The old Slashdot would have encouraged hackers and modders being able to have a choice in their operating system or ROM. The new Slashdot thinks it's reason to get an Apple phone.
The old Slashdot would have been happy that Android was open source. The new Slashdot thinks it's a bug rather than a feature.
In reality, it's somewhere between feature and bug. It means the manufacturers can make a large number of different phones without a Legion of employees to keep them all up to date and it gives customers choice in both hardware and os. It kinda pushes people to be involved with their phone and to start hacking on their phones. Having said that, it's annoying when you outgrow the capabilities of your cheap phone before you're eligible for an upgrade.