Anti-consumer

I am a Computer Hardware professional. I started working with computer technology in the early eighties. I have seen the evolution of technology starting with closed platforms like the game console era and then the move toward open platforms like the Home Computer Golden Age. In the last 5 or 10 years, I have witnessed technology changes that are slowly moving away from open hardware designs towards hardware that is locked down and can’t be modified by the user....more

I repair computers and provide solutions to everyday computer challenges for home users and very small businesses. To find out more about me, visit my home page. Very recently, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers of consumer desktops and laptops, like Dell, HP and Sony, etc.) have been introducing new features into the Basic Input/Output System (the system that controls all the hardware in a computer). These features are put in under the guise of protecting the consumer, but in practice they are unnecessary and over-complicating the setup and experience, reducing ownership power and ownership privacy....more