Re:OpenBSD on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano
by foldr on Friday January 29, 2021 @12:15PM
(#25959699)
>If you buy from elsewhere, they often refuse to even troubleshoot your device. So that argument doesn't really hold much weight.
Even so, laptop manufacturers have brand reputations to protect and don't want customers blaming them for issues that are outside of their control. It's not just a question of who's legally responsible or whether they're obliged to provide support.
There's also the electrical engineering perspective on this. In a low power device, sending high frequency signals over contact-based electrical connections is something you want to avoid if at all possible.
>While both will have to compromise, removing options from the consumer and allowing the company to dictate terms outright really harms our consumer rights.
For the vast majority of consumers there is no compromise. Soldering the RAM is just better, period. (The vast majority of consumers never upgrade their RAM, and RAM sticks coming loose is a surprisingly common failure mode.)
Even so, laptop manufacturers have brand reputations to protect and don't want customers blaming them for issues that are outside of their control. It's not just a question of who's legally responsible or whether they're obliged to provide support.
There's also the electrical engineering perspective on this. In a low power device, sending high frequency signals over contact-based electrical connections is something you want to avoid if at all possible.
>While both will have to compromise, removing options from the consumer and allowing the company to dictate terms outright really harms our consumer rights.
For the vast majority of consumers there is no compromise. Soldering the RAM is just better, period. (The vast majority of consumers never upgrade their RAM, and RAM sticks coming loose is a surprisingly common failure mode.)