[uuilly]

Thank you. I work in Ag and it seems crazy that someone should be able to buy a machine like those Deere sells and be able to modify the controls SW. Can United Airlines update the controls SW on Boeing 747? I'm not sure how tractors are any different.

[randomdata]

I also work in ag, and own John Deere equipment. Is anyone truly asking for source code? I've read that narrative here and there, but it seems what is really being sought after is access to the tools and manuals that the authorized dealers have access to. The service techs repairing these machines aren't going to be modifying the code either, and they don't need to.

As an aside, I remember the last time I had a John Deere tech out. Even for him to access the service manual (to fix a mechanical part), which was fundamentally not much more than a simple search tool that displays PDFs, required a surprising level of authorization to access each document, with everything encrypted. It seemed a little extreme just to get a simple diagram. I can sort of see why some worry about where the company is headed.

[nas]

I think documentation is the right way to handle this. Require enough documentation that 3rd party repair shops can fix the machines. Even if they can't do much with the embedded controllers, at least document the sensors and the wiring. Otherwise, these machines are completely useless without the manufacturer and their dealers.

[lawnchair_larry]

Can confirm that United Airlines directly employs aircraft mechanics who are free to service as they see fit, and they use hardware that is not DRM'd to the plane.

Can also confirm that aircrafts can do more damage than tractors if things go wrong.

Like the JDs in the article that are so complex that they can steer themselves, aircrafts also do this!

I don't see how tractors are any different either. So JD should cut out this rent-seeking bullshit and stop pretending it's in the best interest of anybody other than their shareholders.

[gus_massa]

From all the articles that I have read, the repairs of the United Airlines planes are heavily regulated. The mechanics can't replace a part with another unless the new part is certified, and certification is very expensive. The mechanics also have to be certified and fill a lot of paperwork.

The changes checks are not enforced by software, but by strict FAA rules.

[themihai]

United Airlines is not really farmer Joe and something tells me that even United Airlines doesn't send its 747 to Boeing for all the maintenance work...