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.
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.