If I use an open-source OS and an open-source web browser to access a standards-based HTML5 web service, what interesting freedom do I have?
You have the freedom to use a site built by anyone, anywhere in the world, for any purpose, using any tools or process they like. If you limit yourself to these new appstores you can't run anything that wasn't approved by the gatekeeper.
And if you think Microsoft or Apple abuse their authority now just wait until they have nothing to fear.
In my view, locked down desktops and web apps are just two different ways of taking away freedoms.
The difference is that web apps give you something in return. They allow you to run software without having to buy and support all the required hardware.
A desktop restricted to running apps from an App Store takes away freedoms without providing anything of any additional value for competent users.
I think the really critical difference is that Apple and Microsoft can't tell me what "apps" I may or may not run on the web but they do demand this privilege on their mobile devices and seem to be making moves towards insisting on it on the desktop too.
You have the freedom to use a site built by anyone, anywhere in the world, for any purpose, using any tools or process they like. If you limit yourself to these new appstores you can't run anything that wasn't approved by the gatekeeper.
And if you think Microsoft or Apple abuse their authority now just wait until they have nothing to fear.