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Make it open. Then add warnings and void the warranty. If someone has a legitimate need to modify it they should be able. If it's that dangerous one would hope
by Xorlev 12y ago
Make it open. Then add warnings and void the warranty. If someone has a legitimate need to modify it they should be able. If it's that dangerous one would hope the care used in operating goes goes tenfold for any modifications.
If it is big and complicated, your users probably don't want to modify it for fear of causing damage. If they do, the risk is on them. If someone wants to modify it they will. Wouldn't you rather they have all the information rather than trying to obscure it?
- rjdagost 12y agoYou are assuming that users are making rational assessments of both their skill level and also of the difficulty of the modifications they are seeking to perform. Often the most overly optimistic people are some of the most unskilled. I dealt with these folks for years and unfortunately there are many scenarios when you just have to protect the user from himself for his own good. And no, slapping a "changing firmware voids the warranty" clause to the product sale will not protect you from legal liability when the users hacks your system and loses an arm. There are many real-world scenarios where the Silicon Valley motto of "fail fast, fail often" is just not acceptable.