cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/47171718

The guy could not use “Convection Roast” mode in his oven unless he connects to wi-fi and registers personal data. Apparently because this was a cook mode that was added after the oven was marketed.

Sure, it is useful to be able to get new features and upgrades after the thing is produced. But because of that, it’s as if they are making the store version deliberately excessively basic in order to twist people’s arms to run their proprietary closed-source spyware.

I was originally going to tag this as [a/d] (for asshole design), but opted to call it crappy design because upgradability is still a good thing. What’s crappy is the fact that:

• it’s not FOSS
• GE’s server is needlessly in the loop for everything
• ppl must register on GE’s platform and give copious personal info which is then certain to be abused

To avoid both c/d and a/d, I would insist:

• the app must be FOSS
• the app and appliance both must have no cloud dependency and talk to each other in an off-grid LAN-only scenario
• upgrades must be fetchable over Tor without registration, and side-loadable; users must be able to connect over Tor from a public cafe/library to fetch upgrades

Do You Need WiFi to Cook a Roast? - Consumer Reports

Select smart ovens and ranges made by GE Appliances require WiFi connectivity to use certain features, such as convection roast. Consumer Reports explains the potential concerns that arise from connected appliances.

Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org)

Why does this need to be an app at all? If the manufacturer is able to spend the money to put a 50 cent wifi microcontroller in, they could easily add a 5 cent USB-A connector on it somewhere.

• Customer could go to the manufacturer website.
• Download the update they want without providing any user data (besides the model of the appliance I suppose)
• Customer puts the downloaded file on a USB stick
• Customer puts the USB stick in the USB port on the oven
• Oven prompts customer are they sure they want to upgrade
• Customer presses a button on the oven
• Upgrade completes

Let's be real here.

The entire point of what GE and others similar are doing is to force customers into connecting their devices and creating online accounts to slurp data, when those customers would ordinarily feel no desire to - because it's an oven and they just want to do oven things, not get online.

GE know this, and so they need to come up with ways to force it.

Regardless of what weasly PR words they may spout, the truth is they DESIGNED the feature specifically and intentionally from the start to be stuck behind an Internet registration gate to force you to comply and go online.

So there's no point talking about what GE easily could have done, or what the cost for a USB slot is. They wouldn't have put a USB on there even if it was literally free, because that would let you avoid their ecosystem and that is the one thing they Absolutely Do Not Want.