> Software engineering is no more magical. Some people like to build things. Most do not.
This misses the point. There are considerable advantages to Free and Open Source software even if you never modify it, the most obvious being that it tends to deter software vendors from adding user-hostile functionality such as tracking. (It isn't perfect in guaranteeing this, but it's a strong start.)
For more on these second-order advantages: [0][1]
> A couch is more of a black box than a smart phone.
In what sense?
With a smartphone full of proprietary software, it's extremely difficult to find out what it's up to. Same goes for modern smart cars. [2][3] Even if the software is benign, can you be sure about its future updates? There are no such concerns for a couch.
This misses the point. There are considerable advantages to Free and Open Source software even if you never modify it, the most obvious being that it tends to deter software vendors from adding user-hostile functionality such as tracking. (It isn't perfect in guaranteeing this, but it's a strong start.)
For more on these second-order advantages: [0][1]
> A couch is more of a black box than a smart phone.
In what sense?
With a smartphone full of proprietary software, it's extremely difficult to find out what it's up to. Same goes for modern smart cars. [2][3] Even if the software is benign, can you be sure about its future updates? There are no such concerns for a couch.
[0] https://hackertimes.com/item?id=31071180
[1] https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary.en.html
[2] https://hackertimes.com/item?id=37443644
[3] https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/privacy-nightmare-on-...