Category: Uncategorized
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On the software obstacles that prevent your phone from being repaired
I wrote a new analysis of the right to repair under European law, what its roots are, and how it fails to address some of the software-related obstacles manufacturers are creating. In the analysis, I’m focusing on the practice of “part-pairing”, that is: tying components to a device via software, thus preventing them from being…
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Printers are a battleground for ownership
In this article, I discuss how ink suppliers and printer manufacturers are locked in a battle over who owns your printer. Turns out, they both think they do, leaving the owner watching the battle unfold on their own desktop. The full article is available in Dutch on the De Correspondent: Printer says no (of: hoe…
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What happens when your bike goes bankrupt?
When Dutch e-bike manufacturer was almost bankrupt, I wrote a short column on the effects of bankruptcy for owners of the bike. Because, whereas classical bikes just keep on running, these bikes may become more difficult to operate, as they need to connect to a now-defunct server. I suggest that freeing the code of the…