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Given how quickly support is dropped for consumer electronics, not opening up access to them is unacceptable. And that isn't really addressing the fact that ma

Given how quickly support is dropped for consumer electronics, not opening up access to them is unacceptable. And that isn't really addressing the fact that many companies don't have the funding or the will to secure these devices.

Clamchop 4y ago
I think the desire to repurpose obsolete electronic appliances is probably far too small to make a meaningful dent in e-waste. Not much to be done at scale with random, idiosyncratic, and underpowered SBCs. I don't know for sure but I do strongly suspect it.
BizarroLand 4y ago
I mean, if nothing else when the device reaches EOL what would it hurt to release a bootloader unlock?
- NotYourLawyer 4y ago
  “What would it hurt” is the wrong question. The question is “how would it profit them”? If it wouldn’t, they have zero incentive to do it.
  - BizarroLand 4y ago
    It would profit them by generating buzz and good will from their customers towards their future products, knowing that at some point, the customer will be given complete ownership of the product. Plus, if the parts of the underlying software that are not going to be reused without modification in future products were open sourced, then for most semi-successful products there is the possibility of the code base growing, new tools and utilities being created, and information being generated that would improve their future products. The only potential downside is that if the newer products that are released are retrogressive or are deemed to not be enough of an improvement then their own older systems with better software might crowd out their market share. This would be a dramatic blow to sales of products like iPhones which have not had any MAJOR hardware upgrades in a few years, but for SBCs, a new processor, additional cores, faster memory, stronger graphics cards, USB-C, there's dozens of small improvements each generation that make a newer version worthwhile to customers.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
    Perhaps the regulatory solution is to offer the option: Either the vendor covers the cost of recycling, or they liberate the devices so recycling isn't the only option.
- anonuser123456 4y ago
  >would it hurt to release a bootloader unlock? In cases I am familiar with, you would need the sign off of 4 separate companies. I’m 99% certain one of them would outright refuse. I’m also 99% certain the others would be ambivalent and it would fall to the bottom of a bottomless queue.

Clamchop 4y ago

I think the desire to repurpose obsolete electronic appliances is probably far too small to make a meaningful dent in e-waste. Not much to be done at scale with random, idiosyncratic, and underpowered SBCs. I don't know for sure but I do strongly suspect it.

BizarroLand 4y ago

I mean, if nothing else when the device reaches EOL what would it hurt to release a bootloader unlock?

NotYourLawyer 4y ago
“What would it hurt” is the wrong question. The question is “how would it profit them”? If it wouldn’t, they have zero incentive to do it.
- BizarroLand 4y ago
  It would profit them by generating buzz and good will from their customers towards their future products, knowing that at some point, the customer will be given complete ownership of the product. Plus, if the parts of the underlying software that are not going to be reused without modification in future products were open sourced, then for most semi-successful products there is the possibility of the code base growing, new tools and utilities being created, and information being generated that would improve their future products. The only potential downside is that if the newer products that are released are retrogressive or are deemed to not be enough of an improvement then their own older systems with better software might crowd out their market share. This would be a dramatic blow to sales of products like iPhones which have not had any MAJOR hardware upgrades in a few years, but for SBCs, a new processor, additional cores, faster memory, stronger graphics cards, USB-C, there's dozens of small improvements each generation that make a newer version worthwhile to customers.
- yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
  Perhaps the regulatory solution is to offer the option: Either the vendor covers the cost of recycling, or they liberate the devices so recycling isn't the only option.
anonuser123456 4y ago
>would it hurt to release a bootloader unlock? In cases I am familiar with, you would need the sign off of 4 separate companies. I’m 99% certain one of them would outright refuse. I’m also 99% certain the others would be ambivalent and it would fall to the bottom of a bottomless queue.