Free software in cars
Via Slashdot: Another argument for the pragmatic and economic value of free software. By keeping the interfaces to car computers proprietary, car companies make it hard for small repair shops to compete:
“If you don’t have the code, you lose the job. They have to go to the dealers. It’s an illegal monopoly, in my opinion. It happens enough that it’s a real problem,” said Putman, who owns Westside Import Repair.
Putman isn’t alone. Across the nation, professional mechanics and weekend tinkerers alike are confronting a new reality in today’s highly computerized cars — to fix the car, you first have to be able talk to the computer. And that’s where the trouble starts. More often than not, the code is in a language understood only by auto manufacturers.
A THOMAS search for bills sponsored by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham didn’t bring up anything that seems relevant. I’ve emailed the author of the article to get the bill number.
A car that only Microsoft can fix
Comment by Anonymous — January 1, 1970 @ 8:00 am