The problem with a lot of right-to-hack pro-consumer tech ideology is that most people can barely replace a lightbulb. So for a high-end thing like say an open-architecture Linux smartphone, you’ll just replace Apple/Verizon with a sketchy local neckbeard. Agency <= knowledge.
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Fair point, but shopping around for decent local neckbeard can turn into a worse nightmare than being on hold with Comcast. I like oligopolies short of a monopoly for high tech. You get the right tradeoff between reliable QA and counterparty risk.
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Replying to @vgr
I'd think replacing Apple/Verizon with a SLN would be an advantage. Sure you're still beholden to someone, but that someone is a small local operator. If they piss you off, you can go find another. Can't do that with Apple/Verizon
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Why do you think there won’t be local repair shops competing for your business? This is exactly how screen repair works now. It’s not perfect but I’ve broken my iPhone screen 3 times now... I got to the corner phone repair spot and get it replaced for $60... it’s awesome!
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This can definitely happen, especially for small markets where there just isn't enough demand to support a thriving system. It's tough to have stable oligopolies that don't eventually form into a monopoly (even an implicit one) though.



