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....and this is why I don't ever want to own any car with a cellular radio and reflashable firmware. Why on earth would I want an automaker to have any control
by marssaxman 9y ago
....and this is why I don't ever want to own any car with a cellular radio and reflashable firmware. Why on earth would I want an automaker to have any control over my car after I've bought it, just because they happen to have manufactured it? No way. When the day comes that my only reasonable options are all vehicles manufactured after this noxious trend became universal, "how easy is it to disable the modem" will be one of my search criteria.
- rhcom2 9y agoHopefully we'll still have that option. With the right-to-repair lawsuits ongoing a loss might mean disabling the modem is against the EULA.
- krageon 9y agoFor people in the EU a EULA isn't legal anyway - unless you need to explicitly agree with it before you can buy the car.
- alkonaut 9y agoThere is every chance that the car will say “warning, the firmware is 11 months old and must be updated or the car will not be usable in 30days” With more and more features being “intelligent” (from driver aid to autonomous features) and the software being more and more complex, cars will ship with huge bug backlogs and critical issues will be discovered along the way (as well as changes to traffic laws, street signs and other things that must be patched in for the car to actually function). Manufacturers can’t risk having drivers drive around in old versions of the car. It hurts their brand. This (together with a few other other reasons) is why I think car “ownership” will soon be a thing of the past. Already we hear news of models that will never actually be possible to own.
- marssaxman 9y agoYes, you are describing the nightmare scenario I want to avoid.
- Libturd 9y agoany vehicle with an ECU has "reflashable firmware"