I had the exact same experience. Didn’t even know it was so disliked at the time

It’s better than the konami code

The core problem is education and bad UX. People are taught how to do specific things (click here, type this word, press this button) without ever being told why. And the bad UX discourages exploration of different ways of doing things. So it never occurs to them that there might be a better way.

Personally, I think it’s ok for people to not have a deep understanding of their computer, but if you use one for hours every day, it makes sense that you know how to use it. Just like I don’t expect a driver to know how to take apart an engine but they should know how to change a flat or put in coolant.

For most people looking for a phone, it’s the choice of which company you want to give your data too. But there are very obvious options when it comes to browsers.

If you don’t want Google to see what you’re doing then don’t use Google products