All consoles are digital-only, legally-required to verify your identity, and locked-down
But Linux still exists! In adapting, it’s now hyper-optimized for thin-client corporate workstation terminals, the only computers still made. Distributions are shared via illegal mesh networks or person-to-person on physical media
Gamers can simulate operating a “grocery store”, something that used to exist back before the States collapsed
As there is no way for the NSA/CIA/FBI/PTA to monitor what’s on a flash drive in your pocket, such physical media will be made illegal. Possession of physical computer storage media that is not permanently connected to the internet will be grounds for arrest and reeducation.
not quite the same, but in Hungary you had* to pay an extra tax on writeable CDs because it was assumed that you’re buying them for piracy 🫠 iirc the tax went to support the music and film industry
(* maybe still have to, but I haven’t lived there in more than a decade)
US kind of had that in the '90s. CDRs designated as music disc’s cost extra because we were all criminal scum pirating non-stop. However, if it was a data disc, there was no surcharge.
There was no difference between the two except the packaging.
As there is no way for the NSA/CIA/FBI/PTA to monitor what’s on a flash drive in your pocket, such physical media will be made illegal.
I’m old enough to remember when it was impossible to get your hands on a CD-Burner, because the industry didn’t want people to use discs with 650MB capacity to store and transfer files between systems. I suppose we could see some kind of return to non-writeable media, but I’m not holding my breath. Data transfer is the entire backbone of the modern internet. If anything, flash drives will simply go out of fashion because we’ll have even more data-dense and rapid transfer alternatives in another five or ten years.
It’s 2060
All consoles are digital-only, legally-required to verify your identity, and locked-down
But Linux still exists! In adapting, it’s now hyper-optimized for thin-client corporate workstation terminals, the only computers still made. Distributions are shared via illegal mesh networks or person-to-person on physical media
Gamers can simulate operating a “grocery store”, something that used to exist back before the States collapsed
UK has pushing that stuff for over a year.
As there is no way for the NSA/CIA/FBI/PTA to monitor what’s on a flash drive in your pocket, such physical media will be made illegal. Possession of physical computer storage media that is not permanently connected to the internet will be grounds for arrest and reeducation.
not quite the same, but in Hungary you had* to pay an extra tax on writeable CDs because it was assumed that you’re buying them for piracy 🫠 iirc the tax went to support the music and film industry
(* maybe still have to, but I haven’t lived there in more than a decade)
US kind of had that in the '90s. CDRs designated as music disc’s cost extra because we were all criminal scum pirating non-stop. However, if it was a data disc, there was no surcharge.
There was no difference between the two except the packaging.
I’m old enough to remember when it was impossible to get your hands on a CD-Burner, because the industry didn’t want people to use discs with 650MB capacity to store and transfer files between systems. I suppose we could see some kind of return to non-writeable media, but I’m not holding my breath. Data transfer is the entire backbone of the modern internet. If anything, flash drives will simply go out of fashion because we’ll have even more data-dense and rapid transfer alternatives in another five or ten years.