What Is Software Vendor Lock-In? (And How to Avoid It)

Vendor lock-in is when a customer is dependent on a certain product and can’t switch. This is rampant in the software industry, across desktops and mobile devices alike. As we conduct more of our lives on computers, this leads to real restrictions on our freedoms. Vendor lock-in isn’t always obvious. Sometimes you aren’t aware until you’re in too deep. Many of us recognize vendor lock-in on desktops, but what’s it like on phones? Let’s take a look at how this practice takes shape on PCs, mobile devices, and in the web. Then we can decide what we’re going to do about it. On Desktops PCs involve many players, but two...

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