The John Deere company says that unauthorised modifications to its software could ead to machinery no longer complying with industrial, environmental or safety standards.
On the other hand, farmers are worried that those people who the manufacturer wants to do the repair work might impose an unacceptable delay in arriving on site to carry out the work, or that the price demanded might be too high. They ask, after spending all this money to own the machinery, shouldn’t they have the right to carry out their own repairs, or commission others they trust to do so?
Really, why not?
This is just another example of a trend taking shape in the manufacture and consumption of electrical and mechanical products, where the buyer no longer seems to buy the product, but is simply buying (or sometimes leasing) the right to use it.
Therefore for example, if a mobile phone is used, if a fault develops while under guarantee, if a repair centre authorised by the manufacturer is not used, the latter washes its hands entirely of all responsibility.
Many years ago, while building a house in Malta, I had passed the electrical wiring with some outside help, work which was later certified by a licensed electrician. Here in Australia, once I decided to get a quote for the passing of a computer cable from one room to another. The quotation duly arrived, with an astronomical price tag, tagged with a terribly useful warning that if I do the work myself I’d be exposing myself to a fine higher than the work itself!
The world is getting more and more complicated, and already many people are getting discouraged by all the complexity and sending for the professionals. With this trend, laws and regulations are being passed to not only encourage, but as much as possible mandate that this occurs.
Almost gone completely are the days when if you had a machine fault, you’d go hunting for a screwdriver or spanner to try and work out the cause of the problem, which sometimes is trivial to be resolved. Today, one might try and open the offending machine, and be unable to even do so, as the screw head has a configuration not seen before, the so-called ‘security screw’, for which the necessary tool might not be available. Perhaps that would be the last straw to give up completely, and either get someone else to do the job or chuck the machine away and get a new one.
Why is it so hard?
Well, if you engage someone to do the repair work on commercial terms, he will have an income. Government takes a tax on his income, and also a tax on the repair service. Apart from this, the one performing the work is now employed (so the government can boast of a reduction in unemployment), and the machine owner who needs the repair service needs to work to be able to afford the repair (further reduction in unemployment). Three cheers for the economy!
If instead of a repair, you throw away and buy a replacement, a new manufacturer has just increased its sales, the retail outlet takes its cut, and government gets a tax on the company income and on employee wages, and another tax on the sale. Again, hip hip, hooray!
If the person having the problem tries to solve it himself, all these economic activities just don’t happen. It is easy to see why both industry and governments have absolutely no interest in giving consumers the freedom to make their own choices based on their particular circumstances, but try to arm-twist him to act according to their commercial (the former) and political (the latter) interests.
The problem I see with all of this, apart from people being forced to spend more in the long term, is that we’re becoming more specialised, and less ready to get our hands dirty and learn some new skill or trade. When talking to people, you realise just how little many people are able to do around the house, when even the simplest task ends up being given to someone else. Naturally you cannot expect miracles from the weak or sick, but with others who are otherwise healthy and smart you might be surprised to be engaged in nothing else than their principal occupation and a small errand here and there.
Specialisation requires a big organisation, and profound dependencies. I worry that while this might apparently be all well and good, but confronted with a shock to the system, resulting in everything being up-ended, like for example a natural disaster which hits a large geographical region, where this service organisation no longer meets the demand which increases dramatically, or the telecommunications infrastructure is destroyed, what then? From where will the skills be found from those who never grabbed a screwdriver in their life or attempted anything outside his specialisation?
I feel that skills owned by people outside their primary occupation are not considered to be of value and not even appreciated by those making the rules, and think this is a mistake.
-------------------------
Il-kumpannija John Deere tgħid li l-modifikazzjoni mhux awtorizzata tas-softwer tista’ twassal għall-makkinarju li ma jibqax jimxi ma’ standards industrijali, ambjentali jew ta’ sigurtà.
Min-naħa l-oħra, l-bdiewa huma inkwetati li l-persuni li l-manifattur irid li jwettqu x-xogħol ta’ tiswija jista’ jkollhom dewmien inaċċettabbli biex jaslu fuq il-post biex iwettqu x-xogħol, jew li l-prezz li jitolbu jkun għoli wisq. Jistaqsu għalfejn, wara li ħallsu dawk il-flejjes kollha biex jakkwistaw dan il-makkinarju, m’għandux ikollhom id-dritt li jagħmlu t-tiswijiet huma, jew nies ta’ fiduċja tagħhom li jqabbdu huma stess?
Tassew, għaliex?
Dan huwa biss każ ieħor, f’xejra li qiegħda tieħu il-manufattura u l-konsum ta’ prodotti elettriċi u mekkaniċi, fejn ix-xerrej qisu m’għadux jixtri l-prodott, imma qiegħed biss jixtri (jew kultant jikri) d-dritt li jużah.
Għalhekk per eżempju, jekk jixtri mowbajl, li jiġrilu l-ħsara waqt li għadu taħt garanzija, jekk ma jużax ċentru awtorizzat mill-manifattur għat-tiswija, dan tal-aħħar jispiċċa jaħsel idejh minn kwalunkwe responsabbiltà.
Ħafna snin ilu, meta kont qiegħed nibni dar f’Malta, kont għaddejt il-wajering tad-dar jien bi ftit għajnuna minn ħaddieħor, xogħol li ġie ċċertifikat minn elektrixin li kellu l-liċenzja. Hawnhekk fl-Awstralja, darba fettilli nitlob kwotazzjoni ta’ mogħdija ta’ kejbil tal-kompjuter minn kamra għall-oħra. Il-kwotazzjoni ġiet, bi prezz ta’ barra minn hawn, u biż-żieda ta’ twissija utli ferm li jekk ix-xogħol nagħmlu jien inkun qiegħed nesponi ruħi għal multa iktar għolja mix-xogħol innifsu!
Id-dinja iktar qiegħda tmur, iktar qiegħda ssir ikkumplikata, u diġà ħafna nies qiegħdin jaqtgħu qalbhom mill-kumplessità u jqabbdu lil min huwa professjonali. Ma din ix-xejra, qiegħdin jinkitbu liġijiet u regolamenti li mhux biss jenkoraġġixxu, imma ‘k jista jkun jikkmandaw li jsir dan.
Kważi għadda ż-żmien li meta jkollok xi ħsara f’xi magna, tmur tfittex it-turnavit jew spanner biex tara jekk jirnexxilekx issib tarf il-problema, li kultant tkun trivjali biex tissolva. Illum, tmur tiftaħ il-magna, u ssib li lanqas jirnexxilek tiftaħha, għax ikollha ras tal-vit li qatt ma tkun rajt bħalu, l-hekk imsejjaħ vit ta’ siġurtà, u li naturalment għodda għaliha ma jkollokx. Forsi dak li jkun jonqsok biex taqta’ qalbek kompletament, u jew tqabbad lil xi ħadd ieħor jew tarmi l-magna u tixtri oħra.
Għaliex din id-diffikultà kollha?
Jekk se tqabbad lil xi ħadd jagħmel ix-xogħol ta’ tiswija b’mod kummerċjali, dan se jkollu l-introjtu tiegħu. Il-gvern jieħu t-taxxa fuq id-dħul tiegħu, u t-taxxa fuq il-bejgħ tas-servizz tat-tiswija. Apparti hekk, dak li qed jagħmel ix-xogħol issa għandu impjieg (allura l-gvern jista’ jiftaħar b’qgħad inqas), u ta’ min hija l-magna li għandha tiswija jrid imur jaħdem biex ikun jista’ jħallas għat-tiswija (il-qgħad jonqos iktar!). Ħeqq, viva l-ekonomija!
Jekk minflok issewwi, tarmi u tixtri l-ġdid, manifattur ġdid għadu kif żdiedlu l-bejgħ, tal-ħanut jieħu tiegħu, u l-gvern idaħħal it-taxxa mid-dħul tal-kumpannija u mill-pagi tal-impjegati, u taxxa oħra fuq il-bejgħ. Mill-ġdid, viva l-ekonomija.
Jekk min għandu l-problema jipprova jsolviha hu, dawk l-attivitajiet ekonomiċi kollha ma jsirux. Huwa faċli li tara għaliex kemm l-industrija u kemm il-gvern m’għandhom assolutament ebda interess li jħallu lill-konsumatur bil-libertà li jagħmel l-aħjar għażliet fiċ-ċirkustanzi tiegħu, imma jippruvaw jilwulu idejh biex jaġixxi skont l-interess kummerċjali jew politiċi tagħhom.
Jien il-problema li nara b’danakollu, apparti li n-nies qed jispiċċaw jonfqu iktar fuq terminu twil, hu li qiegħdin isiru iktar speċjalizzati, u inqas lesti jmiddu idejhom u jitgħallmu xi ħila jew sengħa ġdida. Tinduna meta titkellem man-nies, kemm hawn nies li anke madwar id-dar jafu jagħmlu ftit li xejn, anke l-iktar biċċa xogħol sempliċi jispiċċaw iġibu ‘l xi ħadd. Naturalment min huwa dgħajjef jew marid ma tistax tistenna l-mirakli minnu, imma minn oħrajn li jarmu s-saħħa u intellett kultant tiskanta kif ma jagħmlu xejn ħlief ix-xogħol prinċipali tagħhom u xi qadja żgħira ‘l hawn u ‘l hemm.
L-ispeċjalizzazzjoni tirrikjedi organizzazzjoni kbira, u dipendenzi profondi. Jien ninkwieta li dan apparantement ikun kollu sew, imma jekk issir xi taqliba f’daqqa, jekk is-sistema tieħu daqqa ta’ ħarta, per eżempju jkun hemm xi diżastru naturali li jolqot reġjun ġeografikament kbir, fejn din l-organizzazzjoni ta’ servizzi ma tlaħħaqx mal-bżonn li jkun żdied drammatikament, jew il-mezz ta’ telekomunikazzjoni jitfarrak, imbagħad x’isir? Minn fejn se jsibu l-ħiliet neċessarji minn qatt ma qabad turnavit f’idu jew medd idejh barra mill-ispeċjalizzazzjoni tiegħu?
Jien inħoss li l-ħiliet li jħaddnu n-nies barra mill-impjieg primarju tagħhom mhux meqjus ta’ valur u lanqas stmat minn min jagħmel ir-regoli, u dan naħseb li huwa żball.
1http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-03-11/farmers-spearhead-right-to-repair-fight/9535730?smid=Page:%20ABC%20News-Facebook_Organic&WT.tsrc=Facebook_Organic&sf184200843=1, retrieved 13/3/2018
1http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-03-11/farmers-spearhead-right-to-repair-fight/9535730?smid=Page:%20ABC%20News-Facebook_Organic&WT.tsrc=Facebook_Organic&sf184200843=1, retrieved 13/3/2018
