Comments by "eDoc2020" (@eDoc2020) on "Louis Rossmann" channel.

  1. The start of their statement is obviously supposed to be BS but you need to give them some credit on the basis of technicality. This does protect their customer's data because they no longer collect it.
    86
  2. Even if you can order without bezel or keyboard I still think it would be better to have them included in the base price. Then there'd be a discount when you remove them from the order.
    17
  3. You used to be able to decide where midroll ads would appear. From what I've heard that option is now gone, or at least more limited.
    9
  4. 3-cell NiCd or NiMH used to be relatively common on older laptops. They (supposedly) can provide enough power to keep your RAM active while you swap batteries. I've never seen this feature actually work (maybe because those batteries are old AF now) and they have the downside that they can leak and cause damage.
    6
  5. I know somebody (a human) whose daughter actually made that argument to avoid potty training.
    4
  6. Finally somebody with the same thought as me. The write-protect only applies to part of the chip so it's still possible to update the firmware, however the protected part verifies the writable part. In essence it's the same as what AMD is doing here except the protected keys are kept externally instead of internally.
    4
  7.  @jbtvt  There are some Milwaukee lineman's tools which can be locked via bluetooth.
    3
  8.  @Thekidisalright  It doesn't need to be because it's the right thing to do. They want clicks and views.
    3
  9. If anything this would make me more likely to want to steal the tools. Not only would I get the tool, I would get a new electronics challenge. Note: being more likely to want to steal something doesn't mean I'd actually steal it.
    2
  10. Their stupid mistake is calling it the "Restrict" act. IMO that's a super negative name. "Let's restrict your rights".
    2
  11.  @sebastiengendron6934  Even if not, if manufacturers need to supply parts to Canadians then I'm sure Canadians will resell to Americans.
    2
  12. Spreading the word is a perfectly acceptable way to support open source projects. That makes it more likely that others will contribute.
    2
  13. This is America, dammit. It should be Letter size, not A4. I will compromise and let them use Legal size.
    2
  14.  @mattmurdock3371  Any printer with a real ink level detector is honest enough that it probably won't have these issues.
    2
  15.  @cmfrancis1  If you need an Internet connection it defeats the point of over the air TV. Fortunately I don't think there's nearly as much push for ATSC3 adoption as it offers little benefit to the consumer and the FCC has also stated there will not be a mandatory transition.
    2
  16.  @volodumurkalunyak4651  People who are able to get access to physically reset the CPU also have access to install a brand-new CPU which hasn't had the fuses blown. Actually this is exactly what the OP said.
    2
  17. In the old days this was done because it allows for higher-quality grayscale. However you could still do true black-only if you could accept the decreased print quality. That was then. Most of my experience is with printers made before 2002.
    2
  18. To the tech problem, you might be able to force redirect all NTP packets to a local server, similar to how transparent web proxies work. Or use custom DNS so when it looks up its time server address it talks to your server. Or possibly allow NTP but block everything else.
    2
  19. I'm okay with this behavior IF it is plainly disclosed on the product's packaging and on the manufacturer/retailer's websites. But really I just want a "dumb" TV.
    1
  20. A zero IMEI is a great way to ensure you can't ever get cell service. If you mean the IMEI reported to applications, that's something all OS should do.
    1
  21. Digital over the air TV still works fine.
    1
  22. That ad is ignoring one little bit of information. I'll paraphrase the ad with this important information added in italics: If you let somebody access your car's location tracking then they can track you and do bad things.
    1
  23. What makes more sense (to me) than core charges is a buyback of old parts which is not coupled to purchase of a new one.
    1
  24.  @Geolaminar  The jumper settings could be built-into the motherboard wiring instead of being physical changeable jumpers. Or just do like Chromebooks do and use a hardware write-protected segment of the flash memory.
    1
  25. It costs half as much? You must be getting ripped off. Because half of a ton of money is still a ton of money.
    1
  26.  @TheBioRules  I should have mentioned I would expect the price to be more like 1/4 of new OEM cartridges. In that way he's ripping you off. But getting ripped off isn't a fair description (and thus I probably shouldn't have used it). A better description would have been high profit margin. If something is sold at fair market price it can't be a ripoff.
    1
  27. The funny thing is Q14's text actually does NOT break the law. It says the warranty doesn't apply if it's been damaged due to modification or service by anyone other than HPE. Even according to this if you service it yourself and you don't damage it you are still fine.
    1
  28. As a temporary wheelchair user I guess I was lucky that I didn't have any failures. A possible tip, look at retirement/nursing homes if you need a spare wheelchair. According to my grandfather they had a surplus at his place. When vacancies arise former residents will often leave wheelchairs behind. I don't know if this is common at other places but it probably won't hurt to ask around.
    1
  29. It's only available for rental. And apparently the rental agreement says it needs to be online almost all the time.
    1
  30. Of course they time it. The manufacturer wouldn't be able to make money if they constantly needed to pay out for fixes. The warranty is just a guarantee that the product will work for at least x amount of time.
    1
  31. The $50-99.99 is for the three-year rule. For $100 and more the seven-year rule applies.
    1
  32. I bet if you had access to Oreo's schematics you could fix the issue in an instant.
    1
  33. I don't think you realize how expensive DIP switches are in the context of small computers. IMO the best solution is to have a read-only chip on the motherboard which contains all the PSB keys. That way you could change CPUs and still have the security features. Many of the flash chips used for PC firmware storage already contain provisions for hardware-write protecting some of their contents. By using this there would be zero cost to the implementation. This is actually what Chromebooks do to ensure boot integrity.
    1
  34. Rule of thumb: the "ewlett ackard" means it's probably good. Two letter HP makes garbage consumer crap.
    1
  35. It wouldn't work to have physical markings for each CPU (or an AMD-hosted database) because the locking is done after the processor is shipped. What would be more likely to work is the CPU being able to output the vendor name through a debug port.
    1
  36. Dropping support for Firefox? Did I miss something?
    1
  37. The one problem I know of with the first gen Leaf is the lack of battery cooling.
    1
  38. It's disingenuous because genuine replacement parts don't make piracy any easier on modern consoles.
    1
  39.  @reaganharder1480  In Massachusetts our safety inspection requires the parking brake be adequate to stop a vehicle traveling at 20mph in under 80 feet. If the parking brake won't engage when the car is moving I don't know how they'd ever sell them here. I know they disable some telemetry in vehicles sold here but installing a different brake doesn't seem viable.
    1
  40. Especially when being aware of the possibility of them shutting you down is practically the definition of woke.
    1
  41. This is why I use older printers. You can often find used printers dirt cheap and they just work. Worst case they throw up a nag screen when they think they're out of ink but they'll just keep working if you refill them. My advice is to only get a printer if you can get cheap aftermarket cartridges for it. Avoid cartridges with built-in printheads if you can because the aftermarket 'new' ones are just reused OEM cartridges and after a certain point all will be out of life.
    1
  42.  @danielmorton1606  That's too messed up. In normal business the one handing over the money is the one who gets listened to.
    1
  43.  @lvsluggo007  If a device offers true local control this isn't a concern. If newer firmware versions take away functionality just don't update. Anyone using Home Assistant is probably savvy enough to set up an isolated network so this isn't a security risk.
    1
  44. I just checked and I still have a button to pin a comment so if this is real it isn't rolled out everywhere. It sounds fake considering how easy it is to get a fake ID picture inline. It wouldn't be verifying anything. I think I needed to verify a phone number which is actually useful.
    1
  45. They were probably only against the law because it would hurt their customers. Because as we know the automaker's customers are dealerships.
    1
  46. Cats often have teeth resorption where teeth more-or-less get dissolved by the body. This seems like a much more user-friendly design then needing to make an appointment with a certified professional for tooth removal.
    1
  47. I too was hung up on the $99.99 limit but that's the limit for the three year availability. For $100 and above the 7 year rule applies. My concern is a manufacturer will try selling at $99.995 wholesale if this passes.
    1
  48. If I was listening correctly the $50-100 is for three years availability. $100 or greater is 7 years.
    1
  49. Fun fact: drugstore tube testers were rigged. In order to sell more tubes they would often be calibrated to read weak even on tubes with plenty of remaining life.
    1
  50. I believe the third-generation Core i chips (or possibly fifth) were the last laptop CPUs from Intel which were available in socketed forms. SO I'd say the vast majority of laptops used today don't have replaceable CPUs.
    1
  51. Technically the activation of those dots alone shouldn't matter from a legal standpoint, but that might be stretching the law a bit. Side note: I've read that those dots can be "reset" using bleach. Obviously you shouldn't do that to hide real water damage as that could be fraud, but I'd be okay doing it if I knew water wasn't related to the actual failure.
    1
  52. What happened with Budweiser? All I've heard about is a few custom-printed cans they gave to one person. Some people complained but it didn't hurt their sales.
    1
  53. To be pedantic what these appliances include is most likely a chassis wiring diagram instead of a schematic. Most of the components are contained on control boards and I doubt you have the schematics on those. Regarding these being more dangerous, that's likely part of why they include service information. Improper service (for example: bypassing a broken microwave safety interlock or flame sensor) could result in actual unsafe conditions and companies don't want their name to be tarnished by this.
    1
  54. I guess I really lucked out on my $10 yardsale purchase a few months before my scheduled leg surgery. Maybe the wheelchair itself wasn't too lucky (it's a basic model probably sub-$350 new) but more that my condition and situation allowed me to be fine with it.
    1
  55.  @arvaneret_329  Google owns Waze, so I'd say yes it works in the same manner.
    1
  56.  @Skagzi1la  I'd hardly say they'd lose a ton of money. I can't imagine it costing them more than $5 to manufacture and ship you the cartridge. The only way to say they's be losing money is if you look at it as lost sales.
    1
  57.  @cyrusm8393  I was going to say the same thing but I believe the different arms of Sony operate mostly independently.
    1
  58. That's where lawsuits can come into play, perhaps class action ones.
    1
  59. The thing YouTube (and other video sites) have in their advantage is that preroll ads take time to play. If they know when you load the page and they know how long the ads are they also know when the ads should finish playing. If their servers wait until this time is reached before beginning to download the main video they could easily stop us from skipping past ads. Then we would be left with an annoying countdown if we skip ads.
    1
  60. Once it's available through special orders with long wait times you'll have third party distributors buy some and make them readily available.
    1
  61.  @ianbelletti6241  The uncommon parts will also be stocked just not as readily. I'm sure you'll be able to find them in stock ready to ship without issue.
    1
  62. This doesn't really protect against MITMs during the shipping process. Anybody who could intercept the shipment and change the BIOS could also swap the CPUs for unlocked ones.
    1
  63.  @mickeydee3595  They already thought of that. If a Tesla's battery goes completely flat they make you replace the entire battery.
    1
  64.  @mickeydee3595  If I'm not mistaken Tesla isn't quite as bad as they used to be. I've heard all Model 3s always have supercharging enabled, even totaled ones. I could be mistaken though.
    1
  65.  @fishingangler4315  I was referring to the case where the battery is just drained beyond the cutoff point but the cells aren't damaged. A reasonable expectation in this case is that the car could simply be plugged back in and recharged.
    1
  66.  @atodaso1668  Why do you think this is risky?
    1
  67.  @atodaso1668  I wouldn't buy from a random listing but instead I've bought from sellers who have good pictures of the particular unit for sale. Familiarity with the model in question is also a plus to know what to look for.
    1
  68. Louis, you're using the Samsung wrong! You just need a custom case which prevents you from touching the screen edges and also heats the phone so it doesn't shut down. /s Or just buy the cheaper phone that works out of the box.
    1
  69. The problem with that is you need a specific BIOS in order to initialize the display properly. The CPU itself can't display the messages by itself. The ROM needs to be on the motherboard. Many flash chips used for firmware storage have the facility for hardware write-protecting critical boot sectors and this is how Chromebooks are secured.
    1
  70. The given purpose of the lock is that it prevents your computer from booting on a hacked BIOS. How would locking the CPU to a specific motherboard help that?
    1
  71.  @WooShell  I think you're mistaken. The feature is checking the integrity of the BIOS by using the key which is stored in the fuses. The vendor lock is a side effect because different vendors will naturally use different keys.
    1
  72. The only thing that could actually qualify is the DragonBox Pyra with the optional 4G module. Other than that there's the PinePhone and Librem 5 but I don't know if they provide any schematics.
    1
  73. You can't just use it as a regular HDMI monitor? I thought most "smart" TVs still let you do that.
    1
  74.  @OldManBadly  Uhh, no. OBDII is only required to deliver basic powertrain and emissions-related information. Other things like driver assist systems, climate control, etc do not need to go over OBDII. And if you are saying our law mandates a non-standard system you clearly haven't read it. Here's some exact wording lifted from the law: "motor vehicle owners’ and independent repair facilities’ access to vehicle on-board diagnostic systems shall be standardized and not require any authorization by the manufacturer" and "shall be required to equip such vehicles with an inter-operable, standardized and open access platform across all of the manufacturer’s makes and models".
    1
  75.  @OldManBadly  @Old Man Badly Do you have a source for those going over OBDII? Maybe they changed the rules but when I worked on a MY 2011 car I needed to use proprietary sequences in order to read an HVAC DTC. Also from what I can tell Tesla vehicles do not offer any data over OBDII.
    1
  76. I think the reason it wants an old version is so it can run its plugin.
    1
  77. Agreed. The more insecure option is a clearly labelled switch.
    1
  78. Intel hasn't released a socketable mobile CPU for close to a decade. Doesn't excuse the other things, though.
    1
  79. $50 through $99.99 is 3 years, $100 or greater is seven years.
    1
  80.  @jwolf16  What do you mean "The rest of the Operating system by necessity does link with the kernel"? There's the kernel and kernel modules, and then there's userspace. Basically all of Android is userspace, how is it even possible for it to link to the kernel?
    1
  81.  @IdleCommentator  I need to give them credit that with a recent change the new UI became a lot less crappy, at least for viewing (I don't have an account there). Until a week or two ago you could not view child comments without going to an entirely new page which takes forever to load.
    1
  82. They'd need to share kernel code as Linux is GPL but they can make almost everything else fully proprietary.
    1
  83. That's more-or-less what Chromebooks do.
    1
  84. Over the air DTV is unencrypted. While it's annoying when it doesn't work it's not at all evil other than the complete lack of backwards compatibility. Digital cable is much more sinister because you need to rent a device in order to be able to decode the signals.
    1
  85.  @c182SkylaneRG  I get about a gazillion channels on DTV these days so that's true for me. For reference the DTV channel numbers the user sees are decoupled from the actual RF channels carrying their signal. So it doesn't matter if something was originally on a low VHF channel 2-6, now it's probably on UHF 14-36. The reality they didn't tell us is ATSC was designed to give good results using a rooftop antenna. Portable antennas (like most TVs were probably using) weren't a priority.
    1
  86.  @c182SkylaneRG  I think that seems large for a rooftop antenna. How old is it? The large size might indicate it's an old VHF-only antenna. Oh and I definitely agree analog is better if the signal is weak.
    1
  87. Parasound is on your bad list? When I fixed one of their amps people online said they were able to get schematics and biasing procedures. I didn't contact them but the schematics I found online were enough. HCA1200II in case you're wondering. Perhaps they are worse with newer products.
    1
  88. Except with this HP system they don't take responsibility for the machine itself. If the printer happens to survive a few years they'll probably discontinue the cartridges and the ink service. With the proper system I'm sure they will do whatever it takes to make sure you can actually print.
    1
  89. That argument doesn't make sense because an individual can buy it, put it in luggage, and fly back with it.
    1
  90. I'm assuming they used the official app as a "black box" and sniffed its traffic.
    1
  91. And the best thing is that with standard black ribbons I believe you can literally just add some drops of generic pen ink to keep it going, which is just so much cheaper than inkjet cartridges.
    1
  92.  @tezcanaslan2877  You don't need an OS unless you want to run application programs. For something like an LCD TV you just need simple firmware to process inputs and write proper values into the ASIC's control registers.
    1