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FOSS-Firmware for printers? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 1 year ago by RandomLegend@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/foss@beehaw.org

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We all are pretty annoyed at how the printer industry is screwing customers over. There are a few printers that are really good but most of them suck and try to suck out your money by demanding ink when none is needed.

And i also know that it's nearly impossible to create an open-source printer that can be build by smaller businesses like the 3D printing space can do.

But are there any projects underway to reverse-engineer printer firmware and make it possible to flash the custom ROM onto a printer? No specific manufacturer in mind right now, but wouldn't that make things better? Simply disable all the stupid checks that claim that you NEED ink to scan or that you NEED yellow to print a black text?

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[–] debanqued@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

People who are manipulated aren’t at fault

That’s debatable.

the manipulators are doing their job and are to blame

Yes, I agree. But our blame on them doesn’t matter if we aren’t going to make the blame accountable by boycotting. Shareholders are happy to pat them on the back when the manipulation succeeds & brings profits.

Also what does boycotting matter when the government will bail out a company that is failing.

I do not believe that if HP were to fall due to a boycott that the gov would bail them out. Such a bailout would be extremely unpopular among the public (who opted to boycott HP).

Boycotting is the only tool in our toolbox. I would love to have a different toolbox.

[–] Lemongrab@lemmy.one 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Does HP even make the majority of the sales to individuals, or enterprise office spaces. Also, the public doesn't know about whllen the government bails out a corp (eg. Boeing https://www.newsweek.com/boeing-airlines-under-fire-90-billion-share-buybacks-stoke-controversy-bailout-pleas-least-1493934). There are companies that can't fail and large scale boycotts don't take much out of the their profit as they steal from the people and leech off government funding.

[–] debanqued@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

HP has their hands in a lot of places. They even work as contractors for the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). They offer services to govs who instead of buying HP computers they hire HP to deliver PCs that HP maintains. If private individuals would boycott HP extensively it would not sink HP but it would force HP to shrink by killing off their most shitty flimsy consumer products. A corp cannot justify to its shareholders an unsustainable money losing endeavor. HP would be forced to just focus on their industrial products.

The problem with the Boeing comparison is Boeing does not need a bailout due to a boycott. The pandemic is one of the cited factors for Boeing’s failure (accurate or not; optics matter. It’s a shame they had that excuse). So Congress believes a bailout is not wasted money. If Boeing were boycotted into need for bailout, it would not be feasible for Congress to save them. Boeing also has its hands in aerospace and defense to a much greater extent than just 7(X)7s, but those segments of the business could always be sold off to Lockheed Martin.

BTW, I boycott #Boeing myself. Boeing is an #ALEC member among other wrongdoing particularly in how their greed caused the aircraft crashes, death, and coverups. Ethical consumers have no choice but to boycott Boeing.

[–] Lemongrab@lemmy.one 2 points 1 year ago

Understandable. Also fuck ALEC.