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As time passes the more I think that Stallman was right: Today there is no way I'm buying a device that a company can turn into a paperweight by flipping a swi

As time passes the more I think that Stallman was right: Today there is no way I'm buying a device that a company can turn into a paperweight by flipping a switch. Tomorrow I won't probably buy anything where I'm not controlling the software.

winternett 7y ago
Some instances of software truly need the Internet to run, E.G. Facebook or GTA Online. Many software tools don't need that connection to run, but are heavily embedded with connection dependencies like a calculator app (stable technology). Many of these apps and devices become totally useless if an active connection is not available. This is a bad move companies make all the time to encourage our dependence. The same goes for Hardware -- Do you really need to send a Tweet from your refrigerator? Identifying the frivolous items that do not need to be Internet reliant and avoiding them altogether might be the key to sanity, unless you want GE logging each time you open your refrigerator door and spying on what you buy and store in it. This discussion ties into so many issues faced in modern day society. Technology should serve in making life easier, less expensive, and more efficient for all of us, not in manipulating our emotions, costing more over time, and in tracking our decisions and movements.
- LeftHandPath 7y ago
  I’ve been harassing my dad for ages over his purchase of a WiFi-enabled LG fridge. Neither of us know why it’s connected - but it is, and it proudly displays a WiFi icon with a backlit LED right above the water dispenser. The only thing you can possibly gain from a WiFi-enabled fridge (it has no voice commands, no screen, etc) is just being monitored and/or hacked. There is literally no benefit to the consumer from having WiFi on that device.
  - winternett 7y ago
    Probably take some time to remove the network password, and/or block the IP at your router level?
  - blowski 7y ago
    I agree that I can’t imagine what genuine benefit an internet-enabled fridge could have, but out of curiosity, what benefits do they list in the manual?
  - DaiPlusPlus 7y ago
    > The only thing you can possibly gain from a WiFi-enabled fridge (it has no voice commands, no screen, etc) is just being monitored and/or hacked. There is literally no benefit to the consumer from having WiFi on that device. Does it at least have cameras inside the main cavity so you can see what you're short-of on your phone when you're at the supermarket?
    - bordercases 7y ago
      Take a photo before you go mate
  - bosswipe 7y ago
    There's an app that let's you do a few things like remotely tell it to make extra ice or notify you if the door was left open.
- inetknght 7y ago
  > Some instances of software truly need the Internet to run, E.G. Facebook or GTA Online. No, they don't need the "internet" to run. They just need the services that are currently proprietary.
  - imoverclocked 7y ago
    ... unless referring to the highly customized ads provided by the platform.
    - inetknght 7y ago
      ...which should never be a "requirement"
anonsivalley652 7y ago
Recently, Charter Communication folded up its home security business, leaving everyone with useless e-waste. Then you have Youtubers hawking cloud IoT things like SimpliSafe, Ring, Nest, Alexa/Google Home/etc.-enabled devices that will disappear whenever they decide to end support. It gets worse. I remember some Motorola Mobility smartphones phones from around 2008-2010 that absolutely required Motorola to continue to run its own servers for some of their social media functions to work (like Facebook) because they were skimming analytics from their customers and reselling them without their knowledge or permission. I know this because I did some consulting on-site for them. Many of the people came from Danger where a similar thing occurred, which was a muddy tarpit Microsoft later realized they shouldn't have purchased. TBH, I think there's a market for end-to-end self-hosted products that go through a privacy-focused firewall WiFi gateway and has some computing power that can run server apps locally rather than being cloud enabled. And for work-anywhere mobile apps, there ought to be some sort of universal rendezvous protocol that supports end-to-end-encryption that the devices can talk to. And of course, the mobile apps, local servers apps and Zigbee/WiFi bridge server should all be open source.
RyJones 7y ago
This is exactly why I didn’t buy a Glowforge. I was really excited until I read you have to use the cloud service they run.
safety-third 7y ago
Sony literally bricked my PS1&2 compatible PS3 with an update and offered me something like a $20 gift certificate for Sony products for my troubles. I haven't bought anything Sony since. The real issue is that courts hesitate to turn the screws on the companies that get caught doing this. If Sony was forced to pay 5x original cost in penalties, the cost-benefit analysis wouldn't have been in their favor. I am today about to replace my Android because I can no longer update because the install gets bigger every year and I have run out of space. I am seriously considering going to a flip phone and using a small laptop or something else linux powered for my previous smart phone usage.
- celticmusic 7y ago
  > Sony literally bricked my PS1&2 compatible PS3 with an update and offered me something like a $20 gift certificate for Sony products for my troubles. I haven't bought anything Sony since I'd be extremely angry over that.

winternett 7y ago

Some instances of software truly need the Internet to run, E.G. Facebook or GTA Online. Many software tools don't need that connection to run, but are heavily embedded with connection dependencies like a calculator app (stable technology). Many of these apps and devices become totally useless if an active connection is not available. This is a bad move companies make all the time to encourage our dependence. The same goes for Hardware -- Do you really need to send a Tweet from your refrigerator? Identifying the frivolous items that do not need to be Internet reliant and avoiding them altogether might be the key to sanity, unless you want GE logging each time you open your refrigerator door and spying on what you buy and store in it. This discussion ties into so many issues faced in modern day society. Technology should serve in making life easier, less expensive, and more efficient for all of us, not in manipulating our emotions, costing more over time, and in tracking our decisions and movements.

LeftHandPath 7y ago
I’ve been harassing my dad for ages over his purchase of a WiFi-enabled LG fridge. Neither of us know why it’s connected - but it is, and it proudly displays a WiFi icon with a backlit LED right above the water dispenser. The only thing you can possibly gain from a WiFi-enabled fridge (it has no voice commands, no screen, etc) is just being monitored and/or hacked. There is literally no benefit to the consumer from having WiFi on that device.
- winternett 7y ago
  Probably take some time to remove the network password, and/or block the IP at your router level?
- blowski 7y ago
  I agree that I can’t imagine what genuine benefit an internet-enabled fridge could have, but out of curiosity, what benefits do they list in the manual?
- DaiPlusPlus 7y ago
  > The only thing you can possibly gain from a WiFi-enabled fridge (it has no voice commands, no screen, etc) is just being monitored and/or hacked. There is literally no benefit to the consumer from having WiFi on that device. Does it at least have cameras inside the main cavity so you can see what you're short-of on your phone when you're at the supermarket?
  - bordercases 7y ago
    Take a photo before you go mate
- bosswipe 7y ago
  There's an app that let's you do a few things like remotely tell it to make extra ice or notify you if the door was left open.
inetknght 7y ago
> Some instances of software truly need the Internet to run, E.G. Facebook or GTA Online. No, they don't need the "internet" to run. They just need the services that are currently proprietary.
- imoverclocked 7y ago
  ... unless referring to the highly customized ads provided by the platform.
  - inetknght 7y ago
    ...which should never be a "requirement"

anonsivalley652 7y ago

Recently, Charter Communication folded up its home security business, leaving everyone with useless e-waste. Then you have Youtubers hawking cloud IoT things like SimpliSafe, Ring, Nest, Alexa/Google Home/etc.-enabled devices that will disappear whenever they decide to end support. It gets worse. I remember some Motorola Mobility smartphones phones from around 2008-2010 that absolutely required Motorola to continue to run its own servers for some of their social media functions to work (like Facebook) because they were skimming analytics from their customers and reselling them without their knowledge or permission. I know this because I did some consulting on-site for them. Many of the people came from Danger where a similar thing occurred, which was a muddy tarpit Microsoft later realized they shouldn't have purchased. TBH, I think there's a market for end-to-end self-hosted products that go through a privacy-focused firewall WiFi gateway and has some computing power that can run server apps locally rather than being cloud enabled. And for work-anywhere mobile apps, there ought to be some sort of universal rendezvous protocol that supports end-to-end-encryption that the devices can talk to. And of course, the mobile apps, local servers apps and Zigbee/WiFi bridge server should all be open source.

RyJones 7y ago

This is exactly why I didn’t buy a Glowforge. I was really excited until I read you have to use the cloud service they run.

safety-third 7y ago

Sony literally bricked my PS1&2 compatible PS3 with an update and offered me something like a $20 gift certificate for Sony products for my troubles. I haven't bought anything Sony since. The real issue is that courts hesitate to turn the screws on the companies that get caught doing this. If Sony was forced to pay 5x original cost in penalties, the cost-benefit analysis wouldn't have been in their favor. I am today about to replace my Android because I can no longer update because the install gets bigger every year and I have run out of space. I am seriously considering going to a flip phone and using a small laptop or something else linux powered for my previous smart phone usage.

celticmusic 7y ago
> Sony literally bricked my PS1&2 compatible PS3 with an update and offered me something like a $20 gift certificate for Sony products for my troubles. I haven't bought anything Sony since I'd be extremely angry over that.