[RANT]False Beeprog. AGAIN.

[Alexander Schreiber]

On Tue, Jun 23, 2015 at 06:03:33PM +0200, Johnny Billquist wrote:
> On 2015-06-23 17:59, Alexandre Souza wrote:
> >
> >>I doubt there any legal problems with their course of action. They are
> >>not obliged to ensure that their software works correctly on a pirate
> >>copy of their hardware.
> >>If they add some additional checks, and they trap out on a clone, I
> >>doubt that could be considered illegal. They do not try to destroy
> >>your device. Their software just refuse to run. And I can't see it
> >>other than they are in their right to do that. Talk with the
> >>manufacturer of the clone for a software update from them instead.
> >
> >    If you use a software newer than 2.62, it bricks your clone device.
> >Period.
> 
> Yes. Ask the manufacturer of the device to fix it. Do you really
> expect that someone who have nothing to do with the device has any
> responsibility here? You (or whoever) install software that was not
> intended for the device on it anyway, and then you blame the maker
> of that software.

I strongly suspect that bricking the fake device is _not_ a side effect,
but quite intentional. Detecting a fake copy of their product, loudly
proclaiming this find and refusing to work with it is perfectly fine
and certainly within their rights. Destroying other people's property
is not.

They are certainly not the first to try to pull this one. FTDI for one
very explicitly bricked fakes of their USB-Serial chips, pissing off
quite a few engineers who then dropped FTDI as a future supplier entirely.

> Do you also try to install OS-X on a DELL laptop, and claim that
> it's Apples fault that your DELL machine don't work? (God knows what
> interesting things might happen if you actually try this...)

Since Macs have been basic x86 PCs for years, it might even almost work
(although I guess Apple probably checks for some hardware signatures
and tells you to go buy a Mac on foreign hardware). I'm pretty sure the
OS-X installer is not going to try to actively brick your Dell.

Kind regards,
           alex.
-- 
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and
 looks like work."                                      -- Thomas A. Edison