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Comment by Terretta | Hacker News Reader

Please do not legislate to screw up my devices' durability and reliability so some wing nuts can, well, disassemble them with wing nuts.

I prefer indestructible and long lasting devices-as-tools. I want more appliances, fewer janky assemblies of parts more likely to fall apart or fail me when I need them most.

Put another way, the goal is not "easier to repair", the goal is net fewer devices requiring repair, net fewer repairs.

One of those is actually better for the environment than the other, and it's not the one that churns through parts for people who want to repair or tosses more devices in the trash for people who prefer to just buy a new one.

The thing that's good for the planet is devices that last. That's the goal.

TL;DR:

If you want to legislate something, legislate lifetime warranties.

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So, I've to iPhones, one with a broken camera and one with a donor camera (for whatever reason, battery problem, mainboard, whatever). I can swap the camera module, or take up a repair shop. But Some make sure the repaired device won't work fully even though all of the parts are Apple originals.

Tell me how Apple not doing that shit would make the slightest iota of difference to their ability to make devices that last?

How would them not attacking 3rd party repairers make a difference.

Why not mandated warranties and repairability?

> Please do not legislate to screw up my devices' durability and reliability so some wing nuts can, well, disassemble them with wing nuts.

But rugged devices are generally much more easily disassembled and often even have replaceable batteries. Like Xcovers. We use them in work and they can be easily taken apart with torx screws, battery replaced etc, all while being much more rugged than normal phones and waterproof.

The only reason I don't really use them is that Samsung keeps putting midrange CPUs and mediocre LCD screens in them. I really wish the S-active range was still around. The last one was the S8 active sadly.

But these things don't have to be mutually exclusive at all.

> The thing that's good for the planet is devices that last. That's the goal.

That's your goal. Not mine. Upgradability for example makes devices last longer. Having the user decide what is repairable instead of a company also.

> If you want to legislate something, legislate lifetime warranties.

Lifetime limited warranties is what this will turn out to be.

There's no point in a lifetime warranty if a supplier can simply refuse it because there's an unrelated scratch on the side so they can claim it to be user damage.

I don't think trusting corporations is ever the answer.

> Having a user decide what is repairable instead of a company

Users do not know better.

As soon as you have aftermarket repairs, next thing you know, users are suing makers because some aftermarket nonsense burned a hole in their leg, or more recently, because their entire multi-family dwelling burned down.

It's been interesting how fast the same places passing laws giving right to repair pass jump to pass laws that you can't use repaired things so people don't die.

> As soon as you have aftermarket repairs, next thing you know, users are suing makers because some aftermarket nonsense burned a hole in their leg, or more recently, because their entire multi-family dwelling burned down.

Those poor companies. Give them a few wrongful lawsuits and they fall over. /s

If only it were so simple to bring companies down. I think the odds are heavily against something like this being a big issue. Companies have more money to prove you wrong and also pay better lawyers to present proof. Sure, there could be a few of such cases. But they probably happen anyways.

That said, you sure can "fix" your John Deere easier to increase the horsepower while also unlawfully increasing exhaust fumes. But this is an individual issue then, not the problem of the company (John Deere). Right to repair does make some things more tricky. But the payoff is worth it imho.

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