4 ms·

Wait, does this mean I can root my Kindle fire and my Android phone without voiding their warranties?

by decebalus1 9y ago

lainga 9y ago
Interesting question, I would guess contingent on: does software count as a "part"?
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
gnode 9y ago
It's an interesting question. I can think of a valid reasons for software voiding a warranty. E.g. if I use non-recommended software to drive a CNC machine, and it causes a destructive head crash, or custom engine management software to make my car go faster and it wears out the engine more quickly. Increasingly, the integrity of machines is dependent on software. It may also be unreasonable to put the burden of proof on the warranty issuer, that the damage was caused by the user's arbitrary choice of software. If the validity of the warranty clause depends on the extent to which the software may affect the device's physical integrity, then I can imagine some manufacturers locking users into their software by making that dependence more opaque.
- ryandrake 9y ago
  One school of thought is that it’s defective hardware design if well-behaved software is all that’s keeping hardware from catastrophically failing.
  - gnode 9y ago
    Often the line between hardware and software is blurred (is FPGA logic or processor microcode hardware?). Avoiding catastrophic failure may be a non-trivial problem. In the example case of a CNC machine, you must avoid putting too much strain on a tool, or suddenly colliding with the workpiece, thus requiring knowledge of the workpiece geometry. Software can also be easily updated to mitigate hardware faults or design problems (e.g. processor bugs).
Spoom 9y ago
I think if you can show that the alterations did not cause the failure, yes, it follows that the warranty would still apply. I'm not sure whether the burden would fall on you or the company to prove their case, however.
mindslight 9y ago
That has always been the case. The meme of "voiding your warranty" seems to have been adopted more as some hipster badge of honor rather than the actual legal situation. Whether companies will be less likely to attempt to deny people's warranty rights as a result of this "stern warning" remains to be seen. I'd personally like it if the FTC started outright suing companies for these stickers with the fraudulent legal advice.

Wait, does this mean I can root my Kindle fire and my Android phone without voiding their warranties?

lainga 9y ago

Interesting question, I would guess contingent on: does software count as a "part"?

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

gnode 9y ago

It's an interesting question. I can think of a valid reasons for software voiding a warranty. E.g. if I use non-recommended software to drive a CNC machine, and it causes a destructive head crash, or custom engine management software to make my car go faster and it wears out the engine more quickly. Increasingly, the integrity of machines is dependent on software. It may also be unreasonable to put the burden of proof on the warranty issuer, that the damage was caused by the user's arbitrary choice of software. If the validity of the warranty clause depends on the extent to which the software may affect the device's physical integrity, then I can imagine some manufacturers locking users into their software by making that dependence more opaque.

ryandrake 9y ago
One school of thought is that it’s defective hardware design if well-behaved software is all that’s keeping hardware from catastrophically failing.
- gnode 9y ago
  Often the line between hardware and software is blurred (is FPGA logic or processor microcode hardware?). Avoiding catastrophic failure may be a non-trivial problem. In the example case of a CNC machine, you must avoid putting too much strain on a tool, or suddenly colliding with the workpiece, thus requiring knowledge of the workpiece geometry. Software can also be easily updated to mitigate hardware faults or design problems (e.g. processor bugs).

Spoom 9y ago

I think if you can show that the alterations did not cause the failure, yes, it follows that the warranty would still apply. I'm not sure whether the burden would fall on you or the company to prove their case, however.

mindslight 9y ago

That has always been the case. The meme of "voiding your warranty" seems to have been adopted more as some hipster badge of honor rather than the actual legal situation. Whether companies will be less likely to attempt to deny people's warranty rights as a result of this "stern warning" remains to be seen. I'd personally like it if the FTC started outright suing companies for these stickers with the fraudulent legal advice.