Re: Computers and Paranoia/Fear?
Originally Posted by
mr john
But surely the app markets in Apple, Ubuntu and Google can also log what applications people install. Is it so that they can monitor you, or is it just so that they can know how many people have downloaded a certain app? Are things like this really bad, or are these companies simply doing it so that they can provide a better, more relevant service to their users? What is the real harm of a company knowing what you've installed?
On mobile devices, app stores are great, as many sites still don't have mobile sites, and if you have 3G or lower signal, it is slow to load pages. Plus, there are less likely to be reviews on apps to begin with, so it is harder to tell if they are crap apps that can ruin your phone. That is why app stores on mobile devices are so nice, as long as you can still install software from other sources.
On the desktop, there is no need other than to copy the mobile experience. Software with viruses and buggy software is more likely to have bad reviews on the desktop, so it is not as important. OS X is slowly becoming more resistant to installing apps from non Apple certified sources, and Windows is getting more and more controlling of their OS.
Backups are amazing. 99% of data loss can be prevented by spending less than $100 on an external drive.
If you have seen an error, there is a good chance someone else has, too. Google is your friend.
Bookmarks