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Ford Releases An SDK For Their Cars

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Re: Ford Releases An SDK For Their Cars

#11
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't imagine the amount of penetration testing they'd need to do before opening up core components of a car. I would not want to be in charge of that project.

Of course they'd never open that up, that was just me dreaming.

Isn't that what stage 2 systems for cars already does? Updates the car's internal computer, as well as changing out physical components?

Re: Ford Releases An SDK For Their Cars

#14

When I bought my 2009 Ford Fusion it was marketed as having "Microsoft Sync", the Sync name has stuck around but I haven't seen any mention of Sync being or derived from Microsoft technology in Ford's marketing in the last couple year (nor in the article). I wonder if that is still the back end of it or if Ford rebuilt Sync from the ground up?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Sync#Exclusivity_agreement...

Re: Ford Releases An SDK For Their Cars

#15

Nice, I like the forward thinking by ford on this. I only wish next they open up the engine controller, and let the real hackers in!

The real hackers are already in. ;)

The Nissan Pathfinder for example has a pin on the ECM that when grounded loads the engine profile from the upper 256K of RAM vs the normal lower 256K of RAM. If you modify an engine profile to set limits of 5 MPH and 1000 RPM and load it into the upper 256K and wire that pin to the dome light switch, you have an amazing anti-theft system.

Re: Ford Releases An SDK For Their Cars

#16

Since we are on the topic: I wish Tesla would finally live up to their obligations and release the GPLed parts of their product (that includes, at a minimum, the Linux kernel with all modifications).

GPL compliance (sigh) and a new SDK for a vehicle aren't really the same topic. They just happen to have cars in common. If I left a comment about the camshaft on my Jeep, that wouldn't be on topic, even though it's about cars.

That aside, what do you hope to gain from their GPL compliance? Pop open the GPL compliance kit from, say, a Netgear router and you get a kernel, a few drivers, and the toolchain used to build it. And BusyBox. How useful will the drivers for things in a Tesla be to you? Do you own a Tesla, or is it just curiosity?

If it's curiosity, well, I wish we weren't enforcing that with the GPL.

Re: Ford Releases An SDK For Their Cars

#17

Nice, I like the forward thinking by ford on this. I only wish next they open up the engine controller, and let the real hackers in!

Ford has offered this type of functionality (read-only, of course) for the last 15 years at least.

They had at that time a parallel cable (remember those printers) interface to their engine that would let you get all kinds of information. I coded to it - it was quite fun.

Re: Ford Releases An SDK For Their Cars

#18
post #15

Nice, I like the forward thinking by ford on this. I only wish next they open up the engine controller, and let the real hackers in!

The real hackers are already in. ;) The Nissan Pathfinder for example has a pin on the ECM that when grounded loads the engine profile from the upper 256K of RAM vs the normal lower 256K of RAM. If you modify an engine profile to set limits of 5 MPH and 1000 RPM and load it into the upper 256K and wire that pin to the dome light switch, you have an amazing anti-theft system.

Security through obscurity. Works well until it becomes a popular tactic.

Anyway, haven't immobilizers all but stopped drive-away car theft?

Re: Ford Releases An SDK For Their Cars

#19
post #5

This sounded awesome right up to the point that they said that this was a hotly pursued space due to advertising potential to a captive audience. If I am in my own car and my music is interrupted with an ad every time I drive by a McDonalds - I would find that extremely annoying. On the other hand, if you could lease a car at a subsidized price in exchange for ads, that might be an attractive offer to some.

My new BMW has a Yelp app, which might be the kind of thing they're talking about. I'm pretty sure your car isn't going to advertise to you without you asking for it; that sounds like a regulation nightmare.
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