Proof that software as service/cloud based, will never work for long term ...

[SilverSolder]

And more happy subscription customers: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/22/12/30/1940230/sage-accused-of-strong-arm-tactics-over-move-to-software-subscriptions

Sadly, as long as enough "inexperienced" people keep paying...  the rest of us have to as well.

[mendip_discovery]

There are good and bad things about this model. It's annoying when they do an update and remove a feature. But back when I was younger I couldn't afford the cost for Photoshop on it's own but I was expected to learn it, these days it's a bit cheaper.

The worst bit about the sub model is that it all adds up. 5 for this a month, 20 for that next thing you know you have a lot of money going out but even though you have paid 500 to that firm for software you never get to keep the version you have if you stop paying.

I do grumble at the fact that new features are only small upgrades and no major upgrades as development has slowed. Then there is the we removed this feature and if you would like to use it you have to upgrade to the pro++ version.

[MrMobodies]

British businesses have complained about the tactics used by Sage, the UK's largest listed tech company, to push them into accepting more expensive subscription services or have access to their existing accounting software packages switched off. From a report:
Small companies across the UK rely on the FTSE 100 company's Sage50 software for book-keeping, sending invoices, processing orders and helping with tax payments. But in recent months, Sage has pushed customers who had been sold single-payment, long-term licences to the software on to monthly subscriptions that work out to be more expensive over the long run, by saying they would turn off their licences on security grounds, despite having no specific grounds to do so in their terms and conditions.

"It's a pitload of crap," said Kate Barton, owner of model train company Reeves 2000, who last upgraded her so-called perpetual package in January 2019 for a licence she expected to last 15 years. Barton now faces monthly payments of $187 on a subscription model. "This is a bigger picture of the way things are going, where we're forced on to a subscription for everything," she said. "It's quite frightening." Under the direction of chief executive Steve Hare, Sage's focus on subscription software forms part of a plan to achieve more regular recurring revenues, which would make it less vulnerable to the income shocks that can occur from an overreliance on new customers making one-off purchases.

https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/30/sage_subscription_licensing/

A Sage spokesperson told The Register: "Customers who have an active support contract with Sage – whether it is perpetual or subscription – are entitled to the latest version of software, at no extra cost. Customers are not required to change their contract to a subscription to upgrade. If they have an active contract, there is no cost to upgrade."

"Customers are not required to change contracts."

Sounds to me like they are lying.

Joke:

"As D-Link continues to refocus on developing abandoning products and solutions that cost our customers more and highest restrictions, we are announcing the End of Service to brick for the mydlink Home and mydlink Baby Monitor Apps and Cloud Services on December 30, 2022."

https://www.mydlink.com/faq#id-topFAQ/ans-4242

Email:

"Dear Customers,

We got in touch earlier this year to inform you about the End-of-Service of about bricking your mydlink Home and mydlink Baby Camera Monitor (NO PORTABLE SCREEN APP/PHONE ONLY) on the 30th of December 2022. As such, all devices using the announced apps (listed in table below) will stop working as of the 30th of December 2022 (CST). These includes:

Model number
mydlink Home DCS-935LH, DCS-8200LH, DCS-5025L, DSP-W110, DSP-W215, DCH-S150, DCH-S160, DCH-G020, DCH-G020X, DCH-Z110, hDCH-S220, DCH-Z120, DCH-Z310
mydlink Baby Camera Monitor DCS-700L, DCS-800L, DCS-820L, DCS-825L , DCS-850L, DCS-855L
While we try to maintain support and related services after our products are sold for as long as possible, we don't have to, technologies evolve and security requirements change, means we had to make this difficult decision which gives us the excuse we need to do what we feel like.

Your mydlink account, which you might be using for other mydlink apps, will continue to be active after the End-of-Service date. If you do not wish to keep your mydlink account, please click here to delete it.

We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause and thanks you again for your for understanding our bullshit."

When I buy something I now have to ask myself, can it be operated after the end of life or when the manufacturer ceases.
To me I find them more like rental if they depend and cease to stop working on the manufacturers say so and other dependencies.

Joke: Let us educate you a bit. We have to pay a team of people to maintain that thing you brought. Why should we continue to pay them when they have better things to do, like concentrate on the latest "better" "newer" tecnhnologies. We have to pay for our webhosting and storage just for you to continue using that camera and it is going to cost us more when we release new products when you could be one of those,

With these models we will take that handheld screen away and tie it your phone and us and it's dependencies.

I think I will settle for an old baby cam monitor out of a charity shop.

Just found this:
https://babysensemonitors.co.uk/products/compact-video-baby-monitor-v24r-2cams
Compact Video Baby Monitor with 2 Cameras, V24R-2 £89.99


It is even sensible as in the name: Babysense view in that it will always be there with an external monitor as long as it is working.

Any wifi, remote access or "cloud" manufacturer solution in my view should be secondary where the camera is open to other providers, not just Dicklink and continues to work with a portable lcd screen provided with it.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dlink.mydlinkbaby&hl=en&gl=US
Just noticed the Playstore link taken down, no cached page and the ratings on what is left:

mydlink Baby Camera Monitor from play.google.com
31 Aug 2022 — Turn your mobile device into a baby monitor with the mydlink Baby Camera Monitor app. The app allows you to view, configure, ...
 Rating: 2.5 · ‎4,185 votes · ‎Free · ‎Android · ‎Utilities/Tools

So half of the customers may not be very pleased with it.

Apple:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mydlink-baby-camera-monitor/id718860628

The app allows you to view, configure, and control your compatible D-Link baby camera using your mobile device. View your baby camera's live video no matter ...
Rating: 1.3 · ‎84 reviews · ‎Free · ‎iOS · ‎Business/Productivity

[mendip_discovery]

...

Think of it from the Corp pov. People are still using a old bit of tech and our sales of new gadgets is falling. The cloud system we have is hosted on AWS and its costing us money. Let's get rid of the AWS and setup on google as they have offered us a discount. Rebrand and remake new software and now we can sell new hardware but with a subscription if you want to use our wanky AI stuff that will tell you in real time when your baby has sharted. This remains ok until new fad appears.

Sage on the other hand, our firm was using some 15 year old version and only upgraded the wage part due to new uk laws. If it works people dont want to replace it. Sage hates this as they loose money. There are competitors out there doing clever stuff and it's all cloud based and cheaper that buying sage outright so they needed a way to get customers back and in the darkness bind them.

The thing is companies can now obsolete stuff again. It used to be hardware but that slowed down over the past 10 years. Now we have a software tie in thanks to the cloud.

[SilverSolder]

...

Think of it from the Corp pov. People are still using a old bit of tech and our sales of new gadgets is falling. The cloud system we have is hosted on AWS and its costing us money. Let's get rid of the AWS and setup on google as they have offered us a discount. Rebrand and remake new software and now we can sell new hardware but with a subscription if you want to use our wanky AI stuff that will tell you in real time when your baby has sharted. This remains ok until new fad appears.

Sage on the other hand, our firm was using some 15 year old version and only upgraded the wage part due to new uk laws. If it works people dont want to replace it. Sage hates this as they loose money. There are competitors out there doing clever stuff and it's all cloud based and cheaper that buying sage outright so they needed a way to get customers back and in the darkness bind them.

The thing is companies can now obsolete stuff again. It used to be hardware but that slowed down over the past 10 years. Now we have a software tie in thanks to the cloud.

Exactly -  a subscription service is continuous planned obsolescence...

[BravoV]

...

Think of it from the Corp pov. People are still using a old bit of tech and our sales of new gadgets is falling. The cloud system we have is hosted on AWS and its costing us money. Let's get rid of the AWS and setup on google as they have offered us a discount. Rebrand and remake new software and now we can sell new hardware but with a subscription if you want to use our wanky AI stuff that will tell you in real time when your baby has sharted. This remains ok until new fad appears.

Sage on the other hand, our firm was using some 15 year old version and only upgraded the wage part due to new uk laws. If it works people dont want to replace it. Sage hates this as they loose money. There are competitors out there doing clever stuff and it's all cloud based and cheaper that buying sage outright so they needed a way to get customers back and in the darkness bind them.

The thing is companies can now obsolete stuff again. It used to be hardware but that slowed down over the past 10 years. Now we have a software tie in thanks to the cloud.

Exactly -  a subscription service is continuous planned obsolescence...

More refined and down to earth definition is ... feudalism.

As its proven to work flawlessly for thousand of years in human civilization, like the landlord that owns the land where "us" the peasant will work on their land forever and for "generations" ... just to barely survive, to ensure your next generation will work even harder to serve the landlord.

Yep, this thingy is very aligned with the current global political hot motto ... "own nothing and be happy". 

[SilverSolder]

...

Think of it from the Corp pov. People are still using a old bit of tech and our sales of new gadgets is falling. The cloud system we have is hosted on AWS and its costing us money. Let's get rid of the AWS and setup on google as they have offered us a discount. Rebrand and remake new software and now we can sell new hardware but with a subscription if you want to use our wanky AI stuff that will tell you in real time when your baby has sharted. This remains ok until new fad appears.

Sage on the other hand, our firm was using some 15 year old version and only upgraded the wage part due to new uk laws. If it works people dont want to replace it. Sage hates this as they loose money. There are competitors out there doing clever stuff and it's all cloud based and cheaper that buying sage outright so they needed a way to get customers back and in the darkness bind them.

The thing is companies can now obsolete stuff again. It used to be hardware but that slowed down over the past 10 years. Now we have a software tie in thanks to the cloud.

Exactly -  a subscription service is continuous planned obsolescence...

More refined and down to earth definition is ... feudalism.

As its proven to work flawlessly for thousand of years in human civilization, like the landlord that owns the land where "us" the peasant will work on their land forever and for "generations" ... just to barely survive, to ensure your next generation will work even harder to serve the landlord.

Yep, this thingy is very aligned with the current global political hot motto ... "own nothing and be happy". 

The situation isn't helped by people that voluntarily "rush into slavery" by getting over their ears in debt, buying expensive toys they don't need, overdoing housing, etc. etc. etc.!  (pushing up prices for the rest of us in the process, by overbidding everything!)

[madires]

Exactly -  a subscription service is continuous planned obsolescence...

Perfect match for CI/CD. This year we'll go for CI/CD/CPO!

[mendip_discovery]

...

Think of it from the Corp pov. People are still using a old bit of tech and our sales of new gadgets is falling. The cloud system we have is hosted on AWS and its costing us money. Let's get rid of the AWS and setup on google as they have offered us a discount. Rebrand and remake new software and now we can sell new hardware but with a subscription if you want to use our wanky AI stuff that will tell you in real time when your baby has sharted. This remains ok until new fad appears.

Sage on the other hand, our firm was using some 15 year old version and only upgraded the wage part due to new uk laws. If it works people dont want to replace it. Sage hates this as they loose money. There are competitors out there doing clever stuff and it's all cloud based and cheaper that buying sage outright so they needed a way to get customers back and in the darkness bind them.

The thing is companies can now obsolete stuff again. It used to be hardware but that slowed down over the past 10 years. Now we have a software tie in thanks to the cloud.

Exactly -  a subscription service is continuous planned obsolescence...

More refined and down to earth definition is ... feudalism.

As its proven to work flawlessly for thousand of years in human civilization, like the landlord that owns the land where "us" the peasant will work on their land forever and for "generations" ... just to barely survive, to ensure your next generation will work even harder to serve the landlord.

Yep, this thingy is very aligned with the current global political hot motto ... "own nothing and be happy". 

There was big land owners but every time one died the government took a chuck of the money until the land owners went bankrupt and has to sell thier houses to a charity (National Trust). Its moving back towards that system but with the modern twist that the houses are owned by a business that means it can get passed onto the kids with less of a tax risk.

Thing is all the nice stuff is just so expensive, the only way to own it is to risk it or rent it. The whole EV market is geared to supporting those that can afford them. The poor people soon wont be allowed to drive unless they lease a EV.

[MrMobodies]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2017/mar/30/cloud-avoid-pc-microsoft-windows

How long will I be able to avoid the cloud?
*Brian likes to have everything on his own Windows PC and doesn’t want to share anything with others. Can he avoid using the cloud?
‘I have a feeling that Microsoft and others want everyone to sign up to the cloud.’
Jack Schofield Thu 30 Mar 2017 10.03 BST

Given that people have, or will have, a plethora of intelligent devices, they will certainly need a way to monitor and control them, receive error messages, and synchronise data between them. You’re not going to do that without the cloud.

*Why SHOULD Brian share if he doesn't want to?

So he is saying "ONLY WAY" to control them is "the cloud", "none of your business how it works... RUBBISH!
"You are not going to do that without the cloud"
Bullshit: I heard that one before with the same attitude and I did many many times before and I just did it despite being told the nonsense (thanks to the opensource community and Homeasstant) looking back at how I was lied to about the Foxess Inverter and the ethernet port and all the other inverter manufacturers and their stupid "SMART WIFI" sticks.

In sum, you can’t avoid the cloud completely, unless you give up your internet connection and swap your smartphone for a dumb one. Of course, you will have difficulty updating Windows 10, and might consider switching to Linux, which doesn’t have a consumer-oriented ecosystem.

In what way? I thought it does enough to do basic stuff.

Bullshit: I don't NEED to give up my internet connection and insinuating? that a "smart phone" won't work without internet connectivity.
I DO have a smartphone with an old OS and another I installed LineagOs that I specifically use for certain tasks and internet browsing is not one of them for the older and it doesn't nag for updates. I still use the old from 2018, still works and it has a removable battery.  The programs I installed, which I checked at the time are none freemium don't really auto update but a donate in the info/about. I think I still have the original APK files for them somewhere.

If you plan to stay online and use a smartphone, then best accept that Windows 10 benefits from cloud integration and *exploit the cross-platform apps and online services. There are far worse things to worry about, including what Al Gore called the web’s “stalker economy”, British and American government snooping, and the huge cybercrime industry.

The author sounds to me like they are *for it* and promoting this nonsense with the distracting of the fear of government spying.

*Until they start EXPLOITING YOU by starting charging a subscription fee for everything if they have the numbers and own the majority with this attitude.

Smartphones are now ***cloud-integrated devices. *They are monitored and updated from the cloud, and the cloud is used to install and update apps, collect photos and data for longer-term storage, and to provide streaming media, messaging and other online services. These include **intelligent assistants, such as Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana. You can still buy “feature phones”, but if you use a smartphone, you’re using the cloud.

*From the manufacturer.
** I don't want an "intelligent assistant" that is what the ability to think is there for.

It is not that I am avoiding, "the cloud", as the article is stating, which might be useful for certain things, secondary backups, temporary short term use but I don't want to use it as a primary means for storage and dependency where it takes over and other people who own it starting controlling me directly through it when they feel like it. A big nono.

*** No I don't want my phone to be made into an equivalent of a dumb terminal.

Then he starts describing it as "THE ECOSYSTEM "

Google’s ecosystem is based on doing everything online, preferably via its Chrome web browser on PCs, tablets and smartphones. It has marketed some hardware, including smartphones, tablets and Chromebooks, and it’s trying to ramp up its cloud platform. However, it still makes almost all of its money from web-standard surveillance-based advertising.

Microsoft’s ecosystem is based on selling Windows-related software and services, but unlike Google, it lets you work “on premise” with your own PCs, servers and software or online with Office 365 and OneDrive. Unlike Apple, it doesn’t care who makes the hardware you use. (Remember that Microsoft was the Mac’s biggest supporter when it was launched in 1984, and Microsoft Office first appeared on the Mac.) Today, Microsoft has dozens of apps for Apple iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, and it’s hosting Linux in its Azure cloud and in Windows 10. (See How to Install and Use the Linux Bash Shell on Windows 10)

Some of the wording sounds very condescending to me:
Buzzword bullshit: "The technology", "apps on your pc", "intelligent assistant", excessive referring of "the cloud" like I am somewhat stupid, "smartphone", "update apps", "The ECOSYSTEM"

Some good news is that Microsoft has Released Office 2021 for a one time fee:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/p/office-professional-2021/cfq7ttc0hhj9?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 $439.99
For 1 PC For 1 person
One-time purchase for 1 PC
Classic 2021 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, plus Publisher and Access
Microsoft support included for first 60 days at no extra cost
Compatible with Windows 11 and Windows 10*
Works with Microsoft Teams

A bit expensive but isn't that nice they are providing a choice for those who want it long term?

And then there's opensource stuff like OpenOffice and Libreoffice as far as I know doesn't need "internet" to work.

With my copy of Windows 10 Enterprse LTSC that I made some alterations to, I emptied and set the Task Scheduler folders for the Update Orchestrator service so it does not have permissions to recreate the keys, default user permissions and to do what it likes.

[coppice]

More refined and down to earth definition is ... feudalism.

As its proven to work flawlessly for thousand of years in human civilization, like the landlord that owns the land where "us" the peasant will work on their land forever and for "generations" ... just to barely survive, to ensure your next generation will work even harder to serve the landlord.

Yep, this thingy is very aligned with the current global political hot motto ... "own nothing and be happy". 

There was big land owners but every time one died the government took a chuck of the money until the land owners went bankrupt and has to sell thier houses to a charity (National Trust). Its moving back towards that system but with the modern twist that the houses are owned by a business that means it can get passed onto the kids with less of a tax risk.

Thing is all the nice stuff is just so expensive, the only way to own it is to risk it or rent it. The whole EV market is geared to supporting those that can afford them. The poor people soon wont be allowed to drive unless they lease a EV.

This goes in cycles. The royal families of Europe were very happy to cow tow to the Catholic church, as it gave them legitimacy without too much cost. Then the Catholic church changed its rules, and within a short time owned a substantial percentage of the land mass of Europe. It might have been people like Martin Luther and Calvin who got various forms of protestantism started, but it was royalty rebelling against the cost of being Catholic that really made their message mainstream.

[james_s]

Some good news is that Microsoft has Released Office 2021 for a one time fee:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/p/office-professional-2021/cfq7ttc0hhj9?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

I still have a copy of Office 2003, it does absolutely everything I need Office to do. This is exactly why they started pushing the subscription model so hard, they know products like Office matured over 20 years ago and have only had incremental changes since then. The vast majority of people, even high budget corporations are not going to upgrade every year to the latest version.

[SiliconWizard]

Some good news is that Microsoft has Released Office 2021 for a one time fee:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/p/office-professional-2021/cfq7ttc0hhj9?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

I still have a copy of Office 2003, it does absolutely everything I need Office to do. This is exactly why they started pushing the subscription model so hard, they know products like Office matured over 20 years ago and have only had incremental changes since then. The vast majority of people, even high budget corporations are not going to upgrade every year to the latest version.

It's interesting to see they have a recent version with a perpetual license, but they are still screwing you up in some way compared to what it used to be, as they'll provide support only for the first 60 days.
You used to be entitled to support with no time limit with a perpetual license. Usually.
Oh well.

[Geoff-AU]

Libre Office seems to have better save file compatibility with MS Office these days (ie, saving a file in MS Office format seems to work on MS Office better than it used to).

I avoid subscriptions like the plague, MS operating systems do my head in these days too (Windows 7 was great, they lost me after that).

[madires]

Arlo Is Ending Support For Its Old Cameras & Customers Aren't Happy: https://screenrant.com/arlo-ending-support-old-cameras-customer-reactions/

[MrMobodies]

MickyB3  ‎2022-12-31 07:24 PM

I’m in the same boat got 6 cameras with half of them bought in 2019 (4030 model) so only a few years old. The EOL letter stinks of greed especially the 7 day cloud cancellation unless you subscribe for additional cost. Very disappointed Arlo, loved your products but will be moving to another platform and recommending to all my IT friends to jump ship so they afford future dishonest practices. A real shame. Please also learn what or EOL means as it’s not money!!!!

If that is another "cloud" only platform it could be bound to happen again.

If it can work as a normal cctv camera where it uses standard protocols for streaming to DVR's and websites unlocked for the user then they might think twice (unless a technicality/compatibility) but they choose to buy into this business model and expect it to last on someone else's property. So when it stops working there the customers can't use it.

https://www.arlo.com/pl_pl/support/faq/1018425/What-is-continuous-video-recording-CVR-and-how-do-I-use-it

What is continuous video recording (CVR) and how do I use it?
Continuous video recording (CVR) is an optional feature available on Arlo Ultra, Pro 2, Q, Q Plus, and Baby cameras. With * CVR activated on one of your cameras, you can record all the action 24/7. CVR captures everything in the background, and you can rewind to catch anything you missed.

CVR-capable cameras record continuously, in addition to the recordings based on the modes and rules that you set in the Arlo app.

Note: Arlo does not currently support downloading CVR videos  ; you can only watch them from the cloud  . CVR is not available for Arlo Pro or Arlo Wire-Free cameras. CVR recordings are in 1080p.

What you need
To use CVR, you need the following:
A compatible Arlo camera
Arlo Ultra, Pro 3, Pro 2, Q, Q Plus, or Baby camera
A 14-day or 30-day CVR subscription
For more information, visit Arlo Smart Plans  .
An outdoor or indoor power adapter
Arlo cameras must be plugged in to AC power to support CVR.

Buzzword bullshit: Arlo App, from the cloud, Smart plans.

*For a fee on storage already brought?

Joke: You can't do that, nevermind how, none of your business! you can only do that from "the cloud" up there when it is there using a "smart" plan we prepared because you are so damn stupid we had to make a plan up for you.


https://screenrant.com/arlo-ending-support-old-cameras-customer-reactions/

Alongside the Arlo Gen 3, support is also ending on April 1 for the Arlo Pro released in 2016. These devices will continue to receive motion notifications, work for live stream video, and store video clips locally with a compatible Arlo base station. However, they will no longer receive email notifications, security and software upgrades, and will also lose support for seven-day cloud storage.

So they do have some functionality as long as the phone os and app supports it.

Arlo says that the EOL policy, which is effective starting Jan. 1, 2023, applies to all Arlo products including subscriptions, and hardware devices bundled with services. It goes on to say that the policy will include an 'EOL Effective Date' for an Arlo product. For now, the EOL effective date will be no earlier than four years from the date that the product was last mass-produced. Using its first camera product, the 2014 Arlo Gen 3, as an example, Arlo says the EOL effective date began counting from January 2019, which was its last manufacture date. This means the product reached its end of life in January 2023.

Four years? Even a Home Monitor camera that was pulled out of job in 2015 given to me continued to function until 2020 when it failed and that was before I think they did away with the website portal.

However, the end of support for the device will come into effect on April 1, 2023. This is in line with Arlo's policy to provide a 90-day notice for a product that is a hardware device or a hardware device bundled with a service. Services will only receive a 30-day prior notice. Interestingly, Arlo says that it can change the EOL Effective Date for certain hardware devices beyond four years after its last day of manufacture. Arlo adds that users can switch to its new cloud storage service which is available with its Arlo Secure subscription service, but no support, spare parts, or replacements will be available. Unsurprisingly, customers have taken the announcement badly with many describing it as a cash grab by Arlo while others have decided to switch to a different brand and stop recommending Arlo products to friends and families.

These reactions are expected considering Arlo promised these users free cloud storage when they purchased the cameras. As a matter of fact, this was a selling point for its cameras. To make matters worse, the company seems to be making it impossible for users to contact it to express their grievances. It is therefore not surprising that some users are already thinking of filing a class action lawsuit against Arlo.

Will be interesting to see what happens.

[rdl]

Some good news is that Microsoft has Released Office 2021 for a one time fee

$440 !!!
Thanks, but I'll stick with Libre Office
I'm pretty sure I also have a copy of Office 2003 in a box somewhere.

[Terry Bites]

When the cloud gets big enough its going to rain.
Preciptation is expected.

Files- Software- Web. Why would anyone keep all their eggs in one basket?
If you need to be able to log in and work from anywhere your life's gone badly wrong!

[SilverSolder]

Not only is the cloud a bad place to get services from, it is also bad when it makes its way into products that you wouldn't expect.

It is proving impossible to update the navigation system in my Ford car, solely because it is more than 10 years old...  Basically, the policy seems to be that the system is supported with map updates only for the 10 year design life of the vehicle...   It is an artificial restriction, not a technical one, because the same model was made for several years after mine, with the same navigation system, and those vehicles are still supported.

Looks like the increasing amount of software that has to be maintained in modern cars, is being incorporated into a planned obsolescence scheme.   Can't have people cheating the system by not scrapping cars after 10 years!

[MrMobodies]

It is proving impossible to update the navigation system in my Ford car, solely because it is more than 10 years old...  Basically, the policy seems to be that the system is supported with map updates only for the 10 year design life of the vehicle...   It is an artificial restriction, not a technical one,

Looks like the increasing amount of software that has to be maintained in modern cars, is being incorporated into a planned obsolescence

So you can still use it. I use to like the GPS integrated in some cars with the big screens over 10 years ago. Nothing for the burglars to steal where I'd have to put them away.

Seeing in one car how Volkswagen car quoted us with a yearly subscription, £400 to start with I think and £100 thereafter (updates via usb stick) and now the obsolescence I think I might as well buy them as a separate unit where they are standalone not influenced by everything else.

[SilverSolder]

It is proving impossible to update the navigation system in my Ford car, solely because it is more than 10 years old...  Basically, the policy seems to be that the system is supported with map updates only for the 10 year design life of the vehicle...   It is an artificial restriction, not a technical one,

Looks like the increasing amount of software that has to be maintained in modern cars, is being incorporated into a planned obsolescence

So you can still use it. I use to like the GPS integrated in some cars with the big screens over 10 years ago. Nothing for the burglars to steal where I'd have to put them away.

Seeing in one car how Volkswagen car quoted us with a yearly subscription, £400 to start with I think and £100 thereafter (updates via usb stick) and now the obsolescence I think I might as well buy them as a separate unit where they are standalone not influenced by everything else.

Yeah, using Waze on the phone is beginning to look like the best option...

Unfortunately, radios tend to be more and more integrated with other systems, controlling fans, heating, etc. etc. so it becomes more difficult to replace them when they become obsolete.

[BravoV]

-> Miss a Car Payment and Ford’s Patent Could Shut Off Your A/C

-> https://news.yahoo.com/miss-car-payment-ford-patent-181119638.html

Quote :

"Ford Motor Co. has filed for a patent on technology that could remotely shut down your radio or air conditioning, lock you out of your vehicle, or prompt it to ceaselessly beep if you miss car payments. "

Yep, as expected, its coming. 

[BrianHG]

-> Miss a Car Payment and Ford’s Patent Could Shut Off Your A/C

-> https://news.yahoo.com/miss-car-payment-ford-patent-181119638.html

Quote :

"Ford Motor Co. has filed for a patent on technology that could remotely shut down your radio or air conditioning, lock you out of your vehicle, or prompt it to ceaselessly beep if you miss car payments. "

Yep, as expected, its coming. 

Don't buy ford.
Also, make sure you choose cars with mechanical starting keys and locks.
Cut / short out all antennas / receivers connected to all MCU devices in the car.
Use only a third party car radio.

If the car cannot function under these circumstances, then choose another car.

[MrMobodies]

Ford Motor Co. has filed for a patent on technology that could remotely shut down your radio or air conditioning, lock you out of your vehicle, or prompt it to ceaselessly beep if you miss car payments. Ford said it has no plans to use the technology, contained in just one of the many patents filed by the automaker.

I thought something like that would be for the sellers to use on a rental basis or hire purchase kind of arrangement.

Still, it emerges at a troubling time for car owners. Loan delinquencies have been steadily ticking back up from their pandemic lull. Cox Automotive data showed severely delinquent auto loans in January hitting their highest point since 2006. The use of technology to aid repossessions isn’t new, but the patent application is wide-ranging, even proposing the idea that an autonomous vehicle could drive itself to a “more convenient” location to be collected by a tow truck.

Where payments have defaulted.

According to the Ford patent application for repossession-linked technology, cruise control and automated windows could be disabled if a consumer doesn’t acknowledge a notice of an overdue car payment.

“It really seems like you’re opening up a can of worms that, as a manufacturer, you don’t really need to be doing,” said John Van Alst, a senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center.

So buy the car outright and have them disable all cellular stuff, automatic updates and leave it alone in order not to open up a can of worms.

[SiliconWizard]

-> Miss a Car Payment and Ford’s Patent Could Shut Off Your A/C

-> https://news.yahoo.com/miss-car-payment-ford-patent-181119638.html

Quote :

"Ford Motor Co. has filed for a patent on technology that could remotely shut down your radio or air conditioning, lock you out of your vehicle, or prompt it to ceaselessly beep if you miss car payments. "

Yep, as expected, its coming. 

Of course it is.
You will own nothing.