Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair • Hacker News Board

Re: Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair

#311

Post by pixelface » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 7:09 AM UTC

cletus wrote: post #261

OldManAndTheCpp wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now you've shipped your thing that lasts forever. If it's a mechanical object, maybe you can get continuing revenue from spare parts, but those will bring in less than the original purchase. Worst case, someone brings up a factory copying your part design (without doing any engineering work on them, just copies them exactly), and undercuts you. If you sell software, do you let the old stuff atrophy and become insecur…

On the software front, this is why I, personally, am a fan of the subscription model... if done right. And almost no one does it right. The shining example for actually doing it right is Jetbrains. There is a schedule for new releases they keep to. You get loyalty discounts for long term subscriptions and ending a subscription entitles you to a version that is ~1 year old in perpetuity. Plus the prices are (IMHO) ent…

Another company using this model very effectively is Derivative, makers of Touchdesigner. Licenses are sold at an initial price that includes a year of updates. Once that year expires, the newest version (old versions are kept available on the site) within your update period will continue to be usable with your license - which is freely transferable between machines. They offer a couple license tiers, custom work, and paid support hours. They even provide a free non-commercial license that is minimally limited and great for learning. The other great thing is that they are highly responsive to user feedback and bug reports. I've had a situation before where we found a bug in the course of a project and they fixed it in a matter of days, had a build sent over in time for my deadline, and then the fix was pushed for everyone in the following update. I frequently point them out as a model for the best way to offer a software product to both a professional and amateur market. It's essentially all the benefits of perpetual licensing while still providing a revenue stream for the company and ongoing support for professional users.

No direct affiliation, but I've shared drinks with the devs and am a very pleased user.

Re: Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair

#312

Post by ClumsyPilot » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 7:11 AM UTC

dwg wrote: post #228

baroffoos wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is even though we can do this, the average user doesn't. They get the unsupported message and they then throw the laptop in the bin and buy the same thing again. All electronics makers should be required by law to supply security updates and spare parts for devices for at least 10 years after the point of sale (not after the release date). Another thing I think would have a big impact is requiring all con…

Why they should electronic makers be "required" to do supply security updates and spare parts for 10 years? To begin with, 10 years is somewhat arbitrary. Why not 12? 15? 20? These tractors could be serviceable for 50 years or more? So why not 50? Not every consumer wants or cares about this, but every consumer would be forced to pay for it. How would this even be enforced? Who will be the judge of what updates were…

Security updates should absolutely be a legal obligation. Their absence enables theft, criminal activity, botnets, etc.

For the same reason we have laws on fire safety, food safety, carcinogens and asbestos. Average consumer may not know or care about their existence. But if we get rid if them all, organised society will collapse.

Re: Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair

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Post by tempestn » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 7:11 AM UTC

anfilt wrote: post #278

tempestn wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume this means it's airtight and instead of a cushion of oil, it uses a cushion of (presumably compressed) air?

Yea pretty much. This video starts off with a nice demo of the concept. https://youtu.be/sFrVdoOhu1Q

Great, thank you. As an aside, I love listening to people with accents explain things, so the video was doubly enjoyable!

Edit some time later: And then perhaps I'll go down an hours-long rabbit hole watching all his videos and learning a ton about machining...

Re: Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair

#314

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 7:11 AM UTC

galangalalgol wrote: post #297

h0l0cube wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you, and excuse my naivete here. So what makes the hybrid route the optimal way to produce these GM plants, rather than cross-breeding in a way that survives reproduction? Do we know GM crops to always be hybrids of this nature?

Also, as someone said above, this predates GM, its unrelated.

[deleted]

Re: Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair

#315

Post by cosmodisk » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 7:14 AM UTC

lbotos wrote: post #270

closetohome wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The search for an ongoing revenue stream is one of the most destructive forces in the tech industry. It leads to some very customer-hostile experiences.

My fave is "subscription headphones": https://www.nuraphone.com/products/nuranow

Well,now I've seen everything.

Re: Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair

#316

Post by samvher » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 7:16 AM UTC

h0l0cube wrote: post #285

metiscus wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depending on the plant, you'll get either of the two species used to make the hybrid instead of the hybrid itself.

Thank you, and excuse my naivete here. So what makes the hybrid route the optimal way to produce these GM plants, rather than cross-breeding in a way that survives reproduction? Do we know GM crops to always be hybrids of this nature?

The way I understand it (I took a course in this 5 years or so ago but might not remember correctly) it's a matter of ease of matching up certain chromosomes. Like people, plants tend to have chromosomes in multiples (though not necessarily 2). From one generation to the next, for a given set of chromosomes, a parent only passes half on to the child, and this is pretty much random. That means that for a plant breeder it's very undesirable to have parents with genetic diversity: this diversity results in randomness (unpredictability) in the offspring. BUT you don't want offspring that has identical copies for all these chromosomes because those are not strong genotypes (this is where the hybrid vigor comes in, you want plants with diverse chromosomes). The solution that plant breeders have found is that you take parents which have copied chromosomes, but you take 2 different parents and you control who the parents are. That way the offspring gets a mix, but the content of that mix is highly predictable.

Some side issues are that the parents are only suitable for breeding (they don't have strong genotypes themselves) and that if you take this offspring and mix them again you get a genetic shuffle which reintroduces unpredictability. This second generation will also perform very poorly, or at least unpredictably.

For seed companies you can tell that this is attractive in 2 ways: they can produce quality seed relatively easily, and the farmer always needs to buy the seed that they use for production because the farmer does not have the parent plants and the second generation is unusable.

Re: Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair

#317

Post by h0l0cube » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 7:22 AM UTC

nimbius wrote: post #300

h0l0cube wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For reasons of genetics, hybrid seeds cannot be reused in the next season. Can you provide supporting evidence/materials to back this claim?

monsantos 'terminator' seed comes to mind. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_use_restriction_techno...

The article doesn't specifically mention Monsanto, though I couldn't imagine them not pursuing this technology.

Also, thankfully:

> As of 2006, GURT seeds have not been commercialized anywhere in the world due to opposition from farmers, consumers, indigenous peoples, NGOs, and some governments.

It's a common narrative that Monsanto did release crops into the wild that caused nearby farms to produce sterile crops after incidental cross-pollination. It seems like this is misinformation?

Re: Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair

#318

Post by ClumsyPilot » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 7:22 AM UTC

paulcole wrote: post #287

p1necone wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think this is true, Apple has definitely been raising prices significantly in the last few years even on the cheapest models. Unless you're counting still being able to buy a generation or two behind for cheaper as "current generation" Edit: this article has a nice chart https://www.gsmarena.com/price_history_of_apples_iphones-new... There's a couple of blips with the 5c and the SE but for the most part even…

The iPhone 11 at release was $699, $50 more than the person paid for the 6s 4 years ago. They got the model with 16gb and a 4.7” screen. The 11 starts at 64gb with a 6.1” screen. Is this raising prices significantly?

Those are not useful parameters to compare. Even if they were, consider prices of flash memory in the same timeframe, and the answer is yes.

Re: Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair

#319

Post by ssivark » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 7:31 AM UTC

gowld wrote: post #224

ssivark wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The app ecosystem is just a matter of time, once there exists a solid foundation. We need the breakthrough device that will make it possible to get started. Consider Linux on the desktop. For about a decade after it became popular (late 90s) ie till late 2000s, the user experience was crappy, and the app ecosystem was sparse. But they developed so well over the next ten years that in many ways Linux today is more use…

95% of the market does not find Linux more user-friendly than Windows/MacOS. While Linux was getting its shoelaces tied, ChromeOS showed up and put the lie to the dream that any user-controlled Linux would satisfy the market's needs. 2020 is the Year of Linux on the Desktop.

It’s not about percentages. Even with Linux users at ~1%, that’s still a large enough number of people (including folks sophisticated enough to write apps to scratch their own itches and share what they’ve built) to sustain a healthy ecosystem.

Since you refer to Chrome OS... when I say Linux I’m referring to GNU/Linux — an environment that promotes user freedom.

While it would be nice to have more people use Linux, I’m grateful for and satisfied with having something that makes my life easier (with enough critical mass participating). “Year of the Linux desktop” is simply a feel-good “nice to have” bonus, as far as I’m concerned — no market share OCD. It’s already good enough (actually fantastic!) for the people that currently care.

Re: Nebraska farmers vote overwhelmingly for Right to Repair

#320

Post by netsharc » Tue, Dec 17, 2019, 7:37 AM UTC

linuxftw wrote: post #118

netsharc wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I ordered a cheap Android phone the other day because installing a non-OEM OS like Lineage mean... banking software doesn't work. I have an older phone but the last stock ROM on it is Android 5, although it is currently running Lineage with Android 9. So I bought that phone to keep at stock and have a phone I can do my banking with. Come to think of it, I should just switch banks!

You can side-load firefox and just use the bank's mobile site.

The app has features using the camera though, and can act as a 2FA for desktop logins, otherwise I'd need my card and a card reader with a PIN pad to input the challenge given during the login process.