Re:Judge Allows Major 'Right to Repair' Lawsuit Against John...
by Tangurena2 on Friday December 08, 2023 @02:09PM
(#38572860)
Part of their reasoning why the software needs to be locked down is that tractors are priced based on horsepower and they use software to limit the horsepower of different tractors (which use the same actual engine). Otherwise, one could pay for (numbers made up) a 100 horsepower tractor and then unlock it so that they now have 150 hp.
Unfortunately for farmers, everything is controlled by software, so every repair now needs a service call and JD has been cutting back on service techs so that during peak activity times (planting/harvest - where working 24 hrs isn't uncommon) it can be either (a) put your tractor on a flat bed and have it trucked hundreds of miles, or (b) wait a couple weeks.
It comes across as evil to me.
Is JD being evil or are they just bowing to competitive pressure? At a certain point the question becomes hard to answer. When certain behaviors we'd consider awful have been normalized throughout a sector of society (management in this case), there's always an argument about whether someone can be blamed for "just following orders" or "just implementing standard procedures" etc.