The author tries to link the fact that people would like to see data portability in cloud computing to the success of consumer stuff like the iphone and the like.
They are completely different beasts and you can't compare them like that.
As for the closing question: "Has the possibility of “vendor lock-in” ever stopped you from making a purchasing decision or is it just a “potential risk” that’s weighed in the overall decision making process?"
Yes, every time. And unless the product has very limited utility for me (say facebook or something like that) I refuse to put myself in to a position of 'lock-in' because experience has taught me that it is only a matter of time before the thumb screws come out.
Playing devil's advocate, I think there's a difference between what you would do and what the average consumer would do.
There's also a difference between something that might be better in the short-term (say over 2-3 years) and something that is good for the long haul.
But I feel the same way as you do, mostly. I'm just more willing to make that trade off for say, a Kindle, knowing that in the near future I'm jumping to an open platform as quickly as possible.
I'd never buy an iphone for that reason, and as for the kindle, I'd buy one but only to use it as a reader for open format text files.
The DX isn't available here though, so I guess even that will have to wait.
The reason your 'typical' consumer and the HN audience approach this in a different way is probably because a consumer usually isn't aware of the exact moment they are locked in, they only find out to their regret much later.
But by then it is too late, and the price to switch is too high.
"knowing that in the near future I'm jumping to an open platform as quickly as possible"
Assuming that's even possible or realistic, which it often isn't in markets dominated by a single vendor. Supporting vendor lock-in, particularly as a developer, makes it harder for open alternatives to exist. It's common for a single vendor to dominate a market for years. The future of jumping to an open platform could simply never come to pass.
The author tries to link the fact that people would like to see data portability in cloud computing to the success of consumer stuff like the iphone and the like.
They are completely different beasts and you can't compare them like that.
As for the closing question: "Has the possibility of “vendor lock-in” ever stopped you from making a purchasing decision or is it just a “potential risk” that’s weighed in the overall decision making process?"
Yes, every time. And unless the product has very limited utility for me (say facebook or something like that) I refuse to put myself in to a position of 'lock-in' because experience has taught me that it is only a matter of time before the thumb screws come out.
So even 'free'+'lock-in' won't cut it for me.