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Comment by dsr_ | Hacker News Reader

Semi-related whining: I don't want the car to run apps. I don't want it OTA-upgradable. I want the car to have all of its own instruments and essential functions tucked away, and to offer an interface for it to

* send demands (mix down the music to zero and bring up my channel, there's an emergency)

* respond to information requests (Battery is at 55.31%, no systems have errors, headlights are on, speed is 45.8mph)

* and let my computer request non-critical things (please turn on the seat heaters, set the HVAC to recirculate medium, set thermostat to 68F)

Keep the security and safety things far away from the shiny user interface things, and let me replace the user interface things every few years instead of replacing the car.

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This! "Smart" TVs are already a dumb idea because the "smart' piece will be outdated long before the rest of the device, but a car...?! I want to drive my car for ~15 years. All the "smart" stuff will be long outdated.

CarPlay and Android Auto are basically just dumb terminals to the phone. It’s easy to keep those compatible. The cars that supported the iPod USB protocol in 2005 still work today with modern iPhones.

Yes I know that Android Automative is different than Android Auto.

If it will be outdated, how can it be provided at all in a car?

I perceive from the parent comment that there's an assumption that one can just write a low level API that a high level, customizable interface could run against. We aren't far enough along in the process of digital computing in cars to know what that API looks like. So any user interface at all with fancy features requires frontend and backend integration (so that safety testing guarantees can be made if no other reason), and you're there for stuck with either OTA updates, and interface that will look prehistoric within 15 years, or nothing at all.

OTA-upgradable has advantages. If the shipping firmware has bugs (and in my experience, this has been true for over a decade), it must be returned to the dealer to fix... unless you have OTA updates, and then it's no problem.

Problem is majority of times unsolicited updates take away perfectly working features, introduce unwanted new ones, or bring in bloat and ads.

I had to laugh when my previous Samsung TV notified me of an update about 3 years since the last update - I went ahead and installed it, it literally just uninstalled a bunch of apps where I assume the licensing agreement had expired.

Thankfully I didn't use any of the apps because they sucked anyway...

OTA-upgradable means automakers are siphoning your data and selling it off to who knows where. Speed, gps, brake, etc. Hundreds of pieces of data. I'm sure insurance companies are actively buying this data up.

Source: worked at the telematics/connectivity division of one of the big car companies

Here's hoping. Given what we've learned about how accident rates are under-reported, it would be nice if somebody was getting a more accurate global picture of how driving actually works to allow for safer roads and safer insurance policies.

Beautiful thinking. Now back to reality - let's randomly play ads through your car audio system while driving and at max volume. Of course we will block your ability to control said audio system for duration of an ad so you can't skip nor mute the ad, duh. Enjoy your internet connected car.

On the other hand, I want a Tesla with a sweet app and sweet cruise control.

Yes. Making cars “smart” and marketing them as such allows makers to cut corners ob everything else. Like Apple’s “we added 567 emojis in this release”.

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