win95/98/ME and printers. An ethics issue comparable to DRM servers or not?

[Monty J. Harder]

On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 2:55 PM, Jeffrey Watts <jeffrey.w.watts at gmail.com>wrote:

> I get what you're saying, but there's _always_ a cost.  Big businesses have
> a vested interest in forcibly obsoleting old equipment - after all, HP
> doesn't make a dime on resold equipment of that kind.
>

That is an incredibly short-sighted view, but far too common these days.
Once upon a time, HP had a reputation for making better-quality, durable
hardware, that worked as advertised for years.  That reputation translated
into a premium they could charge for their products, like Zippo, Craftsman,
or Toyota .   (The latter even mentions the superior resale value of their
products in advertising new vehicles.)

But when they pull a stunt like this, they tell the intelligent buyer that
it's not worth it to spend a few more shekels on good quality; they'll just
EOL the thing before the hardware physically wears out.  It's almost like
you aren't really buying a printer any more; you're leasing it.
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