alt Hacker News>So… I don’t have to compromise the ability to run any program I want on my machine, and I don’t have to compromise the ability to be root on my machine. Right?
Yes. You are free to do whatever you want on your machine.
>Meaning, we don’t have to compromise the cheater’s ability to run any program they want (that would include cheats), nor their ability to be root on their machine.
Yep. The only thing the cheater is unable to do is prove to the server that they aren't using cheats.
>Secure for the game company you mean.
No I mean that the operating system protects applications from messing with each other. The operating system should isolate each app for security purposes.
> No I mean that the operating system protects applications from messing with each other. The operating system should isolate each app for security purposes.
Oh but that is far incomplete a specification. What security purposes? Who are we protecting, from whom? On whose behalf does the OS isolates applications from each other? If it’s on mine, then you bet I absolutely want the ability to lift that isolation in specific cases. It’s my computer, I decide when and how the rules are broken.
But the moment I have that (a computer and OS that really work for me), I lose the ability to prove that I don’t. If I play an online game, being in control means the game company is not, and I can’t prove to them I’m not cheating.
I’m not aware of any third alternative.