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Comment by Cyder | Hacker News Reader

We need an open source printer

Actually, they don't need to be opensource. Having free firmware or being a simple machine to obey is enough. There are good printers listed on h-node. People mock fsf ryf certification but I think it is very much valid.

> Having free firmware

What good is free software when manufacturers can just require the firmware to be signed, thereby disallowing any and all modifications? We'll never be truly free until we can manufacture this hardware at home, just like we can make our own software at home.

Kragen is right that we need hackers working on building up our hardware capabilities in general. The free software movement started in an era of relatively open hardware when that seemed less of a priority.

Admittedly I haven't done anything myself, though I admire those who have.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman#Events_leadin...

wanting access to the source code of an early Xerox laser printer (at MIT) is what got Richard Stallman ticked off enough to devote his life to free software.

when I saw the headline for this article I first read it as "Canon sued for disabling scammer when printers run out of ink" :)

Ironically, printer software remains proprietary garbage to this day and it only gets worse as the years go by.

In terms of printers simple enough to be made yourself, there"s always the BT100... But it was made to be cheap, not good.

Amusingly enough I believe it was esr’s rant on printers that started CUPS.

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