Hacker News Reader

I think games are the exception because they are

* relatively small purchases

* paid for directly by the user

* expected to be enjoyable

Most other software fails at least one of those tests, reducing the ability to shop around and make an informed decision.

View on HN

We can't change the fact that commercial OS vendors are all feudal overlords now, but the lawmakers are letting them get away with it and that is something we might still be able to change.

We can also choose a different OS, at least for real (non-phone) personal computers.

As long as we're not forced to use applications that are only available on neo-feudal OSs, yes.

> * paid for directly by the user

hahahahah. Games are steering further and further to this not being true. Where each player explicitly doesn't pay for it, and instead they contain an increasing series of dark patterns in order to steer players to fleece their money in a series of microtransactions.

You have a good point, there are some games with terrible business models too. I just don’t play them, haha.

Unfortunately enough do play them that those practices are spreading.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com