The feds are coming for John Deere over the right to repair

It's ironic that farmers (traditionally thought of as less technical people, "workers of the earth", etc) and hackers (highly technical nerds writing operating systems and engineering compatibility parts) are so connected by this issue. Some of the farmers I've talked to understand the importance ownership and right to repair better than even many engineers.

That said, I think John Deere is just the asshole willing to weaponize the legal system to enforce their dreams. The real problem is laws that protect IP like the DMCA and the patent system. I'm not saying we should just delete all those, but they are in bad need of reform and enable a tremendous amount of abuse. The abuse is only going to get worse unless we treat the cause(s) rather than just the symptoms.

I'm glad the feds are giving John Deere some attention, but I really hope they are going to fix the lopsided system instead of just try to bully or micro-regulate John Deere into "voluntarily" allowing more repair. If we stopped unleashing the lawyers on people for modifying or interfacing with devices they purchased, it would shift the balance of power more toward the center (whereas currently the power is almost entirely on the side of the companies).

Even if you have no interest in repairing or "tinkering" with your own stuff, you should be on the side of right to repair.

> traditionally thought of as less technical people

You've never met a farmer. Admittedly no one in my family is a farmer, but half of them are loggers, diesel mechanics, or heavy equipment operators. Most of them are ridiculously intelligent and able to fix anything that moves.

> You've never met a farmer.

What a stupid thing to say. Not only do you not know anything about me (I am myself a small-time/part-time farmer, and my neighbors are all farmers. My 14 acres is the smallest lot in my area. My neighbor/friend across the street farms 80 acres and sells his crops as some of the highest quality produce to top buyers. I also grew up with farmers as family members and friends. I think I've probably met a farmer before), but you clearly didn't even read my comment before replying to it or you would know that you're opening salvo is quite wrong. A quote from my comment that you replied to:

> Some of the farmers I've talked to understand the importance (sic) ownership and right to repair better than even many engineers.

It seems to me that logically, it's hard to have talked to people, while simultaneously having never met them.

After such a sloppy and unnecessarily assumptive (and incorrectly assumptive) response, it's hard to give any credibility whatsoever to anything else you say. I agree with it, but (as many of us rural livers/farmers) like to say, "even a stopped clock is right twice a day".

Also, I never said they aren't intelligent or able to fix anything that moves. If something I said suggested they weren't intelligent or capable, please point it out to me. Such a thing would be absurd - all the farmers I know are quite handy and can fix just about anything (that big corporations don't actively engineer to prevent, hence the hullaballoo over right-to-repair).

What I said was that they don't usually care about political fights like right-to-repair. And I stand by that, many of them don't. It's not a direct relation with intelligence level or handiness, it's more about personality and individual interests. Most of them just think John Deere are assholes but have no idea about the right-to-repair movement. They don't realize how deep the poison goes. More and more are getting into it, but it's still pretty unusual.

It's a free-ish country so you can do as you please, but I would recommend that you read and think a little more carefully before replying to people, especially when you're going to insult them by loudly proclaiming that they are an ignorant liar like you did to me.