A little blog post which articulates something that I've felt for a very long time.
I really don't like any piece of technology which assumes that you are an idiot. It assumes that you have no idea what goes on behind the 'magic curtain'. It does not want you to repair, modify or improve it in any way.
I could list many examples, but I will expand one that is quite familiar to me: cars. In North America there is a large community of 'hot rodders' who enjoy tinkering and modifying their old cars. At the very core of this technology you have the Small Block Chevrolet or SBC engine. This is the Lego of the hot rod world. You can put it in just about any rear wheel drive car made between 1930 through 1990. It is simply because General Motors had a sort of design inertia when it came to engines. They made one and kept making it for over 40 years.
Or is it?
The way in which a SBC interfaces with the rest of the car is very basic and clear - two motor mounts, simple transmission bolt pattern. You can even drop it in to a Ford or Dodge with an adaptor plate and a bit of welding the mounts. I don't suspect this was ever intentional, but it becomes possible by virtue of its adaptability. The systems are compatiable.
I can only think of one other engine with such a long lifespan - the horizontally opposed VW air-cooled engine of VW Bug fame. This was a bit of a different case, as its native application was a little more restrictive. However, it found it's way in to the VW Bus, early Porche, test plot combines, dune buggies, and numerous other small-power applications.
What would happen if all 4 cylinder engines had the same mounts, the same rear main bolt pattern, and the same electrics hookup? Might be a good inducement to competition and innovation with today's small cars.
Anyway, this is all a very elaborate preamble to what I wanted to post, from Make:
Owner's Manifesto
from MAKE: 04: Music and Kits for the Holidays, Page 154.
If you can't open it, you don't own it: a Maker's Bill of Rights to accessible, extensive, and repairable hardware.
By Mister Jalopy
The Maker's Bill of Rights
* Meaningful and specific parts lists shall be included.
* Cases shall be easy to open.
* Batteries should be replaceable.
* Special tools are allowed only for darn good reasons.
* Profiting by selling expensive special tools is wrong and not making special tools available is even worse.
* Torx is OK; tamperproof is rarely OK.
* Components, not entire sub-assemblies, shall be replaceable.
* Consumables, like fuses and filters, shall be easy to access.
* Circuit boards shall be commented.
* Power from USB is good; power from proprietary power adapters is bad.
* Standard connecters shall have pinouts defined.
* If it snaps shut, it shall snap open.
* Screws better than glues.
* Docs and drivers shall have permalinks and shall reside for all perpetuity at archive.org.
* Ease of repair shall be a design ideal, not an afterthought.
* Metric or standard, not both.
* Schematics shall be included.
I love this... When do you think we can get this passed as law?
