alt Hacker News> general-purpose computing device
This term doesn't seem defined in the law at all. How general is general?
Graphing calculators that support apps and Python? Of course, they don't usually have "accounts" either. But to a technologist it's a "general purpose computer" insofar as it can run new code that the user loads into it, it can definitely run games that it didn't come from the factory with, etc. It's a tiny multipurpose computing device.
Replies
dataflow • yesterday at 6:28 AM
Does your pocket calculator with Python have an account setup process?
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Laws in the US aren't taken as literal as in civil law systems. The intent and precedent is what carries much more weight in the end. Graph calculators are unlikely to be tested in court because it's irrelevant with respect to what this law is trying to accomplish.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law
I often see laws discussed here and people finding some edge case and presenting this as a gotcha. The reality is that it's unlikely to matter.