Giving most people a “general purpose computer” these days is giving them enough rope to hang themselves. That’s why people that have never learned computers (or did and hate them) like iPads so much. It’s extremely difficult to mess anything up, and you don’t have to worry about antivirus and updating java and flash and all this other crap. Apps are sandboxed, privacy is taken seriously, background apps (spyware) can’t track you, etc.
As someone concerned with security, I’ll gladly tell people to switch from a virus-laden Windows laptop to an iPad or Chromebook.
As someone concerned with privacy, I’m conflicted in offering those suggestions because the security comes from proprietary app stores and review teams, trusting all your data to be stored by the GOOG, not having the ability to run your own code, etc.
Maybe it’s just as simple as: there is not one solution for everyone. Let the majority of people that have no interest in running their own code use iPads and Chromebooks. For developers and people that know enough to take precautions, keep using Macbooks and Thinkpads and whatever.
“A story about Jessica | Lobsters [1]”
This is a comment on A Story About Jessica (A timeless story of a 17 year old girl trying to use her computer safely.) [2], and is presented here just as another data point about giving up control over our own computers [3].
[1] https://lobste.rs/s/ybseoh/a_story_about_jessica/comments/4gm1rg#c_4gm1
[2] http://swiftonsecurity.tumblr.com/post/98675308034/a-story-about-