Editing Antifeatures
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Antifeatures are a way to describe a particular practice made possible by locked down technologies. Antifeatures, as I describe them, are functionality (i.e., "features) that a technology developer will charge users not to include. You can read [http://www.fsf.org/bulletin/2007/fall/antifeatures/ my short article on the topic published in the FSF bulletin in 2007] for a series of examples and a more in-depth description. | Antifeatures are a way to describe a particular practice made possible by locked down technologies. Antifeatures, as I describe them, are functionality (i.e., "features) that a technology developer will charge users not to include. You can read [http://www.fsf.org/bulletin/2007/fall/antifeatures/ my short article on the topic published in the FSF bulletin in 2007] for a series of examples and a more in-depth description. | ||
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=== Printers === | === Printers === | ||
==== Printer Cartridges ==== | ==== Printer Cartridges ==== | ||
[http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20050222/1220232.shtml HP printers] | [http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20050222/1220232.shtml HP printers] have been supplied with cartridges that both report 'empty' when they have 25% ink still remaining, but also have a 'use by date' encoded into the chip, which disables the printer cartridge if it is used after that date (no HP printer will use it). | ||
have been supplied with cartridges that both report 'empty' when they | |||
have 25% ink still remaining, but also have a 'use by date' encoded into | |||
the chip, which disables the printer cartridge if it is used after that | |||
date (no HP printer will use it). | |||
In general the | In general the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkjet_printer#Underlying_business_model business model] of printer manufacturers has been to lose money on the printer and make it on the printer cartridges. This has caused such antifeatures as: | ||
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkjet_printer#Underlying_business_model business model] of printer manufacturers has been to lose money on the | |||
printer and make it on the printer cartridges. This has caused such | |||
antifeatures as: | |||
* Reporting the cartridge as empty when (often substantial) ink remains. | * Reporting the cartridge as empty when (often substantial) ink remains. | ||
* Microchips that will report the cartridge size by number of uses | * Microchips that will report the cartridge size by number of uses rather than by amount of ink remaining. These will ignore any refilling of the cartridge. | ||
rather than by amount of ink remaining. These will ignore any refilling | * accepting only regionnally bought cartridges (HP zoned the world the same way as DVD !!) | ||
of the cartridge. | |||
* accepting only regionnally bought cartridges (HP zoned the world the | |||
same way as DVD !!) | |||
There are other features of the printer cartridge industry that are anticompetitive (e.g. use of DMCA and patents to protect antifeature code) but do not involve specific software or hardware - i.e. they aren't 'antifeatures' per se. | |||
HP's PSC-series printers came with a Windows driver that specifically | HP's PSC-series printers came with a Windows driver that specifically was designed to NOT allow the printer to be shared over a LAN, so as to not cannibalize the sale of their (more expensive) network-oriented printers. This could be hacked around, by installing the (massive) Windows drivers on client machines and using a Linux box as the print server. | ||
was designed to NOT allow the printer to be shared over a LAN, so as to | |||
not cannibalize the sale of their (more expensive) network-oriented | |||
printers. This could be hacked around, by installing the (massive) | |||
Windows drivers on client machines and using a Linux box as the print | |||
server. | |||
==== Printer Yellow Dots ==== | ==== Printer Yellow Dots ==== | ||
Many printers produce a background of hard to see yellow dots on every | Many printers produce a background of hard to see yellow dots on every page. This pattern is unique to the printer and can be used to identify the printer that produced a page. | ||
page. This pattern is unique to the printer and can be used to identify | |||
the printer that produced a page. | |||
This is not officially acknowledged by printer manufacturers, but | This is not officially acknowledged by printer manufacturers, but appears to be as a result of a shady deal between government and the manufacturers. | ||
appears to be as a result of a shady deal between government and the | |||
manufacturers. | |||
See: [http://seeingyellow.com/ http://seeingyellow.com/] | See: [http://seeingyellow.com/ http://seeingyellow.com/] | ||
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=== Vaio Freshstart === | === Vaio Freshstart === | ||
Sony started trying to [http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20070412/new-pc-junk-programs/ charge its users to not install software] on new computers. | Sony started trying to [http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20070412/new-pc-junk-programs/ charge its users [http://www.diamondlinks.net link building service] to not install software] on new computers. | ||
=== CDs === | === CDs === |