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 | 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. | ||
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 | |||
==== 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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It seems that each new generation of iPods has a new hash algorithm to prevent the music player from playing music which you added from software other than iTunes. Each time the hash changes, it takes time for the free software community to reverse engineer the hash and unbreak the antifeature. | It seems that each new generation of iPods has a new hash algorithm to prevent the music player from playing music which you added from software other than iTunes. Each time the hash changes, it takes time for the free software community to reverse engineer the hash and unbreak the antifeature. | ||
=== Useragent === | === Useragent === | ||
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=== Open Source Software Antifeatures === | === Open Source Software Antifeatures === | ||
== Miscellaneous Antifeatures == | == Miscellaneous Antifeatures == | ||
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=== Lecture Books === | === Lecture Books === | ||
Some lecture books have graphs and tables printed on pages which have special colours hard to copy for overhead projector slides. Instead they sell a special "lecture" version for teachers, so they can sell two instead of one book. | Some lecture books have graphs and tables printed on pages which have special colours hard to copy for overhead projector slides. Instead they sell a special "lecture" version for teachers, so they can sell two instead of one book. | ||
-why don't you just use one of those camera-to-digital projectors that are so common these days?--agreed that they are more recent, expensive, complicated, etc... |