In article <47f1e59c$1@news.povray.org>, sco### [at] laptopcom says...
> > Its real questionable whether intentionally breaking your
> > own technology is strictly ethical or legal, when the only reason to do
> > so is to force someone to buy a new one. Try that with anything like a
> > car.
> 
> Exactly that thing is already done in cars.  The BMW 118d, 120d and 123d 
are 
> all exactly the same car - you get exactly the same lump of metal and 
> plastic.  There is a huge difference in price though.  Why?  Because ther
e 
> is some line of code in the software that tells the engine how much torqu
e 
> to produce, which is different for each model.  If you just bought a 118d
, 
> you can't go around complaining that it's not fair how your car is 
> artificially crippled blah blah blah.  If the car manufacture did not act
 
> like this you wouldn't have been able to afford the 118d in the first pla
ce!
> 
Strictly speaking, true. But it doesn't take much when pulling that, in 
*some* industries, to get your company in serious damn trouble with its 
customers, when you lied to them about what that "code" was really 
doing.

> > Oh, sorry, but the 2007x isn't intended to drive on Main st., now
> > that they upgraded the streets with a new type of painted line, I am
> > afraid it won't go faster than 3 MPH or let you listen to the radio
> > while on that street. However, for an additional $20,000 you can buy th
e
> > 2008q, which is 100% compatible... Yeah, right. That would go over good
> > in court.
> 
> What law exactly would it be breaking?  SO long as they make it clear whe
n 
> you buy the car what its limitations are I don't see the problem.  Of cou
rse 
> nobody would accept this sort of deal which is why they don't offer it.
> 
> In fact when I hire a car here in this city I can choose a cheaper option
 to 
> only drive it within this area, or the more expensive option to be allowe
d 
> to drive over the whole country, or the top price to be allowed to take i
t 
> abroad.  It's my choice, and it gives me a cheaper option if I want to ta
ke 
> it.
>  
In this case, the very clear fact that the specification sheat on the 
2007x version **claimed** compatibility with the same road, when it 
didn't actually have it, and they only bothered to say *after the fact* 
that they intentionally disabled it.

-- 
void main () {

    if version = "Vista" {
      call slow_by_half();
      call DRM_everything();
    }
    call functional_code();
  }
  else
    call crash_windows();
}

<A HREF='http://www.daz3d.com/index.php?refid=16130551'>Get 3D Models,
 
3D Content, and 3D Software at DAZ3D!</A>

Post a reply to this message