Companies like John Deere actively seek to legally prevent farmers from repairing their own equipment in order to squeeze more money of them. Elizabeth Warren’s called for a national right-to-repair law for tractors specifically to counter this.
Oh my neighbors did this.
Thanks Ukrainian programmers! You’ve done us here in Iowa a solid, we do appreciate it
I dont understand why John Deer tractors need software. Like, I’m sure there’s a reason, but I can not think of one.
Ah! Because what you are likely picturing when you hear ‘tractor’ is this
AKA an engine with a lot of torque for Pulling Things strapped to some big tires with a wheel to steer it. Which isn’t inaccurate. But any longer, the driver’s seat of a tractor looks like this
Note the GPS, whole buncha buttons, and computer screen. Because, see, a lot of the functions of modern tractors and the equipment they pull are computer controlled now, and the programs that control those functions (like how much seed to dispense, how frequently, how deep to plant them, how deep to till, how much fertilizer to dispense, ect ect ect) are what this is talking about. John Deere has claimed that sure, you own the HARDWARE, but any longer that hardware can’t run without the software. Without that software, the tractor and equipment you spent half a million $$ on is a gigantic expensive paperweight.
THAT is what they say you are only leasing from them.
