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This is why I don't understand why companies lock down their hardware! You're getting free software enhancements and support; unlock that thing! Why waste peop

This is why I don't understand why companies lock down their hardware! You're getting free software enhancements and support; unlock that thing! Why waste people's time in reverse engineering your crap, when they could be spending that time building new functionality. For example, Canon and the whole CHDK thing. Canon makes money from selling the hardware; so why lock down the software?

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
zeep 9y ago
Companies do that with most hardware (including cellphones)... They like to stay in control.
coin 9y ago
> why lock down the software? Software based features
osteele 9y ago
One reason, mentioned, is in order to reserve premium features. Others are to maintain control over user experience; to simplify QA (making it less expensive, and leading to faster release cycles); reduce support costs; and increase engineering flexibility, by reducing the size of the API surface that requires a deprecation policy in order to avoid disrupting users.
bonestamp2 9y ago
> why lock down the software? I work with hardware (not quadcopters) that is limited by software and the software is locked down, so I can at least tell you the reasons we do it: 1. Warranty. We know the limits of the hardware and our customers expect us to warranty that hardware for a reasonable amount of time, so we can't have consumers pushing the hardware beyond the duration/temperature/speed/etc that is going to significantly reduce its lifespan. We're not trying to be jerks, we're just saying here is our warranty and these are the parameters/limits within which we can offer that warranty. 2. Hackers. Hobby hackers are cool and most of us that work on these products are hobby hackers too, so we can appreciate the curiosity, fun and legitimate utility of modifying the software. But, there is a rising threat of malicious hackers and many of our customers (and non-customers) expect us to protect society as a whole from our products being taken over by malicious hackers for the purpose of harming someone. If nothing else, nobody who makes the products want to find out their product was used for that from a moral standpoint, not to mention a liability standpoint. As for Canon, I'm sure people have tried to return camera bodies they've tried to hack and have bricked or otherwise damaged and that's not fair to Canon either. The right solution would be for the manufacturers to make some of their software open source so hobbyists could add features and submit official pull requests that can be vetted by the engineers that are responsible for the reliability of the product and the safety of the people around it. That's my two cents on it anyways.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

zeep 9y ago

Companies do that with most hardware (including cellphones)... They like to stay in control.

coin 9y ago

> why lock down the software? Software based features

osteele 9y ago

One reason, mentioned, is in order to reserve premium features. Others are to maintain control over user experience; to simplify QA (making it less expensive, and leading to faster release cycles); reduce support costs; and increase engineering flexibility, by reducing the size of the API surface that requires a deprecation policy in order to avoid disrupting users.

bonestamp2 9y ago

> why lock down the software? I work with hardware (not quadcopters) that is limited by software and the software is locked down, so I can at least tell you the reasons we do it: 1. Warranty. We know the limits of the hardware and our customers expect us to warranty that hardware for a reasonable amount of time, so we can't have consumers pushing the hardware beyond the duration/temperature/speed/etc that is going to significantly reduce its lifespan. We're not trying to be jerks, we're just saying here is our warranty and these are the parameters/limits within which we can offer that warranty. 2. Hackers. Hobby hackers are cool and most of us that work on these products are hobby hackers too, so we can appreciate the curiosity, fun and legitimate utility of modifying the software. But, there is a rising threat of malicious hackers and many of our customers (and non-customers) expect us to protect society as a whole from our products being taken over by malicious hackers for the purpose of harming someone. If nothing else, nobody who makes the products want to find out their product was used for that from a moral standpoint, not to mention a liability standpoint. As for Canon, I'm sure people have tried to return camera bodies they've tried to hack and have bricked or otherwise damaged and that's not fair to Canon either. The right solution would be for the manufacturers to make some of their software open source so hobbyists could add features and submit official pull requests that can be vetted by the engineers that are responsible for the reliability of the product and the safety of the people around it. That's my two cents on it anyways.