Post #3143622

2026-05-22 02:23 UTC

@aj@gts.sadauskas.id.au @gabriel@fedi.gvisoc.com @odr_k4tana@infosec.exchange @Gargron@mastodon.social I fully agree everything should be repairable. And recyclable and repurposable if at all possible. But I also believe I should not have to care about it personally if I don't want to. I want any local repair person to be able to repair my car, or fridge, or washing machine. I don't want to have to know how to do it myself, and I want the design to need as little in the way of hands-on fixing as possible. For a lot of people that list includes computers.

Replies (1)

@aj@gts.sadauskas.id.au 2026-05-23 22:36

@jannem@fosstodon.org @gabriel@fedi.gvisoc.com @odr_k4tana@infosec.exchange @Gargron@mastodon.social You still benefit from a system being open and repairable, even if you never repair or tinker with it yourself. If an appliance or a car or a computer is closed, and it breaks down or had an issue, you really only have two choices. Take it back to the manufacturer for repairs, of replace it. If it's open, then you can take it to your choice of third-party repairers. If the closed system can be repaired or upgraded at all, you're limited to the parts that are authorised by the manufacturer. Usually at a hefty markup. With an open system, you can take it to a repair shop of your choice for repairs and upgrades. And that shop can offer you third-party replacement parts and upgrades. And then with a closed system, once the manufacturer decides its time for planned obsolescence, your system is e-waste. With an open system, even if they try that, you can potentially circumvent that. Think installing a deGoogled Android OS on a smartphone. And here's the important part. If you have the skills and expertise, you can maintain it yourself. But if you don't, you can still get a friend or relative to help, or take it to your choice of third party repair shop.

Open ##3143623