51–60 of 253 posts
If you can't read the source and build the firmware yourself you don't own the device. It's that simple. Stop putting up with closed non trivial firmware and these sorts of problems go away.
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Buy devices that do not come with "backdoors" like this then. Why would these not be autonomous?
How is preventing you from updating your software until you agree to a privacy policy a backdoor?
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Configure a tablet in guided / single app mode for music playback. Trivial stuff.
That's a fine solution if you have an extra one laying around. But I don't and I'm hesitant to buy a tablet just to drive a speaker.
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How is preventing you from updating your software until you agree to a privacy policy a backdoor?
"The customer can choose to acknowledge the policy, or can accept that over time their product may cease to function " (emphasize mine).
To all the people talking about ownership. I find it hard to believe the aux in will cease to work. So worst case is they turn into regular speakers.
What it sounds like is you won't be able to update your firmware. So more likely than not, everything would keep working but random Internet related services (like Spotify Integration) may break over time because, for instance, if Spotify changes their API you won't get the software update to fix it.
And that is why I think it is OK. Software updates over the Internet are always subject to licensing. That is not new and not unique to Sonos.
As a Sonos (I have close to $2000 worth of products) user this actually doesn't bother me. To all the people talking about ownership. I find it hard to believe the aux in will cease to work. So worst case is they turn into regular speakers. What it sounds like is you won't be able to update your firmware. So more likely than not, everything would keep working but random Internet related services (like Spotify Integra…
If I wanted regular speakers, I would have bought regular speakers.
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Because you aren't the only one enjoying the music at your home. The most annoying thing about being at a party where bluetooth audio is being used is when the person paired gets too far away from the speaker.
Configure a tablet in guided / single app mode for music playback. Trivial stuff.
The actual solution is simple: stop using these devices.
Could you recommend some alternatives?
Plug the RPis into decent stereos (not a powered speaker unless you are some kind of rabid animal) and you've got a good setup that can be controlled from anywhere in the house. Multiple stereos can playback in sync and be controlled from the same UI.
I'll be honest, I'm just glad to see they are still actually working on their software.
It's so good but still so buggy. Very much a love-hate relationship.
It seems like nobody actually owns anything any more - that we're all just digital serfs living on someone else's land. I really don't know why anyone would willingly make such a deal.
You only "own" something so long as you pay taxes (aka rents) for the right to do so, otherwise someone, usually the government, will take it from you. Even if you don't want to play along, you can only be somewhere public for so long until you're loitering and subject to fines (more rents), confiscation (again, more rents), or removal.
The whole system is pretty blatantly anti-competitive [1], detrimental to individuals [2][3], and rotting the system from the inside out [4][5].
1. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-rent-seeking-is-too...
2. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-22/us-economy-perverte...
3. https://hackernoon.com/rise-of-the-rent-seeker-how-the-subsc...
4. https://devinhelton.com/2013/04/14/rent-seeking-economy/
5. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-09-13/banks-and...