Gregory's Server@aral @ParadeGrotesque while I don’t disagree with what you’re saying, I think it’s important to acknowledge where the term “user” came from, which, really, is libraries.
Telephones had subscribers, but libraries had users. That same terminology spread to early software systems. So I think in an important way, these big corps have abused the term “user” significantly. Their “users” are really their product.
@aral “had” was a poor word to describe libraries, as if they aren’t a thing anymore. I use my local library today, and everyone reading this should do the same as a library user.