> more so when source code isn't even needed, contrary to what many FOSS advocates think

Source code isn’t always needed, it just makes the process simpler and quicker. There’s way more old devices that people would like to continue to use than there are hackers with the time and skills to reverse engineer them! For example, I’ve been lurking on the Magic Lantern forums (alternative firmware for canon dslrs) and the time it takes to port the software to a new camera model is counted in years…

To reduce e-waste I think companies should be obliged to release the source code to their devices when they stop supporting them (and if they’re afraid of releasing trade secrets—they’ll just have to keep supporting them longer!).