Galt's Gulch

Ask the Gulch: Would you buy a self-updating car?

Posted by $ blarman 3 years, 3 months ago to Technology
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So what are your thoughts? Would you ever buy a car which subscribed to automatic updates like those your PC gets every week?
SOURCE URL: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-29/the-tech-refugees-bringing-tesla-software-chops-to-every-car?cmpid=BBD122920_BIZ

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  • Posted by Lucky 3 years, 3 months ago
    I'd have to put up with-

    when it is garaged at the end of a journey the motor will not turn off until updating is done

    during a journey it stops, just there, for an urgent update

    I have a med appointment but it will not move till the urgent update is done

    I've been away on a trip, on return the thing tells me it needs to have its motor running for 6 hours while stationary for updating

    the update just finished tells me my usual gas brand has not been certified, drain and refill with a certified brand then call for reset

    for some updates it takes itself to the dealership arriving just after they have closed for the weekend
    . .

    and, it is the only brand.
    more likely, I buy a bicycle and wait for Linux to give me a choice.
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    • Posted by mccannon01 3 years, 3 months ago
      Oh, by golly, Lucky, it need not stop to do an update. It could just crawl along at 1 or 2 mph until complete. Just think, now government can then raise all our taxes to put in special "update lanes" along all major roads.
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    • Posted by $ blarman 3 years, 3 months ago
      Lol.

      Just an FYI, but most of the onboard systems in vehicles are *nix-based. Windows just has too big a footprint (one of the consequences of embedding the GUI). You also find Linux in just about any IoT device.

      To me, it's not the OS as much as the notion that the car should be MINE and under MY control. I should be the one determining if I want to install an update. The other issue I have is that there is a facility near me where they have hacked and remotely controlled every vehicle produced with onboard computers using the built-in wi-fi or location service (On-Star) and a phone. Yeah, that's just what I want in my vehicles...
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 3 years, 3 months ago
    There are so many things in my life that I find creepy and in a few years become commonplace. The most stark one is when I was working on a teleconferencing system for Microsoft 20 years ago. Everyone agreed that people would find it uncomfortable to sit a conference table where conferencing speaker had a camera pointed at you. Even if the camera had an LED to indicate when it's on, people would just feel weird with a camera pointed at them.

    I feel weird about it, but I'm sure when I get a car I'll get this feature, just like I do with all other appliances. I wonder if we're in the infancy of "IoT", and we'll find ways, maybe with blockchain, to allow these devices to talk to one another without turning over control to a big company.
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