Föderation EN So 22.01.2023 19:07:17 Massachusetts HS can’t turn off lights <https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/01/us-school-runs-lights-24-7-365-the-smart-lights-have-been-broken-since-2021/>. Basically, they installed a ‘smart’ lighting system relying on proprietary software that the vendor no longer supports. The system failed and the lights are stuck permanently on. And this, friends, is the problem with unfree software. |
Föderation EN So 22.01.2023 19:40:42 @tkinias why physical books will outlast most ebooks |
Föderation EN Mi 25.01.2023 19:18:25 @ERBeckman @tkinias nah I’ve seen how high schoolers treat books |
Föderation EN So 22.01.2023 21:28:53 @tkinias that's awesome. It's also easily worked around. They have a circuit breaker, yes? Want the lights out? Start tripping breakers until you get the desired level of darkness. |
Föderation EN So 22.01.2023 22:39:19 @jimbodie |
Föderation EN So 22.01.2023 22:48:48 @tkinias oh. In that case you need to talk to solution provider. My smart ass solutions do fix the initial problem, but often they cause more problems. |
Föderation EN So 22.01.2023 22:56:01 |
Föderation EN So 22.01.2023 23:05:25 |
Föderation EN So 22.01.2023 22:57:37 @jimbodie |
Föderation EN So 22.01.2023 23:03:01 @tkinias indeed. Even when someone raise a concern, they are often dismissed by some manager type that has an agenda to see something get implemented a certain way or by a certain time. It's not often as bad as the cold weather issues with the O-Rings on the Challenger vs. the launch schedule, but often problems arise. Why listen to the engineers and other staff when it is easier in the short run to ignore them. |
Föderation EN Mo 23.01.2023 14:57:27 @tkinias @jimbodie School districts frequently lack knowledge. May fall back on “state approved vendor” as a justification. I saw a district tout UL listings for air purifiers that were the “doesn’t catch on fire” standards and not at all related to effectiveness or ozone release. IT is frequently minimally staffed, and the facilities folks may not understand the long term issues around something like smart lighting. |
Föderation EN So 22.01.2023 23:31:40 @tkinias More like unfree hardware |
Föderation DE Mo 23.01.2023 07:08:52 |
Föderation EN Mo 23.01.2023 09:46:48 Well, a "smart lighting" using open source software but with no physical switches would still be a shitty thing, so it's not just the issue of closed software but also of bad design. :-) |
Föderation EN Mo 23.01.2023 16:35:23 @tkinias In a sane world this would be satire, but I'm not sure these days... |
Föderation EN Mo 23.01.2023 21:49:41 @tkinias yep, but also this is the problem with people thinking they need software to switch the lights on and off |
Föderation EN Mo 23.01.2023 22:04:45 @kittyc (Related, though: I am *very* pleased that the office I moved into last year has an actual physical lightswitch rather than one of those cursed-by-God motion detectors.) |
Föderation EN Di 24.01.2023 16:38:15 |
Föderation EN Mi 25.01.2023 19:16:48 @tkinias Hear me out: call a regular fucking electrician? |