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Do many/most people really think they should have the ability to repair it? I'm not sure because they keep buying products where it's expressly not possible to

by cmurf 4y ago

Do many/most people really think they should have the ability to repair it? I'm not sure because they keep buying products where it's expressly not possible to repair it yourself or by a competent 3rd party. So I'm not really sure it has any more meaning than free software means no cost rather than "no one and everyone owns the software".

mistrial9 4y ago
this question is exactly why I suggested we revisit that terminology in this thread!
Beltalowda 4y ago
Before micro-USB every cell phone came with its own charging connector plug and everyone and their mother was complaining about it, but people still bought them because there wasn't all that much of a choice, or the sacrifices you had to make in other areas were just too large. Price, functionality, availability, etc. all factor in. And the tricky thing with repairs is that it's a very "non-obvious" feature.
dahart 4y ago
> Do many/most people really think they should have the ability to repair it? “Ability” is the wrong word here, why did you use that word? It’s ambiguous and misleading, that’s why it’s called the right to repair. Yes most people do assume they have the right to modify and fix something they “own”, whether it’s a car or a computer or anything else. Don’t you think it’s surprising and non-obvious that you might not be allowed to repair something you paid for and own, even when you know how to repair it? Whether they ever intend to repair something, and whether they have the knowledge to repair something, are both irrelevant to whether they have the legal right to repair something. > they keep buying products where it’s expressly not possible to repair it yourself or by a competent 3rd party. Most people have no intention of repairing their technical purchases themselves, and that’s perfectly fine. Most people also don’t care about right to repair laws even if it affects them. The point of right to repair laws is to establish the common sense standard that consumers are allowed to legally modify their purchases, and companies will no longer be allowed to go out of their way to prevent repairs or make them difficult (also and perhaps especially wrt 3rd parties), and also that companies and lawmakers will no longer be able to make customizing and repairing purchased products illegal as has been done in the past.

by cmurf 4y ago

mistrial9 4y ago

this question is exactly why I suggested we revisit that terminology in this thread!

Beltalowda 4y ago

Before micro-USB every cell phone came with its own charging connector plug and everyone and their mother was complaining about it, but people still bought them because there wasn't all that much of a choice, or the sacrifices you had to make in other areas were just too large. Price, functionality, availability, etc. all factor in. And the tricky thing with repairs is that it's a very "non-obvious" feature.

dahart 4y ago

> Do many/most people really think they should have the ability to repair it? “Ability” is the wrong word here, why did you use that word? It’s ambiguous and misleading, that’s why it’s called the right to repair. Yes most people do assume they have the right to modify and fix something they “own”, whether it’s a car or a computer or anything else. Don’t you think it’s surprising and non-obvious that you might not be allowed to repair something you paid for and own, even when you know how to repair it? Whether they ever intend to repair something, and whether they have the knowledge to repair something, are both irrelevant to whether they have the legal right to repair something. > they keep buying products where it’s expressly not possible to repair it yourself or by a competent 3rd party. Most people have no intention of repairing their technical purchases themselves, and that’s perfectly fine. Most people also don’t care about right to repair laws even if it affects them. The point of right to repair laws is to establish the common sense standard that consumers are allowed to legally modify their purchases, and companies will no longer be allowed to go out of their way to prevent repairs or make them difficult (also and perhaps especially wrt 3rd parties), and also that companies and lawmakers will no longer be able to make customizing and repairing purchased products illegal as has been done in the past.