The "served as web pages" is a bit misleading. It just means that the UI layout engine takes HTML or XML, not that information is passed through a web server.
Sure, but the link concerned all telemetry, of which accessing a web page, even just to show what's news, is one.
The overall attitude included comments like 'I would like to see significantly more anonymous telemetry not less', while I want no network connections in my mail reader except that which I specifically initiate.
These are people so acculturated to data collection that they don't understand that some others don't want it.
I understand why developers want feedback. I have paying customers for my software library and I can't get useful feedback from then about what features they use.
OTOH, why can't get get UI feedback from logging institutional users for different domains, where they can get real legal and ethical consent from the institution side?
I mean, yes, it's easier to force it on everyone and have them swallow the pill for lack of alternatives than it is to deal with organizations. But then the issue isn't one of lack of data, it's that they don't want to deal with organizations as equals, since that takes more work.
