40 votes

Polish train manufacturer Newag bricks trains which spend time in competitors' depots

6 comments

  1. [2]
    OceanBreezy
    Link
    This was a quick and fascinating read about the lengths a company will go to to control a product they sold. So aggravating.

    This was a quick and fascinating read about the lengths a company will go to to control a product they sold. So aggravating.

    4 votes
    1. kaylon
      Link Parent
      I am not surprised at all, but I hope that this gets disseminated across wider spaces following the deep dive talk.

      I am not surprised at all, but I hope that this gets disseminated across wider spaces following the deep dive talk.

  2. [4]
    Eji1700
    Link
    Is there another way to read this. I basically despise fighting with modern social media interfaces and in this case I can't seem to navigate past the first one.

    Is there another way to read this. I basically despise fighting with modern social media interfaces and in this case I can't seem to navigate past the first one.

    2 votes
    1. mild_takes
      Link Parent
      It doesn't look like a ton of info was given. To summarize: They use the word lock instead of brick, but I'm using the word brick... The manufacturer would brick the train if it spent too long...

      It doesn't look like a ton of info was given.

      To summarize:

      They use the word lock instead of brick, but I'm using the word brick...

      The manufacturer would brick the train if it spent too long between visits to the manufacturers own repair facilities. They also have GPS tracking and would (maybe?) do the same thing after visiting a 3rd part repair facility. If the computer detected that you circumvented the bricking the train then it would show copyright violation info on the control panels in the locomotive.

      It also looks like the manufacturers telemetry system could also remotely brick the train.

      7 votes