I feel like I own my Mac because it doesn't bother me for anything and lets me do what I want. The iPhone, less so because it's secured against me in many ways.
My Mac is constantly bugging me to install OS updates. Same with my iPad and my iPhone. Apple gives you no option to skip the updates. The only way to avoid the constant carping is to allow Apple to do the update automatically, which is not by any means having control of your own devices.
Your suggestion doesn't solve the problem. I want to know about updates without being forced to install them to avoid being badgered. AFAIK that's not possible.
Assuming we're talking about the Mac, which "non approved software" can you not install? I have brew and ports installed and can install tons of stuff. I was even looking into macFUSE to enable NFS but didn't end up finishing the setup. It requires unlocking some parts of the OS and I didn't feel comfortable doing that right now.
