Thanks to Solaar I hot my F1-F12 keys back on a Logitech keyboard that defaults to requiring Fn to use those (on Mac/Win you can change this using an app by Logitech). It’s been working well for a long time. I suggest getting it from their own ppa because the version in your Linux distro might be pretty old
Anthony Marinelli (film composer and synth programmer for many artists including Micheal Jackson) recently made a series of documentaries about FM Synthesis and its inventor John Chowning, the DX7 is mentioned multiple times alongside the Synclavier which used the same synthesis method but predated the DX7.
Check out http://astronaut.io/ for a similar vibe but recent videos as opposed to old ones (also, it's not limited to iPhones which translates to more variety in terms of geography)
Here's what I want: by law, any device that is connected to the internet needs to have a warning on the box, similar to the one that's on cigarettes packaging, stating the risks of that device being online (bricking/loss of service, data might be compromised in a cyberattack, etc.)
Here's what I want: by law, any device that i own should work perpetually until broken by me. If it requires 3rd party servers, let me configure alternatives. and if you sunset the servers completely you are mandated to release either: complete documentation how to create your own service to keep device working, or a full binary that supports ALL the features that were available throughout device's lifecycle. If you go bankrupt you are mandated to just open source your software in that case.
We need straight anti-trust unbundling. You should not be allowed to abuse your market position as a hardware manufacturer to push your network-connected software by tying them together as one product. At a minimum, the software should have to be developed by a separate business unit, using only documentation that's been published for everyone. (and yes, having been an embedded hardware/software designer, including for things like power electronics, I'm quite aware of the implications)
Hardware and software needs a hard separation honestly.
I think that firmware shouldn't ever be bound by license, meanwhile software should be bound by it but mandated to be updatable/replacable by user - even with custom one.
Then let manufacturers pick where they set the boundary - do they add extra complexity of updating and replacing software to the component? or do they go for licenseless firmware?
> If you go bankrupt you are mandated to just open source your software in that case.
Or insurance that covers the complete refund cost of all assets sold. There are cases where you may be using 3rd party software that you license that you cannot open source. And, in that case, you're on the hook for refunding the cost of the item.
Refunding the purchase price is rarely enough to make you whole. At there very least it would need to be inflation adjusted and also compensate you for any additional costs incurred (installation, any loss of income due to unavailable until a replacement can be found, time required to select a suitable replacement, emotional damage).
I guess the other option would be to require that any licensed binaries for the software needed to include a transfer of license (for the purpose of rebuilding the software to a runnable state) to any parties that purchased the product using that blob licensed library.
What about mechanical devices that simply wear out? Even electronic devices can fail due to circumstances controlled neither by you nor by the manufacturer, like lightning strikes introducing violent transients in the grid supply.
Also, cool beans that that is the minimum you'll settle on but how on earth would anyone enforce that? Open sourced software is not enough by far to make something work perpetually: the software will need to be run somewhere and most likely (since you are talking about some sort of net-connected software if this is relevant in the first place) will need security patching to keep up with CVEs. Who is going to pay for that? I don't think it will be the bankrupt entity that stopped existing 10 years ago.
> What about mechanical devices that simply wear out?
I think wear-and-tear from usage falls under "until broken by me", which I see as intended to cover ordinary breakage that would exist even in absence of copyright and trade secrets.
> Also, cool beans that that is the minimum you'll settle on but how on earth would anyone enforce that?
A large part of the solution would be to stop enforcing copyright, patents, DMCA anti-circumvention clause, etc. in these cases. Companies can be legally compelled to release the server software with fines or restrictions on future sales for non-compliance. In case of bankruptcy, it can be obtained as part of the bankruptcy process going through the company's assets.
> Open sourced software is not enough by far to make something work perpetually: the software will need to be run somewhere and most likely (since you are talking about some sort of net-connected software if this is relevant in the first place) will need security patching to keep up with CVEs.
Some of these devices may legitimately need to be network-connected, but very few legitimately need to be Internet-connected. A local network with a Raspberry Pi running the server is likely fine in most cases.
> Who is going to pay for that? I don't think it will be the bankrupt entity that stopped existing 10 years ago.
I don't think the idea is to force someone to pay to keep servers up or actively maintain the software - but rather to remove artificial barriers in the way of owners/enthusiasts/repair-shops/etc. that already want to do so.
Unless we're applying this retroactively, it'd be an entity currently going through bankruptcy, and their obligation is just the hand-over the source code in its current state.
For it to be effective, all it needs is its complement: An easily recognizable green label saying "Doesn't connect to the internet", which is only allowed on the boxes of devices for which this is the case.
Maybe some more levels in the middle like "only connects to the internet for firmware updates" (yellow) and "doesn't require internet access for core functionality" (orange). Basically Nutri-Score [1] for hardware.
That law won't mean much when people are importing products from other jurisdictions that don't have that law... Which is essentially what happened here. (The broken "law" being the exclusivity agreement).
And if we assume that complying with the law somehow increases costs in the US market, people will still go buy the cheaper thing anyway. Which means you need to enforce the regulations on importing these things just as strictly as we regulate the import of cigarettes...
In context of a thread about Finland? Anyway, it is true that interbank lending is a primary method of controlling interest rates and this is not limited to the US. The commenter who mentioned it above, probably was talking about the Fed specifically maybe just because that's what they are familiar with.
Growing up I had an Amiga but my uncle, who was a semi-pro musician, had an ST and this was connected via midi to an Akai sampler and a Roland synth that were mounted in a rack near the computer; in the rack there were some effects too. This was a dream setup in the late 80's. On the Amiga I would use tracker software[1] to make music and until I finally got a cheap sampling interface[2], I had to just use samples that I would find in the accompanying floppy of various Amiga magazines. Obviously my uncle's setup was extremely hi-fi compared to mine and so to this day I have this idea in the back of my mind that "ST is for people who have money" LOL.
If you look at the comments under the post, the author commented 25 minutes ago (as of me posting this)
> Update: OK, I actually think I've figured out what's causing this. I'll explain in a future post, but in the meantime, here's a hint: I think NO ONE has hit on the correct explanation!
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