Is this really a year old post? It was a good read regardless.
To comment on the topic, this is going to happen more and more, especially as proprietary stuff becomes more and more complex. With implants it’s obviously more serious, but this also applies to anything from cars to game consoles.
I’m no stranger to scrounging junkyards for car parts or ebay to replace components from an old console. However that cannot go on forever, as parts get more rare. This is somewhat remedied with eg. nintendo consoles, where some reproduction parts are available (cartridges, screens etc.). With more niche and increasingly complex products this option is often not available.
Let’s say I need a new microwave oven, and I have two options: a regular dumb box that heats up my food and goes “ding” at the end or a smart device that relies on a mobile app. I have always selected the dumb option, because I just can’t be sure that the app will continue to work after 5 years. What if the company goes bankrupt or simply decides it’s time for me to buy a new microwave? I want to keep on using that machine as long as it works and mobile apps don’t seem to be compatible with that idea.
I don’t think this is going to happen on a scale where this technology will be unusable. But they need to be backed by a company that will not go bankrupt after 15 years.
I cannot currently see how it can be done with open standards reliably.
Cars generally have it figured out. Generally you can make a car drive without too much proprietary stuff. Even electric cars are generally quite simple when you strip away all the bells and whistles
This is infuriating
