4 ms·

I didn't make any of that up.... have you ever removed an onstar unit from a vehicle? Did you ever try to install linux on an xbox360? Radios these days are so

by dinom 4y ago

I didn't make any of that up.... have you ever removed an onstar unit from a vehicle? Did you ever try to install linux on an xbox360? Radios these days are software defined. They can sit on the same chip that uses a trusted bootloader and also provides an engine control module. Marketing departments can and will bend and pervert engineering specifications to highlight the consumer benefits and minimize the profit motive. QED

pjerem 4y ago
You know that radios can be as software defined they want, they are still requiring antennas.
- dinom 4y ago
  I do know that. But... Assuming you can even get to the antenna without special tools... you're just going to cut the antenna so short that the radio can't get a signal? On a hunch? What if the SOC in your vehicle has to download a rolling encryption key every week in order to activate?
  - Slaminerag 4y ago
    There are plenty of parts of the US with really poor cell coverage. Even if everything's working perfectly, there's no guarantee that your car can update. Having a car die because it couldn't phone home is both a lawsuit waiting to happen and a potential PR nightmare.
    - cguess 4y ago
      Unfortunately some cars still do it https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24754662 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24754662
    - dinom 4y ago
      What about satellite? What if the ping isn't time based but mileage based... what are the odds you drive 500-1000 miles without passing a cell-site? The car doesn't have to go completely dead either. It can go into a "limp mode" or just have features disabled. Going back and forth with measures and counter-measures besmirches the point. Cars have to be serviced and this may be considered just another aspect of it. I'm not suggesting that this sort of thing is necessarily a good thing(tm) but, it may be viewed as such by some and it's possible. Isn't it the consumer's prerogative and responsibility to decide? Not to mention, lawsuits and PR nightmares can be factored into a business case analysis. VW actually went ahead and defrauded the US government in diesel-gate and they're still an almost $100 billion company.

by dinom 4y ago

pjerem 4y ago

You know that radios can be as software defined they want, they are still requiring antennas.

dinom 4y ago
I do know that. But... Assuming you can even get to the antenna without special tools... you're just going to cut the antenna so short that the radio can't get a signal? On a hunch? What if the SOC in your vehicle has to download a rolling encryption key every week in order to activate?
- Slaminerag 4y ago
  There are plenty of parts of the US with really poor cell coverage. Even if everything's working perfectly, there's no guarantee that your car can update. Having a car die because it couldn't phone home is both a lawsuit waiting to happen and a potential PR nightmare.
  - cguess 4y ago
    Unfortunately some cars still do it https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24754662 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24754662
  - dinom 4y ago
    What about satellite? What if the ping isn't time based but mileage based... what are the odds you drive 500-1000 miles without passing a cell-site? The car doesn't have to go completely dead either. It can go into a "limp mode" or just have features disabled. Going back and forth with measures and counter-measures besmirches the point. Cars have to be serviced and this may be considered just another aspect of it. I'm not suggesting that this sort of thing is necessarily a good thing(tm) but, it may be viewed as such by some and it's possible. Isn't it the consumer's prerogative and responsibility to decide? Not to mention, lawsuits and PR nightmares can be factored into a business case analysis. VW actually went ahead and defrauded the US government in diesel-gate and they're still an almost $100 billion company.