Take

Right to Repair

When I see "Right to Repair", I see "Plug 'n Play". When Plug 'n Play was introduced as a term alongside Windows 95, the joke was that Mac had never needed a term for it since it was just the way things were supposed to work.

Right to Repair exists today. You can take your device to any random repair shop and, as long as they are reasonably technically competent, they can take the same manuals and replacement parts and software provided to the authorized locations and perform the same work. It is not in any way rocket science (beyond, at times, what the manufacturer inserts into the process), it has not stopped manufacturers from "innovating", whatever the hell that even means anymore, and it is not a rampant public or product safety hazard.

The only thing I'd add is that the industry I'm describing is the automotive industry. You can do this with multiple ton vehicles, often filled with tens of gallons of flammable propellant just to make things interesting, but also with separate computer networks, tight clearances and miniaturized components out the wazoo.

Why you should not be able to do this with mobile phones and tractors has only ever had one honest answer – but we'd like it if we could make more money at the expense of our customers' convenience – and even it is not valid.

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