• 4 Posts
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Joined 5 months ago
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Cake day: June 25th, 2024

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  • Yeah, fuck them, right? Fucking assholes building a database with everything we learned and did as a species, making it accessible for everyone for free with their inconsistent editing. Let Wikipedia go broke with it’s abundance of editing issues! Who will miss this piece of shit site everyone can add to, edit and correct even without an account. Not us, right!


  • Oh no:
    It is theoretically possible to replace the operating system of an electric car with an open-source or custom alternative, similar to flashing a custom ROM on Android smartphones. However, in practice, this comes with significant challenges. Here’s an overview:


    Theoretical Feasibility

    1. Hardware Compatibility:

      • Electric vehicles rely on specific hardware components (e.g., control units, sensors, actuators) that are tightly integrated with the operating system.
      • A custom operating system would need to understand and control this hardware. However, the underlying hardware specifications (APIs, protocols) are often proprietary and not publicly available.
    2. Software Architecture:

      • Modern electric cars use highly complex software architectures that include real-time operating systems, safety-critical systems, and user-facing interfaces.
      • A replacement OS would need to handle safety-critical functions (like braking and steering) as well as infotainment features.
    3. Open-Source Efforts:

      • There are initiatives like Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), which aim to create open-source software for vehicles. However, these are typically designed for automakers and not readily available for end-user modification.

    Practical Challenges

    1. Safety Risks:

      • Operating safety-critical functions such as braking, propulsion, and battery management requires certified software.
      • Modifying the software introduces safety risks, which can have serious consequences, especially on public roads.
    2. Legal Barriers:

      • Many countries mandate that vehicles operate only with approved software to ensure compliance with safety and emissions regulations.
      • Modifying the vehicle’s software could result in the loss of roadworthiness certification.
    3. Technical Restrictions:

      • Manufacturers often use encryption and digital signatures to protect access to the vehicle’s software.
      • Replacing the operating system would require bypassing these security measures, which could be legally and technically problematic.
    4. Lack of Community Support:

      • Unlike smartphones or PCs, there is currently no large-scale community actively developing user-friendly open-source operating systems for electric vehicles.

    Examples from Practice

    • Some enthusiasts and hackers have managed to modify software on vehicles like Tesla cars to add custom features or access internal data. However, these projects remain experimental and risky.
    • Initiatives like Comma.ai focus on creating aftermarket autonomy systems, demonstrating the challenges of modifying or replacing existing systems.

    Conclusion

    Replacing the operating system of an electric car is theoretically possible but practically extremely difficult due to legal, technical, and safety-critical constraints. While it could be an exciting project for hobbyists and developers, any modifications would likely render the vehicle unfit for legal road use in most jurisdictions.



  • Foobar! I tweaked it for years to be as simple yet powerful as possible. It counted plays, the date when songs were added and last played, which is lost now. It had a beautiful waveform-view I miss every day. And it converted and renamed files exactly as I told it to. I found some workarounds, but nothing comes close. Rhythmbox is good but misses the waveform view. Other applications are beautiful but offer too much bells and whistles, I like it simple. Feel free to recommend stuff!


  • I was a windows fanboy for more than 20 years. Going back every couple of months feels strange. Windows has changed, feels intrusive and uncandid to me. Linux is still new and sometimes a little strange to me, I miss my perfectly customized music player but apart from that, it’s so much fun to use. I can’t ever go back. Looking at Windows-user struggling makes me unconformable because i know they will never experienced how using a free OS feels like. They are so used to smartphones and computers shoving stuff down their throats instead of being the best tool you can come up with.