Quick note to those experiencing gadget lust after Apple WWDC and Google I/O: In the UNIX world, root is the most common term for the user in total control of a system. Root is the owner of /, the root of the filesystem, the namespace within which UNIX operates. Apple’s and Google’s devices are based on this 40+ year tradition. Only you don’t have root on the device you’re eagerly investing hundreds of dollars in. But they do. Thus, these handheld and portable computer systems are not owned by you. You pay but you do not own them. The fix is in, and the joke’s on you.
Got root?
