Post #3479565

2026-06-29 22:08 UTC

Pro tip for regulators looking to do good by their citizens (a troublingly small subset): The memorypocalypse (deflationary RAM pricing across multiple years) should put usable hardware lifetimes at the very center of the agenda; the best approaches are legislated bootloader unlocks from date of sale, firmware code-in-escrow (OSS'd + patent unencumbered for firms that fail to deliver security updates less than 6 years out), and legalising browser choice to extend app compat and enable alt OSes.

Replies (6)

@slightlyoff@toot.cafe 2026-06-29 22:12

The idea that users have a "choice" of brickware-from-day-one Androids, or brickware-from-date-of-revenue-collapse iPhones is a scandal, and the solution is legislation that legalises market forces to reassert themselves. That's not possible when hardware is held hostage to extractive OEM and carrier sales incentives.

Open ##3486316
@whitequark@social.treehouse.systems 2026-06-29 22:14

@slightlyoff@toot.cafe preach!

Open ##3496770
@willrs@social.vivaldi.net 2026-06-29 22:48

@slightlyoff@toot.cafe cool Chromium talk about it at BlinkOn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t8TNIXoJkU

Open ##3496771
@HaTetsu@mastodon.com.pl 2026-06-30 07:14

@slightlyoff@toot.cafe Shouldn't it be "inflationary" or do I have it wrong somehow? Anyway, yes, this many times! Firmware security for the people is far too neglected!

Open ##3496775
@dalias@hachyderm.io 2026-06-30 12:30

@slightlyoff@toot.cafe Forget 6 years. The escrowed firmware code needs to get automatically released whenever support ends, even if it's decades later.

Open ##3496777
@project1enigma@chaos.social 2026-06-30 15:31

@slightlyoff@toot.cafe 6 years is too short. My hardware would live much longer than that.

Open ##3496790