hub and I wasn’t ashamed of it one bit. I still use sci-hub to keep up with new researches so I can treat/inform my patients better. And I hate how some of my colleagues think that I am stealing others’ work.
Anyways, so I was rambling on and on. I sometimes do that. And my friend said something so strange and unrelated (in my eyes) to the conversation. He said “Look at you, defending open access to medical information for everyone, yet you only use Apple products.” I was like, “What? What do you mean?” He explained, “Man, all the things you use are made by Apple. Your laptop, tablet, phone, watch, earbuds or whatever, made by the company that is one of the main adversaries when it comes to right-to-repair and open source software.” So you need to see here, I’m not a tech guy. It’s just not my field. My job only requires me to read textbooks and keep up with new researches in my field, which any device can do. So I was like, “I… I don’t think I follow.” So he briefly explained what open-source software is, and how it’s related to my idea of free and open access to information for everyone, but this time it’s not in our field but programmers’. And when I almost reflexively said “Well we’re not programmers” he said “I mean, when it comes to software, it’s the programmers’ and developers’ thing. But free and open source is an idea. It applies to everything. And I think you’re supporting a company that opposes your views by buying their products.”
We didn’t have much time left so that was the end of that conversation. And I have been thinking about it since. When buying tech products I mainly care about if they are integrated with each other or not. Like if I turn on Do not Disturb on my watch, I want my phone, tablet and laptop to go quiet as well. Or I like being able to answer a phone call on my laptop. And I love the aesthetics of Apple products, at least more than what other companies have to offer.
Every evening since that conversation I’ve been looking up stuff related to open source software. Linux, distros, the philosophy behind it all, Linus Torvalds, Steve Wozniak, Arch, "read the wiki", terminal, GUI, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA my brain is filled with so many things at this point that I don’t understand anything at all.
So, TLDR; I’d love to hear your opinions about Apple. Most people (myself included) buy Apple devices because of the ecosystem, the design, privacy (?), consistent updates (especially on mobile), or for you might say, a lack of knowledge in the field of tech. Do you support Apple or are you against them, or are you indifferent? Do you think people who are not in the tech field as well should look into and use open source software? Leave your thoughts below! ^^
I think they both have their place and which you use will depend on your personal philosophy and interest level.
I'm not an Apple user although I did used to have a MacBook Pro and an iPad about a decade ago. They were good products and a joy to use and I imagine their products are still like that.
I don't know how much better they are than Samsung who have a similar eco-system now.
In theory you could set up all of those integrations and functionality yourself using free and open source software (FOSS) but I personally don't have the time to learn how to do all of that so I'd go for a more off the shelf solution. I am a techie at heart so Android suits me, I can tinker as much or as little as I want but then I could always jailbreak an iPhone and achieve much the same in theory?
Not sure the FOSS argument applies to Apple and their hardware as much as it does to something like Reddit vs Lemmy. The equivalent might be Apples MacBooks vs the framework laptop but then that's more about right to repair which is different again.
There are open source programs to replace Apple's programs but you would likely be hard pressed to find a professional film editor who would use an obscure FOSS program instead of something like Final Cut or Davinci Resolve. I could be wrong here, it's my area.
For me the appeal of Apple is that 'it just works' and it looks nicer than everything else so you pay more for it. I'm personally happier to put a bit of work in to learn how stuff works, have a more customisable experience and save some cash but I'd recommend Apple stuff all day to my non-techie friends / family if they would get value from it.
FOSS is however in my opinion the right approach in terms of sharing knowledge and keeping the internet open. Having open source and self hostable solutions means the internet belongs to it's users and not corporations. We live in a capitalist society though so if you have a good idea, shouldn't you be allowed to monetize and profit from it rather than give it away for free? Where the future of our species depends on it though I agree the knowledge and inventions should be 'open-sourced' and not patented like in your COVID vaccine example.
Sorry for the rambly wall of text. Enjoyed your post.