[jmward01]

" It applies to operating systems that work with associated app stores on general purpose computers or mobile phones or game consoles. That’s it"

Everything is a general purpose computer. Just look at how many things have been made to run doom. I haven't read the law specifically but if it actually does say this then that language is useless and means practically everything.

[igregoryca]

Wood is edible when processed correctly, but it's not legally considered "food" because there are a bunch of nontrivial steps to get it into that state. Likewise, any reasonable interpretation of "general purpose computer" in this context by a judge would not include your microwave oven just because someone with skill and finesse could transform it into a cursed Doom arcade machine.

Laws are interpreted by people trained to fill in the blanks[1] with a best guess of the legislative body's intent. And the intent here seems pretty clear: to regulate computing devices that let end users easily install software from a centralized catalog.

[1] which we all do subconsciously in day-to-day speech, because all language is ultimately subjective

[hedora]

They exempt applications that run inside another “host application” though, which is ~ everything in any modern app store.

I guess Linux native games on GoG might be covered. All windows and wsl programs run in userspace compat layers. iOS might be covered. Snap, probably not (containers), AppImage? Maybe?

Nix, and brew? Probably not.

[flenserboy]

vague laws are put in place so that they can be used selectively to punish particular victims while letting friends through the nets

[kimixa]

All laws are vague and interpreted, and in common law (as in the UK and US) interpreted based on precedent rather than the specific text of the original law.

If people with power over you want to "selectively punish you" they don't need new laws.

And if you want perfectly proscriptive, defined laws in all situations with no "human interpretation" you're in the wrong universe, and may as well be shouting at clouds. The world, and especially human society and interactions, just doesn't follow strict definitions like that.

[giantg2]

Vague laws are not required for selective enforcement. You can have strictly defined laws result in selective enforcement through law enforcement and prosecutorial discretion.

[juris]

until you root out their friends and maliciously develop app stores for their products, then install them multiple billions of times on a docker and let them rack up charges ;) doom can run on -anything-