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Re:/e/OS is a complete "deGoogled", mobile ecosystem by JCattheATM on Monday March 02, 2026 @10:42PM (#47227733)
> Not everyone has the time and resources to battle their utilities and bank(s).

They do, they just don't want to. Typing a short letter and mailing it is very little effort. Less so with AI these days.

Re:/e/OS is a complete "deGoogled", mobile ecosystem by Forgeties79 on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @08:03AM (#47231679)
An AI generated letter isn’t going to get my utility company to drop their explicitly chosen practice of blocking VPN’s.

These aren’t oversights, these are deliberate practices.

Re:/e/OS is a complete "deGoogled", mobile ecosystem by JCattheATM on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @08:45AM (#47232225)
'AI generated' is irrelevant here, they wouldn't know and it's just a time saver in response to the 'people don't have enough time' excuse.

That's a weird one though, if you have alternatives you could always switch.

Re:/e/OS is a complete "deGoogled", mobile ecosystem by abustamam on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @12:12PM (#47235485)
Not sure where you live but in much of California, there are no alternatives for most utilities. Water, gas, electric often only have one singular provider in many regions.
Re:/e/OS is a complete "deGoogled", mobile ecosystem by JCattheATM on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @01:22PM (#47236506)
Fair enough, although barring VPN use is quite a bit different from forcing an app that requires Play Services or iPhone. A VPN isn't as legitimate a need to pay a utility bill in the same way paying without an Android or iOS phone can be.
Re:/e/OS is a complete "deGoogled", mobile ecosystem by Forgeties79 on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @11:26AM (#47234800)
My only alternative is to not have natural gas
Re:/e/OS is a complete "deGoogled", mobile ecosystem by JCattheATM on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @01:22PM (#47236508)
Fair enough, although barring VPN use is quite a bit different from forcing an app that requires Play Services or iPhone. A VPN isn't as legitimate a need to pay a utility bill in the same way paying without an Android or iOS phone can be.
Re:/e/OS is a complete "deGoogled", mobile ecosystem by Forgeties79 on Wednesday March 04, 2026 @12:28PM (#47250837)
I don’t see why not. It entirely depends on why someone needs a VPN. And I also shouldn’t need to justify it regardless.
Re:/e/OS is a complete "deGoogled", mobile ecosystem by JCattheATM on Wednesday March 04, 2026 @07:58PM (#47256130)
> I don’t see why not. It entirely depends on why someone needs a VPN.

Nah, not really. Using a VPN is a luxury, a preference. You're arguing that using a VPN should be a right in a discussion about people not being forced to use specific Apple or Google services, which is an entirely different thing.