Sure, I&#x27;m not saying that there aren&#x27;t <i>any</i> ways to hack still.  And that&#x27;s especially so in regards to legacy platforms, like the PC.  But for newer devices, and for future devices (like, say, VR appliances), it looks like we&#x27;re taking, or at risk of taking, a big step backwards.<p>I also acknowledge that if you&#x27;re willing and able to (find|build|buy) hardware that skates around patent law and the like, then you have more options.  And as long as that&#x27;s a possibility, that&#x27;s a Good Thing.  But I still argue that it&#x27;s a Bad Thing when major computing platforms become &quot;lock down by default&quot;.<p>OTOH, I don&#x27;t mean to be all &quot;gloom and doom&quot;.  Clearly there have been some positive developments over the past few years.  The resurgence of the burgeoning DIY&#x2F;hacker&#x2F;maker movement, the advent of cheap single-board-computers like Arduino, rPi, BeagleBone, etc., are all good signs.  But as they say &quot;eternal vigilance is the price of liberty&quot;.