Honestly, Chrome takes more of an app store model. It updates behind the scenes and always works. While it may be backed by open source work, it is released and controlled as product by Google.
Firefox is a disaster. I don't open it much, but I every time I do, it prompts for updates and things I don't care about.
VLC is wonderful program, and I use it almost every day. But it is way too complicated for most people. Something that plays videos should be as simple as a DVD player. VLC is a power tool.
I believe Apple wants to make computing that is easy, fun, and productive to use for non-programmers. They also want to make money. I don't think they want spy on and control their users for some arbitrary evil reason. At some point, there may be a need to take antitrust action against Apple, and those laws are there for a good reason.
I resisted buying an iPad for a long time. Then I saw Garage Band on the iPad. It is not a professional recording suite, that's true. But it's the modern day version of a home 16 track recorder + amp simulator + drum machine + MIDI sound back + effects unit. To get all this in a $500 package is literally quite amazing. 15 years ago, you'd have half a room full of equipment, a much clunkier interface, and endless wires. Even Garage Band on the Mac doesn't work as well.
I didn't insist that Apple wants an open system for apps. I said that it takes someone with negotiating skills to change an existing reality. You might even argue that free software would not be as successful today without someone like Linus who is more pragmatic.
I like freeform computing platforms for my programming tasks, like running web servers and the like. So long as Linux is around, we don't have to worry about that going away.
Not sure what is complicated about VLC? It's the simplest player I have ever used, you point it at a video file and it plays it. You get standard DVD player like controls for pause/play etc.
In contrast WMP refuses to play a bunch of filetypes altogether unless you mess with codecs and asks me a bunch of questions every time I start it up.
Firefox is a disaster. I don't open it much, but I every time I do, it prompts for updates and things I don't care about.
VLC is wonderful program, and I use it almost every day. But it is way too complicated for most people. Something that plays videos should be as simple as a DVD player. VLC is a power tool.
I believe Apple wants to make computing that is easy, fun, and productive to use for non-programmers. They also want to make money. I don't think they want spy on and control their users for some arbitrary evil reason. At some point, there may be a need to take antitrust action against Apple, and those laws are there for a good reason.
I resisted buying an iPad for a long time. Then I saw Garage Band on the iPad. It is not a professional recording suite, that's true. But it's the modern day version of a home 16 track recorder + amp simulator + drum machine + MIDI sound back + effects unit. To get all this in a $500 package is literally quite amazing. 15 years ago, you'd have half a room full of equipment, a much clunkier interface, and endless wires. Even Garage Band on the Mac doesn't work as well.
I didn't insist that Apple wants an open system for apps. I said that it takes someone with negotiating skills to change an existing reality. You might even argue that free software would not be as successful today without someone like Linus who is more pragmatic.
I like freeform computing platforms for my programming tasks, like running web servers and the like. So long as Linux is around, we don't have to worry about that going away.