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! ^^
Meanwhile, my grandfather has been having trouble watching Braves games (a Baseball team) because they put it on streaming. I believe he is in his early 80's. Did you mom work with computers before? My grandfather never used them much and struggles with email on his laptop. (He always swears he "didn't click anything" haha.)
My parents always were having issues with their Windows computers. Mostly just getting viruses and me having to drive over and figure out what the hell was going on. Finally I said, here, let me install something. I put Debian on their computer. Set up 3 icons for "email", "internet" (<- browser, but they used that term), and "writing" (<- Just libreoffice). I then set up an SSH server. After that I created a little script with an icon that said "help". The script emailed me their current IP when clicked. Then I could just ssh in and see what the hell they did. Ended up only having to use it a couple times, and that was to clear out their printer queue. My dad passed away several years ago. My mom just mentioned a couple weeks ago that she likes to brag to her friends that she doesn't have any computer issues when they meet up for lunch and her friends start bitching about their problems. My parents used computers at work, but super basic stuff.
I actually ended up putting Debian on my grandmother's computer as well. She asked me to after my mom kept talking about her lack of problems. I set her's up similar to my parents and she used it for about a decade before passing at 100 years of age a few years ago.