Most proprietary toasters are malware | Hacker News Reader

Most proprietary toasters are malware

2 pointsDougN73 comments

Help me understand this (really).

Why should software be expected to have source code available? Don't get me wrong - I love SQLite and OpenSSL, but it has nothing to do with having access to the source code.

My toaster did not come with specs and design documents so I can change it. Neither did my power drill or car.

The music I listen do doesn't have synthesizer settings available and raw source before mixing. Movies I watch don't come with scripts, budgets, contacts, location licenses, etc.

What is it specifically about software that makes people think the source must be available? Where does this expectation come from?

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1. the software doesn't have to have the source code available. It is called "proprietary software" and majority of people use it - Windows, macOS, iOS, and most of Android are proprietary.

2. the hardware, especially electronics, did use to come with "source code". I, for example, remember studying the schematics of my TV set so I could modify it and add composite video input. The ZX80 clone I owned had composite output already, so by bypassing modulator I was able to increase picture quality.

The same used to happen with the cars - there were full service manuals with detailed drawings and assembly instructions, precisely so one could change them.

3. In software specifically, the source availability has a very high practical value:

it helps to fix the problems. For example, I spent an hour yesterday reading source code of my CI system (Jenkins) to figure out if a certain thing was possible.

(this is why some companies which are jot ready for open source at least provide source code under "source available" model) it helps with build process. Remember bad old days of Windows where your libraries cam in binary form and had to use right runtime / compiler version? This will never happen with SQLite, it even has "single file" version for super easy project integration.

In my opinion it has to do with the access of the various items you mentioned.

Your toaster JUST toast bread and beagles... The power drill just makes holes or screws stuff...

But the moment, say, that your toaster happens to have a "voice recognition system" so you can speak with your toaster how you want your toast... and then in a court case it turns out that your toaster has been recording all the sounds in your kitchen, things kind of take a different look.

I remember a story about some smart tooth brushes... it's all fine when it just has a motor and a battery, but it turned out that the tooth brush was connected to Bluetooth and through it it sent all your teeth brushing activities to the manufacturer. What if the manufacturer decided to sell that data and out of the sudden my dental insurance doesn't want to cover some treatment because of that data?

I hope this makes sense :-) It comes down to visibility. You can see what your toaster and drill are doing, but it's harder to see what X or Y software might be doing, thus open source provides that visibility

For toasters that just toast, I would recommend Dualit. Spare parts etc easy to get, but they are rugged and last for decades. Most models have no chips etc. Manual lever for raising the toast, timer is clockwork.

https://www.dualit.com/products/classic-toasters

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