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Comment by ShadowBanThis01 | Hacker News Reader

Good luck. I called out Logitech for forcing users to log into some bullshit online account to maintain their Harmony remotes, and was attacked by apologists on Reddit (take that for what you will).

A couple months later Logitech shitcanned the entire product line (which I had already returned after discovering their scam), and screwed all the apologists. I wonder what they think today... if they even do.

Don't underestimate the cognitive dissonance (and resulting apologism and shilling) that you'll face when you call out defects and scams in someone's pet product or belief system. And yes, it happens right here on HN too often as well.

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> attacked by apologists on Reddit

Sometimes people get into niche communities and get really obsessive in a ridiculous way, like spending inordinate amounts of time defending a junky Logitech software suite.

I know, because it has happened to me. I see it happen with particular frequency in Discord.

I am not a psychologist, but it seems like a trap humans are predisposed to fall into.

This is what industrialization has freed us up to do.

Logitech still supports the Harmony devices, for how much longer remains to be seen. I just recently replaced some that had broke so I'm good till the next device failure as long as I don't make any major replacements either.

I know I'm part of a dwindling customer base that still uses separate A/V gear and not just built-in streaming apps and a soundbar, but it seems like there would have still been a market for competent universal remotes that you could customize.

I hated how almost every generation of their remotes got harder to use and program compared to pre-Logitech Harmony. The Touch remotes were practically unusable because you had frequently used buttons in poor locations and a touch screen that you had to scroll through to find the correct soft touch button for that wasn't especially responsive, the old models with all hard buttons were vastly more usable.

I also have separate components, and beyond that they're even in an equipment closet separated from my living room (and projector) by a wall. So I wanted an RF remote with an IR blaster I could put in the closet.

But screw it. On the rare occasion I watch something that's not on my Shield (whose remote can control my receiver's volume with CEC), I just adjust the volume manually.

But let's not even get started on the pathetic state of the A/V receiver market, where you can't even get a receiver with A/B/C sets of speakers... despite advertising three zones.

FWIW Logitech continues to run the Harmony servers, and I've bought a couple of used hubs since. I hate that you have to login, so don't call me an apologist; Logitech made some real mistakes here. Still, the Harmony products work well enough. I hope eventually either Logitech open sources the server and database, or that someone emulates the server somehow.

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