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On the whole I agree with the author, but they have glossed over some things I feel should be addressed: > The computer manufacturer Lenovo, for instance, used

On the whole I agree with the author, but they have glossed over some things I feel should be addressed: > The computer manufacturer Lenovo, for instance, used to sell its computers with a program called “Superfish” preinstalled. Most "serious" users reformat the machine and re-install the OS to get rid of the OEM included crapware. Not something the average user does, sure, but you're still allowed to re-install the OS on a commodity x86 system like a laptop. It's a matter of inconvenience, not impossibility. > This system means that a car company can’t stop me from painting my car a shocking shade of pink or from getting the oil changed at whatever repair shop I choose. I can even try to modify or fix my car myself. You cannot do this with a Tesla. Go look on the internet about people waiting months for Tesla to repair their cars, or people who have bought totaled Teslas and fixed them, only to be denied re-certification by Tesla. I think we will see other electric car manufacturers moving in the direction of a more closed ecosystem than what we have now with ICE cars. Reason being that electric cars have a unique drive system (even more than ICE cars) and usually a proprietary HVDC battery (>60V) and battery management system. The manufacturer risks increased liability and bad PR if they let people modify these cars and then they end up in flames. > Samsung cuts deals with lots of software providers which want to take my data for their own use. Same deal as with Lenovo, but slightly complicated by the fact that ARM is not as standardized at a platform level as x86 (yet, I think this is slowly changing). Pick a phone that comes without OEM crapware like Google Pixel, or a phone with good 3rd party ROM support like LineageOS. > What is important is that we recognize and reject what these companies are trying to do, buy accordingly, vigorously exercise our rights to use, repair and modify our smart property, and support efforts to strengthen those rights. Agree 100%, but this requires consumers to research products before they buy the cheapest one. We can encourage good behaviour by manufacturers, but it will mean educating our friends and family and collectively voting with our wallets.

closeparen 9y ago
> It's a matter of incovenice It's a matter of the moral bankruptcy of supporting a company that does this, and voting with your wallet that this kind of behavior ought to continue.
userbinator 9y ago
The manyfacturerer risks increased liability and bad PR if they let people modify these cars and then they end up in flames. Car modding has gone on for around a century(!) and I can't remember a single instance where someone modified a car, was injured or killed, then blamed the manufacturer, and the latter was found at fault (instead of the modder or driver.) It's just the overreaching paternalism that seems all too common with companies today. Electric cars are closing the ecosystem simply because the companies can exert more control (= profit) that way; the "safety" justifications are really to divert attention away from that. Of course, Tesla can't stop you trying to paint your car...
- kogepathic 9y ago
  > Car modding has gone on for around a century(!) Perhaps I'm mistaken, but my impression is that people weren't as litigious in previous decades. > and I can't remember a single instance where someone modified a car, was injured or killed, then blamed the manufacturer, and the latter was found at fault (instead of the modder or driver.) Sure, but for the past century we've had cars which run on flammable liquid and are powered by thousands of explosions per minute. So, it's not entirely news worthy when a car which burns stuff catches fire. For a car which runs on electricity it's not immediately obvious to people that there are still components inside plenty capable of producing fire when damaged or used incorrectly.
  - gjjrfcbugxbhf 9y ago
    I'm not sure which I'd least like to be near a burning tank of gasoline or a burning lithium ion battery.....
    - Filligree 9y ago
      Frankly, the battery. Gasoline fumes aren't nearly as toxic, and neither is likely to explode. In either case you have to run away ASAP.
majewsky 9y ago
> you're still allowed to re-install the OS on a commodity x86 system like a laptop Remember when Microsoft tried to change that with Secure Boot? If it hadn't been for the public outcry in the tech columns, they probably would've proceeded with it.
- kogepathic 9y ago
  > Remember when Microsoft tried to change that with Secure Boot? If it hadn't been for the public outcry in the tech columns, they probably would've proceeded with it. Yes, but Secure Boot doesn't/shouldn't prevent you from re-installing Windows, since Microsoft's Secure Boot keys are installed anyway. I believe in all but a few cases OEMs have made Secure Boot an optional flag in UEFI, so you can choose to disable it if you want to install another OS such as Linux. However I am aware of several non-x86 platforms which use Secure Boot to prevent you from installing another OS (e.g. Surface 2)
dozzie 9y ago
>> The computer manufacturer Lenovo, for instance, used to sell its computers with a program called “Superfish” preinstalled. > Most "serious" users reformat the machine and re-install the OS to get rid of the OEM included crapware. [...] It's a matter of inconvenience, not impossibility. And this is why said Lenovo included the crapware and spyware in non-volatile memory that is executed by Windows boot automatically by design, so your reinstallation doesn't work as intended unless you change the OS you're installing.
- kogepathic 9y ago
  > And this is why said Lenovo included the crapware and spyware in non-volatile memory that is executed by Windows boot automatically by design, so your reinstallation doesn't work as intended Could you please provide a citation for this claim? I've never heard of Lenovo bundling parts of Superfish into UEFI to be installed again if Windows is reinstalled.
  - mikeyouse 9y ago
    I think they're referring to the horrible LSE that was exposed at the same time as Superfish. I don't think it ever installed SF but it would auto restore a bunch of other Lenovo garbage before Windows booted; https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theregister.co.uk/AMP/2015/08/12/lenovo_firmware_nasty/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theregister.co.uk/AMP/2015/...
ocdtrekkie 9y ago
I suspect Tesla will face significant legal issues with the way they lock down their platform in the near future. The wealthy folks who can afford the S and X can afford to only deal with the manufacturer, and are likely to buy a new car when the warranty expires. But with the Model 3, a lot more people are going to take issue with Tesla's rules.
flukus 9y ago
> Most "serious" users reformat the machine and re-install the OS to get rid of the OEM included crapware. And then you get all the fun of running around the web for random drivers, navigating the OEM's and third parties websites to find the multi hundred GB driver package that reinstalls the crapware. That's if the OEM site will let you download the drivers of course, I've run into a few where it wasn't possible.

closeparen 9y ago

> It's a matter of incovenice It's a matter of the moral bankruptcy of supporting a company that does this, and voting with your wallet that this kind of behavior ought to continue.

userbinator 9y ago

The manyfacturerer risks increased liability and bad PR if they let people modify these cars and then they end up in flames. Car modding has gone on for around a century(!) and I can't remember a single instance where someone modified a car, was injured or killed, then blamed the manufacturer, and the latter was found at fault (instead of the modder or driver.) It's just the overreaching paternalism that seems all too common with companies today. Electric cars are closing the ecosystem simply because the companies can exert more control (= profit) that way; the "safety" justifications are really to divert attention away from that. Of course, Tesla can't stop you trying to paint your car...

kogepathic 9y ago
> Car modding has gone on for around a century(!) Perhaps I'm mistaken, but my impression is that people weren't as litigious in previous decades. > and I can't remember a single instance where someone modified a car, was injured or killed, then blamed the manufacturer, and the latter was found at fault (instead of the modder or driver.) Sure, but for the past century we've had cars which run on flammable liquid and are powered by thousands of explosions per minute. So, it's not entirely news worthy when a car which burns stuff catches fire. For a car which runs on electricity it's not immediately obvious to people that there are still components inside plenty capable of producing fire when damaged or used incorrectly.
- gjjrfcbugxbhf 9y ago
  I'm not sure which I'd least like to be near a burning tank of gasoline or a burning lithium ion battery.....
  - Filligree 9y ago
    Frankly, the battery. Gasoline fumes aren't nearly as toxic, and neither is likely to explode. In either case you have to run away ASAP.

majewsky 9y ago

> you're still allowed to re-install the OS on a commodity x86 system like a laptop Remember when Microsoft tried to change that with Secure Boot? If it hadn't been for the public outcry in the tech columns, they probably would've proceeded with it.

kogepathic 9y ago
> Remember when Microsoft tried to change that with Secure Boot? If it hadn't been for the public outcry in the tech columns, they probably would've proceeded with it. Yes, but Secure Boot doesn't/shouldn't prevent you from re-installing Windows, since Microsoft's Secure Boot keys are installed anyway. I believe in all but a few cases OEMs have made Secure Boot an optional flag in UEFI, so you can choose to disable it if you want to install another OS such as Linux. However I am aware of several non-x86 platforms which use Secure Boot to prevent you from installing another OS (e.g. Surface 2)

dozzie 9y ago

>> The computer manufacturer Lenovo, for instance, used to sell its computers with a program called “Superfish” preinstalled. > Most "serious" users reformat the machine and re-install the OS to get rid of the OEM included crapware. [...] It's a matter of inconvenience, not impossibility. And this is why said Lenovo included the crapware and spyware in non-volatile memory that is executed by Windows boot automatically by design, so your reinstallation doesn't work as intended unless you change the OS you're installing.

kogepathic 9y ago
> And this is why said Lenovo included the crapware and spyware in non-volatile memory that is executed by Windows boot automatically by design, so your reinstallation doesn't work as intended Could you please provide a citation for this claim? I've never heard of Lenovo bundling parts of Superfish into UEFI to be installed again if Windows is reinstalled.
- mikeyouse 9y ago
  I think they're referring to the horrible LSE that was exposed at the same time as Superfish. I don't think it ever installed SF but it would auto restore a bunch of other Lenovo garbage before Windows booted; https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theregister.co.uk/AMP/2015/08/12/lenovo_firmware_nasty/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theregister.co.uk/AMP/2015/...

ocdtrekkie 9y ago

I suspect Tesla will face significant legal issues with the way they lock down their platform in the near future. The wealthy folks who can afford the S and X can afford to only deal with the manufacturer, and are likely to buy a new car when the warranty expires. But with the Model 3, a lot more people are going to take issue with Tesla's rules.

flukus 9y ago

> Most "serious" users reformat the machine and re-install the OS to get rid of the OEM included crapware. And then you get all the fun of running around the web for random drivers, navigating the OEM's and third parties websites to find the multi hundred GB driver package that reinstalls the crapware. That's if the OEM site will let you download the drivers of course, I've run into a few where it wasn't possible.