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An ongoing 3D-printer AGPL violation

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Re: An ongoing 3D-printer AGPL violation

#241

Post by mft_ »

xavdid wrote: post #168
m4rtink wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any reason why you did not choose a PRusa 3D printer ? From my experience those work well, are mucxh more open & don't do any of the stupid shit Bambu is trying to pull off.

I traded a Prusa MK3S for a secondhand Bambu P1S and it was night and day. I believe the prusa could have gotten to a place where it printed well and consistently, but the P1S *just works*. It printed better out of the gate with 0 tinkering than the Prusa did after I had spent hours calibrating, testing, and re-calibrating it. I wanted the Prusa to be just as good, which is why I started with it. I wanted to support…

Interesting; I’ve had an mk3s for years now (which i bought specifically to avoid the tinkering necessary with other brands at the time) and apart from dealing with a couple of blockages (probably due to a cheap roll of filament) it’s been totally reliable and hassle-free. I think I’ve had it recalibrate itself maybe three times amongst hundreds of prints. I wish it had automatic print head adjustment to deal with flexible filaments, but that’s about it.

What is it you see with your P1S that’s better?

Re: An ongoing 3D-printer AGPL violation

#242

Post by dspillett »

LoganDark wrote: post #104
dspillett wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Deciding nobody can have the software at all is completely opposite to the spirit of the license. Any import block would be on the hardware, not the software. And the software would need to be released for other territories anyway.

As a buyer I'd be just as unhappy to be unable to get the hardware. I already have some, but if I wanted some new feature it doesn't have and that open-source definitely doesn't have, I'd be miffed to say the least if I couldn't get it just because Bambu didn't release the source code.

I see how it could be inconvenient for you, but should it being inconvenient for people be a valid reason for letting them continue to break licensing terms when they could end the whole situation immediately by stopping breaking the licensing terms?

Re: An ongoing 3D-printer AGPL violation

#243

Post by sailfast »

criddell wrote: post #217
sailfast wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would imagine any settlement dollars would be enough of a carrot to get a lawyer involved. Has anyone actually sued over this yet?

It's really difficult to collect any judgement in China. https://www.internationaldisputeresolutionlaw.com/2025/06/en... I can't find the source right now, but I believe punitive damages are excluded. So all you could collect would be actual damages. What are the actual damages Bambu owners have suffered?

My assumption was that a settlement would be part of the “cost of doing business in the USA” so they’d pay up to keep importing their products legally rather than lose the market - but you know what they say about assumptions…

Re: An ongoing 3D-printer AGPL violation

#244

Post by herbst »

mft_ wrote: post #241
xavdid wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I traded a Prusa MK3S for a secondhand Bambu P1S and it was night and day. I believe the prusa could have gotten to a place where it printed well and consistently, but the P1S *just works*. It printed better out of the gate with 0 tinkering than the Prusa did after I had spent hours calibrating, testing, and re-calibrating it. I wanted the Prusa to be just as good, which is why I started with it. I wanted to support…

Interesting; I’ve had an mk3s for years now (which i bought specifically to avoid the tinkering necessary with other brands at the time) and apart from dealing with a couple of blockages (probably due to a cheap roll of filament) it’s been totally reliable and hassle-free. I think I’ve had it recalibrate itself maybe three times amongst hundreds of prints. I wish it had automatic print head adjustment to deal with fl…

I have a p2s (and x2c) but the main difference in can instantly tell here is that I haven't had any clogs with any enclosed Bambu so far and whatever material I throw at it it just works. It's maybe not a lot difference but it's the thinker free experience I was hoping for.

Re: An ongoing 3D-printer AGPL violation

#245

Post by jfindley »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #238
jfindley wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately this comment entirely misses the mark. The reason this is such a big deal is precisely because it's not a sketchy product. For people who are using their FDM printers for more than just minifigs from thingiverse there's no proper alternative to Bambu. Their hardware and software is significantly ahead of the competition. If you want to print engineering-grade plastics reliably and accurately you are goi…

I appreciate where you're coming from, but I think you may have unintentionally made my point. Try this: Change the context "Acme's Sunscreen which is made from killing an endangered fish, is significantly better than any other sunscreen out there, and because it is already on fish we know it doesn't hurt the ocean!" except the production of Acme Sunscreen is leading to the extinction of said fish in the future. Shor…

Except that the software part of the "significantly ahead" is in the device firmware, not the slicer. And it's only the slicer that's at issue in this debate. If it were the slicer that provided all this advantage over the competition it'd have been copied years ago, so this is really nothing to do with my point at all.

Again, I'd be far happier if they followed the terms of the AGPL and provided source for their custom slicing extensions, but it wouldn't really move the needle very much for the competition.

Re: An ongoing 3D-printer AGPL violation

#247

Post by xavdid »

herbst wrote: post #239
xavdid wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I traded a Prusa MK3S for a secondhand Bambu P1S and it was night and day. I believe the prusa could have gotten to a place where it printed well and consistently, but the P1S *just works*. It printed better out of the gate with 0 tinkering than the Prusa did after I had spent hours calibrating, testing, and re-calibrating it. I wanted the Prusa to be just as good, which is why I started with it. I wanted to support…

This is the exact thing I was afraid of to end up with again. I don't want a maintain hobby

Right, your hobby is either 3D printing or maintaining a 3D printer, but not both
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