At the risk of being dubbed completely paranoid, I think this is just a further manifestation of a
global corporate and governmental move towards removing
unrestricted general computing capabilities from the hands of their customers and citizens.
Unrestricted, general-purpose operating systems and hardware have been identified as "disruptive technologies."
And now that even the most slow-witted and Luddite legislator has finally realized that this "computer stuff" ("Don't understand it m'self, but you should see me grandson on one o' them things!") is dangerous for the current status quo. So a decision has been made that it's time for it to go away. But there is also the realization that this will have to be handled "delicately."
Softly, softly - catchee monkey as the saying goes.
Right now, that is being attempted via corporate fiat rather than direct legislation since most western governments lack the constitutional authority to pass such legislation.
Things like Win8-Metro, iOS, walled garden ecosystems, UEFI/SecureBoot, app stores, data silos, draconian IP laws and enforcement are all manifestations of an unstated policy to remove this technology from the masses - while at the same time making it look like greater "personal liberation" is taking place.
If you don't believe this technology is considered a clear and present danger to the power elites found within most major corporations and government, look no further than how the US/NZ governments handled the Megaupload/Kim Dotcom affair. Anybody who considers such behavior a
police incident needs to think again. That was a multinational coordinated
military operation. One that had more in common with the way we would deal with a terrorist cell than it had with arresting somebody for (allegedly) willfully hosting illegal copies of copyrighted material. If that doesn't send the world a clear signal about how this "stuff" is being viewed by those currently in power, I don't know what possibly could. Especially considering how the handling of the Dotcom arrest was
specifically intended to send a message to the entire online community.
The message itself was very simple: Know your place.
The
subtext in the message was simpler still: Or
else.
