Corporations would have us all subscribe to the oxygen supply if they could.
Take apart all the things. Reverse engineer their shit. Create open alternatives. Fuck all these monsters. John Deere, Apple, Samsung, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, everybody included.
Also, here's our distribution platform where you can buy your games but have no physical medium, so if the game gets pulled you could lose access to it even though you won't get your money back.
Valve might be better, but they are far from perfect.
I already wanted a Steam Deck, but was saving up for one of the higher tiers. Then I found out how relatively easy it is to buy the cheap one and add an nvme drive. So, now my savings goal is a lot closer.
Damn right, I haven't bought a console since the PS1 but I bought a Steam Deck just because of its hackability. I have plans for it beyond just gaming. Robotics control and FPV streaming is one thing I have in mind.
Also Valve: we'll make some proprietary components that have major failure points, and then not offer replacements for sale (and if we do, at exhorborant prices).
I'm talking about their VR headsets.
Don't get me wrong, I love them as a company. But while they're pushing new industries, hardware is an after thought.
Folks in places like china are buying it up presumably due to the air pollution they have. This article says they already cleared 300k in sales and are expanding their product lines to offer 'flavoured air'.
Sounds like another industry in dire need of competition. Makes sense that they're fighting tooth and nail to keep a deathgrip on what they've still got (for now).
There's plenty of competition; the problem isn't the proprietary firmware, it's the expensive parts. You can still fix 99% of a machine yourself, you might have to get a tech out to put a CANbus ID into the computer so a new part that you put on works.
But it still comes down to the fact that the competition don't make as good/productive of a machine, and parts availability, even if they are expensive, is key. I've paid $1000 for a part I could make myself on a mill, but it would take me a day and I'd lose $100,000 of lost production on that machine because rain is coming.
I don't think anyone's suggesting that right-to-repair replaces repair options from the OEM, but it's a critical option to have in a functional product support ecosystem and Deer's trying to cut it out entirely.
That's fair, there's definitely more to it than just having the capability when you're also dealing with weather and other factors that impact your deadlines. I'm not a fan of equipment manufacturers who exploit their stranglehold on their customers even though I see why it happens.
There is competition - New Holland, Massey Ferguson, Case IH, etc... The problem is that despite all the anti-consumer nonsense John Deere still tops the lists as the best option.
Deere has the most massive dealer network in the U.S./Canada. So when looking for a part farmers have an easier time finding them. In other places of the world the competition is much more fierce and they don't compete as well.
As for quality of equipment, Deere makes stuff about average. It's not terrible but it's not great.
Other companies have specialized in some things and make vastly better equipment.
New Holland/Massey F has the best swathers and bailers.
I'll move my goalposts a bit then. The industry needs more significant competition for that top spot. It's not an area I know much about though, just what I've picked up from discussions like this about how they respond when people get the crazy idea that they own the equipment they paid for.
query because I am not a farmer: Is Deere tops because they make products that are superior / better bang-for-buck, or is it just hometown advantage of no shipping/delivery overhead, tarrifs/taxes/import fees etc?
I’m sure those competitors will successfully sue them for <1% of their yearly profit in damages, plus they’ll suffer a single employee’s salary amount in fines.
Yeah I don't know how anyone could compel themselves to buy one. Do they really have that much of a monopoly on the industry? Is their tech that much further advanced? I genuinely don't know.
What is the best, more ethical alternative? Growing up my dad had New Holland and we liked them. Eventually I'll be going more rural and choosing a route to take and it sure as shit won't be John Deere.
One? Probably not. A fleet of 5-20 to tend a thousand or more acres, I can see that. They've basically got the things able to run on autopilot for many processes
Joke aside , his work is really impressive but his fight is already lost if most people just consume ( unrelated , fuck printer companies ) and accept their fate. We need aware citizens and there's not many of them. We're kinda doomed.
People accept DRMs and planned obsolescence as if they can't fight them. They don't know their strength and thzt if they decide to boycott these shitty companies they'd die.
Is it? I don't remember seeing a guy running for Congress that promised he'd prevent huge corporations from running rough shod over everything.
People like saying stuff like "just vote better", but the fact is the vast majority of people that run for any office are pro-big business because that's their background and the lobbyists give them lots of money to get elected. Where's the anti-big business guy going to get his money to run? And without money, you sure aren't winning.
Through lobbying, corporations have us all by the balls. It doesn't matter what side of the isle you're on; both sides have basically been endorsed by big money.
Campaign finance reform is necessary to tackle big business interests out for regulatory capture. Shift some of that subsidy into funding campaigns so the little guy stands a chance against them and their billionaire club.
The result of vote is only as good at the voting system used and the people voting. A more representative voting system leads to more public representation in government, which would likely improve the lives of the voters who will vote next time.
In the ever-evolving tapestry of socio-economic structures, where the dance of individualism meets the collective force of organized entities, corporations have emerged as titan-like presences, wielding significant influence and power. The philosophical foundations of free-market capitalism, deeply rooted in the ideas of thinkers like Adam Smith and further cultivated by the likes of Friedrich Hayek, argue for the intrinsic virtues of an unbridled market, where entities, be they individuals or corporations, pursue their objectives with minimal constraints.
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