Why aren't hardware and OSes more standardized? (Was: C64 drive)

[Robert Brockway]

On Thu, 13 Jul 2006, Jason Spiro wrote:

> Why, after all this time, can't one buy one of ten types of Standard
> PC, with your choice of one of 10 Standard OSes, and since the

I for one hopes such a thing never comes to pass.  People have different 
needs.  If we only have 10 types of PCs, what happens if you need 
something different?  I guess you just miss out.

With open standards we can have better working systems without having to 
sacrifice choice.

> Also, why can't one buy a computer, plug it into the, um, Internet
> jack in the wall, and click the Email button and your email will work
> right away? With just a fingerprint, and no username or password, if

The main limitation preventing such a setup is security.

- ISPs need to make sure only their paying customers are using their 
services.

- It used to be possible to relay email via any main transport agent in 
the world.  There was a gentleman's agreement that you would not use 
someone elses MTA without permission except in a genuine emergency.  All 
that changed when spammers arrived on the scene.

Both of these situations come down to the need to restrict access to those 
with permission to use a particular service.  So blame those who cannot 
manage to play by generally accepted rules.

Rob

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