I really don't care. Don't have time to care.

For years, I've run Windows on licenses other people paid for. I do the work that needs to be done, and then I shut those Windows machines off. Professionally, and that means CAD, PLM and related tech, Windows is where it's at for the very vast majority of users.

Personally, I run Linux from time to time, and Mac OS for most casual Internet use. My embedded projects are on Linux or Mac OS now, and I've moved to an open software stack for all of that activity. Haven't purchased personal software, other than a phone app or two, in a very long time.

What bothers me is I don't care. I know I should, but I struggle with a few things here:

1. Everybody is gathering data.

They are doing it because they know they will have gathered the things needed to answer hard questions in the future they won't even know they will be asking. Not to mention the ones they know they will be asking.

Seems to me there is a lot of value potential inherent in all of that activity. We are likely to benefit overall. Question is whether the benefit will be outweighed by abuses. I don't know.

(And I'm still not sure I care)

2. I'm on a startup type project now, and I'm first in line to suggest we gather data. I want to gather that data because I know serious value can be understood and delivered by doing that and value added is the best way to make a nice profit. There isn't any reason to abuse anybody, but security is a liability and trust issue to deal with. Hope it all balances out. I'll be doing my part in all of that, and the intent is good.

(and I do care very much about how that all plays out)

3. With all this going on, how meaningful is it to me? Does anyone even care about me, beyond the obvious revenue potential I may have?

I should care more about this, but I just don't anymore.

In the end, for the few things I may do that I may see somebody potentially caring about, why not just do those on an older machine, well trusted, running open stuff?

And I care about that. Those are getting harder to find. Maybe I'll stock up and keep a cache for that purpose.

Overall, "we" and I mean ordinary people, seem to be losing. General purpose computing may well continue to exist. Still seems like it might go away for an awful lot of people, but maybe not. This is a worry.

But maybe it isn't such a worry. Maybe, just maybe, the compromise is more data logging.

Maybe the end game is we really can't take general purpose computing away. So we don't, but the compromise is that we log the shit out of people in the hopes that we can catch the baddies and or keep them from doing too many things we don't want them to be doing.

(and "we" there is in the most general sense as people for lack of desire to define that more precisely)

If so, fine! I get to keep general purpose computers and if I really want to, I can probably keep some future activity off the grid well enough to not worry beyond that.

If not?

Well, maybe then I'll care a lot more. I'm just time and energy conflicted right now. None of this makes me happy, and I wonder for my kids, who are growing up with so many intrusive norms I can't even hardly relate.

But I have stuff I want to do and I feel very tired of fighting over it.

And I think that's selfish, and I'm sorry.