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Trained repair professionals at hospitals are regularly unable to fix medical devices because of manufacturer lockout codes or the inability to obtain repair parts. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, broken ventilators sat unrepaired for weeks or months as manufacturers were overwhelmed with repair requests and independent repair professionals were locked out of them. At the time, I reported that independent repair techs had resorted to creating DIY dongles loaded with jailbroken Ukrainian firmware to fix ventilators without manufacturer permission. Medical device manufacturers also threatened iFixit because it posted ventilator repair manuals on its website. I have also written about people with sleep apnea who have hacked their CPAP machines to improve their basic functionality and to repair them.
PS: he got it repaired.
The manufacture should have zero say if their product gets repaired or not. The only person who can give permission to repair it is the owner. It should be illegal to implement tying to lockout parts being used as a replacement. Right to repair
They call it jailbreak because this is an issue of freedom: software freedom
They call it jailbreak because this is an issue of freedom
I support your position and the right to repair, but that’s not the origin of the term jailbreak in the context of computing.
The term jailbreaking predates its modern understanding relating to smartphones, and dates back to the introduction of “protected modes” in early 80s CPU designs such as the intel 80286.
With the introduction of protected mode it became possible for programs to run in isolated memory spaces where they are unable to impact other programs running on the same CPU. These programs were said to be running “in a jail” that limited their access to the rest of the computer. A software exploit that allowed a program running inside the “jail” to gain root access / run code outside of protected mode was a “jailbreak”.
The first “jailbreak” for iOS allowed users to run software applications outside of protected modes and instead run in the kernel.
But as is common for the English language, jailbreak became to be synonymous with freedom from manufacture imposed limits and now has this additional definition.
Thanks for the history and technical explanation. I didn’t mean to imply that was the origin (for computing) and was only talking about a specific usage of the word.
I think most people say it to refer to manufacture imposed limits but I wanted to promote a broader usage. That using proprietary software is like being in a jail because your software freedoms are denied.
Oooo healthy online discourse. Where’s my popcorn…
I’d temper that by saying a manufacturer would need to provide a reasonable option. Some things could become dangerous or even deadly if repaired incorrectly. Or it could be dangerous or deadly to even attempt to repair it.
In the medical field when a device can only be repaired by the manufacturer then you can expect long wait times, bad repair jobs and having your own equipment sent in for repair destroyed for “safety”.
We let people repair their own car’s brake pads… we shouldn’t give up ownership rights for a unwarranted claim to safety. If something is potentially dangerous then making it more difficult to repair is a bad idea.
corporations are a problem we need to solve as a society.
Orrrr and hear me out. We just pass a national right to repair law.
There, problem fixed and we don’t need to burn anything!
That will fix Metas influence on foreign governments, certainly!
Uhhh we are addressing right to repair not corporate influence on the state.
Pick the right tools for the job not everything needs a hammer.
Why not fix the root of your problem instead of the symptoms tho?
Who said its the root of the problem?
aaaww but I already got my gas can and matches out
Reasonable people always ruin everyone’s fun.
Reasonable people agree that corporations are not good and need to be gone.
For a $100k device, I would expect better long term support.
A right to repair is long overdue but more than that when it comes to medical devices it’s obvious battery replacement is going to be necessary and should be user accessible.
Louis Rossmann should definitely get right on this case ASAP.
Medical device manufacturers also threatened iFixit because it posted ventilator repair manuals on its website.
What the fuck is wrong with people. Anyone who opposes the right to repair for MEDICAL DEVICES is irredeemable.
Education and healthcare should never be for profit.
Please read this next line as if it had alternating/random caps:
“But capitalism improves efficiency!”
Tap for spoiler
I’m on mobile and would rather not deal with my spellcheck “learning” anything today.
Keeping repairs locked into your system of parts/techs can at least feign “safety” or “quality”.
But essentially just refusing to repair is an absolute fuck you.
I’ve started choosing the companies I use based much more on the experience offered when their product/service DOESN’T work, rather than when it does.
For me it’s a mix of what you said and how they treat their employees/where they’re making the product.
I spend extra time trying to find higher priced, higher quality, more fairly manufactured products.
Corporations are a fucking curse.
there is absolutely no excuse for this
any company who locks medical device repair should be burned to the ground. and dont bullshit me about liabilities bla it is more likely cash grab which they get in the form of “extra care packages” or exorbitant repair prices charged after the guarantee period ends.
This is what Louis Rossmann has been screaming and fighting about for years. It’s the most fucked up shit ever. It is affecting our food supplies and we are not paying attention to it.
Do you have a source on the food supply angle? Sounds interesting and enraging.
Short of it is that John Deere is preventing farmers from repairing their own tractors. How much it threatens the food supply, I’m not sure, but there is an obvious connection.
Absolutely hate this shit.
It’s four journalists who broke away from their former employers and started their own thing. It’s ok to charge money to run a business. The quality of their work is top notch.
It’s ok to charge money to run a business.
They’re not charging money. They’re just throwing up a big sign demanding my email address.
