I feel like Cisco and IBM kinda have a point here in that Random Joe Public probably shouldn't be doing "right to repair" stuff on Cisco switches in a data centre.

Most companies wouldn't want their techies screwing around with ad-hoc fixes on devices in the production network anyway! That's what support contracts and hardware upgrade cycles are for.

BUT they're also wrong, because the people who DO run Cisco switches should be able to hire whoever they want who is sufficiently trusted by the current owner. Not just a Cisco technician.

Also, some geeks run them at home (especially when they're being thrown away by a company) and _they_ should be allowed to do whatever they want with them in their home labs. Even if it's meant as enterprise hardware.

404media.co/data-center-tech-l…

#RightToRepair

Google ended Chromebooks?

#RightToRepair #HardwareHacking #JailBreaking #Chromebook

So, it turns out that you need to overwrite the default firmware on the Chromebook in order to install one that will allow you to boot from external media and install an alternative OS.

My first attempt revealed that the manufacturer of this particular Chromebook had made the BIOS ‘read only’, but I learned that it was possible to bypass this by disconnecting the internal battery.

No big deal. I’ve had this thing apart before. Off to iFixIt I go:

ifixit.com/Device/Asus_Chromeb…

#RightToRepair #HardwareHacking #JailBreaking #Chromebook

So after some reading I found a site offering a pretty straightforward tutorial on how to jailbreak and install other OSs on Chromebook. Apparently people are installing Linux, Windows and even MacOS on these things!

docs.mrchromebox.tech

#RightToRepair #HardwareHacking #JailBreaking #Chromebook

It has been a busy winter so far for me, which is why I haven't been posting a lot here. But today I'm proud to share with you the fruits of some of that labor: The Colorado Democratic Party's platform for 2026. For those unfamiliar, a platform (in the US) is a statement of values that a political party stands for, generally agreed upon by people who stand for election as representatives of the party.

I was elected during last year's party re-org to the Platform Committee. The chair of the committee asked if I would run the subcommittees for two of the "planks" (sections) of the platform: the Democracy section, and the New Tech & AI section. It was an honor to work on both.

I'm going to share screenshots from the New Tech & AI plank because it's relevant to the work I do here, and I think a lot of people might be interested to see this statement of values. This plank is brand new, never before covered in prior Platform documents.

I'm also pleased to report that the whole of the Platform Committee and the roughly 1500 delegates to last weekend's statewide party Assembly voted to approve this as-is, with no additional changes, on a vote of 98.9% in favor.

There's a lot to like, but my favorite aspect of this is that I managed to get widespread approval for use of the term #enshittification in the official platform, both from the Platform committee and the larger party leadership. Thanks @pluralistic for the inspiration. (I believe this is the first time the term has been used in any official political party platform ever.)

The full platform is readable at coloradodems.org/platform

#AI #datasovereignty #privacy #infosec #techequity #R2R #RightToRepair #politics #COpolitics #Boulder #Colorado #Democracy #democrats

Today’s fuckery:

A few years back we bought my son a Chromebook for his schoolwork. At the time it seemed like a good choice because the price was right and the limited specs meant that it would pretty useless for much else. (Focus on your schoolwork, kid!)

The Chromebook ended up getting slightly bent in my son’s backpack, which screwed up the touchpad. Alas, old Chromey ended up forgotten in the ‘pile of old crap I refuse to get rid of’, until one day I decided to do some searching into repairing the touchpad, which I was able to accomplish by ‘shimming’ out to warped case a little bit.

Then Google decided to end support for Chromebooks.

Well, today I dusted the old girl off and began with the question: can one install Linux on this thing?

Turns out, the answer is ‘probably’.

Hell yeah, let’s dig in!

#RightToRepair #HardwareHacking #JailBreaking #Chromebook

Sensitive content Reveal/hide

If EV batteries are now projected to last beyond the lifespan of the vehicles they're installed in, should we not prepare for that eventuality?

What if, we propose a regulation for car makers that says something like "make your batteries easily removable for the purposes or repair, replacement or recycling"?

How hard could it possible be? Imagine a world with standardized battery mounts. Hey, we have CANBUS, so we *can* do standards in cars.

#EV #repairReuseRecycle #righttorepair

#NYC - #RepairCafé #ElBarrio is more than a place to reach out.

It’s a growing community built around repair, learning, and collective care.

Upcoming 2026 sessions:

Sundays
March 15th, April 19th, May 17th, June 28th, July 19th, August 16th, September 13th, October 18th, November 15th and December 13th

From 11 to 2pm
Location: at El Barrio Artspace PS109

"What is a Repair Café?
Repair Cafés are free, community-led events where volunteer experts help visitors diagnose and fix broken household items. They started in The Netherlands in 2009 and have now spread to cities and communities all around the world.

At Repair Café El Barrio, we most commonly repair vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, lamps, clocks, clothing, and audiovisual equipment (including computers and cameras). Our goal is to empower visitors with hands-on repair skills. We don’t just fix things for you — we work with you, side by side!

When & Where
We meet once a month in the main gallery of El Barrio Artspace at 215 East 99th Street. Each Sunday session runs from 11am to 2pm and is donation-based: pay what you wish. Enjoy coffee, fresh fruit, and other refreshments while repairing your items.

To participate, send us a photo and a short description of what you’d like to repair. Once confirmed, we’ll reserve your spot for that session."

FMI:
repaircafeelbarrio.org/

#SolarPunkSunday #RepairCafes
#RepairCafesNYC #FixIt #RightToRepair #RepairReuseRestore #BuildingCommunity

The MNT Reform Next in purple is my "someday" upgrade. It is fully open source, modular, and repairable. It is a machine that actually respects the user instead of fighting them. Plus, that purple is beautiful. I have respect for MNT Research for being one of the few ethically sound companies in Tech.

#MNTReform #OpenSource #RightToRepair #DigitalSovereignty #MNTReformNext

I was just made aware of this yesterday. Several #ONDP MPP's introduced Bill 91, a #RightToRepair bill in the #Ontario Legislature.

Anything you can do to build awareness/support for this bill in your community would be appreciated.

#OntarioPolitics #onpoli

canrepair.ca/latest-news

PSA

To whomever this may concern and to get you a break from the international news:

Your daily driver Windows computer is not obsolete after October 13th 2026. And above all it is NOT E-waste.

Your Apple computer is not E-waste if Tim Cook says so.

Chances are that even the beige DELL tower from 2003, which is currently holding the barn door open, is not obsolete.

And if you have an old/broken computer: please sell or donate it. If nothing else, someone can learn to solder working on it.

Contact your local IT nerd for further questions. The one with an Atari or Amiga T-shirt. Someone you know will know one.

You can also contact IT nerds here in the fediverse. Almost all of us are here.

#RightToRepair #AlternativeOperatingSystems #OperatingSystems #OS #OpenBSD #FreeBSD #NetBSD #Linux #HaikuOS #Windows #Apple #PowerPC #BeOS #Ubuntu #LinuxMint #Vic20 #Commodore64 #Amiga #ComputerClubs #Learning #OldComputersAreNotE_Waste #PCB #VintageComputing #RetroComputing #Refurbishers

@righttorepair @pluralistic In Alaska, people living away from our 3 big cities learn to repair broken devices as best they can, often there is no repair business in a town or village Even in the city areas, businesses that seek to make repairs are stymied by lockouts, withheld information and anti-modification laws. Here are 3 examples from a repair business near Anchorage, AK.

alaskabeacon.com/2026/02/24/th…

#RightToRepair #Alaska

I had to buy a box of nine hundred assorted panhead bolts just for two M1.7 ones to repair a Weston Master light meter.

The modern age is dumb. Bring back proper hardware stores, please.

#VintagePhotography #DIY #RightToRepair

🚜 Iowa Farmers Are Leading the Fight for Repair

｢ A modern combine can be mechanically fine and still be effectively broken, because the owner can’t access the diagnostic tools and software needed to complete the repair. The part might be sitting right there, but the “key” to make it work lives behind a dealer login. Agricultural Right to Repair aims to hand the keys back to farmers so they can get food back on our tables ｣

ifixit.com/News/115722/iowa-fa…

#righttorepair #opensource #farming

Stoat, the chat application formerly known as Revolt, seems to be promising for the future home of our community. It is FOSS, can be self hosted, and free of "AI."

Now, Stoat and "AI" code is complicated. They previously pushed some commits but reverted them after community backlash. They even took it a step further and admitted the mistake and committed (pun) to no future "vibe" coding.

They reverted it, admitted it was a mistake, and said no future "AI" coding.

This is acceptable to me and I find it commendable to go back and remove the old code. I understand people make mistakes, but they can be redeemed.

Specific reverts:

for-web#617
for-desktop#42
service-openproject-zammad-sync#2

Sources:

github.com/orgs/stoatchat/disc…

#NoAI #DigitalSovereignty #Stoat #Discord #Matrix #Fluxer #OpenSource #RightToRepair #DeGoogle

Hi everyone! #PSA

• Are you concerned about Android closing their ecosystem?
• Are there any other issues that you can help bring attention to?

I want to remind everyone that I have been maintaining an easy-to-use list to quickly find and contact your MEP (member of the European Parliament).

It's available online at:
zeyus.com/contact-mep-represen…

Source code: github.com/zeyus/contact-mep-r…

#mep #meps #europe #europeanUnion #europeanParliament #EU #eupol #euparlament #eupolitics #eupolicy #democracy #android #google #righttorepair

These bills would be a disaster for the maker community and everything that has allowed it to vibrantly develop. Many 3D printers and their associated revolution in empowering people to make and repair things come from open source and open hardware projects which would presumably be outlawed, as would #Prusa3D products. This has echos of the Clipper Chip and other similar attempts.

From @adafruit :
"It doesn’t matter if you’re pro or anti-gun. The state should prosecute people who make illegal thing, not add useless surveillance software on every tool in every classroom, library, and garage in the state."
blog.adafruit.com/2026/02/19/c…

#3dprinting #righttorepair #openhardware

What is the single oldest piece of hardware you own that is still in active, daily use? 💾

I don't mean a museum piece sitting on a shelf. I mean something you actually turn on and rely on every week.

Is it a first generation Kindle? A 2011 thinkpad? A printer from the Windows XP era? A mechanical keyboard from yesteryear? An old iPod? A really old toaster that works great?

#retro #hardware #technology #pc #music #reading #books #bookstodon #writing #art #righttorepair #cooking #baking

Enshittification at its worst.
#Enshittification #RightToRepair #cars

blog.adafruit.com/2026/02/04/f…

#CreativeReuseToronto Storefront Drop-in #RepairCafe

Sunday, February 8, 2026
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Creative Reuse Toronto
68 Abell St, Toronto

"Bring your broken items to Creative Reuse Toronto's storefront location. We will be fixing small appliances, home electronics, clothing, jewellery and small furniture.

Accepting items for repair until 3:00PM.

Come early and beat the rush!"

FMI:
repaircafetoronto.ca/rc-events…

#SolarPunkSunday #CreativeReuseToronto #RepairCafesToronto #RepairCafes #FixIt #RightToRepair #Mending

Hi fixers, the belt broke on my orbital shaker at work. There's no instructions on how to replace it, and I can't afford $3K for a service tech.

The plate over the belt is sealed with silicon, presumably to keep liquids from seeping into the motor assembly.

Any reason I should not attempt to remove the silicon, unscrew the plate, replace the belt, replace the plate, and reseal?

Any other considerations?

#RightToRepair #RepairCafe

RE: climatejustice.social/@termina…

The results are pretty clear. With 241 votes cast, 79% of you indicated that Framework’s recent sponsorship choices caused significant or irreparable damage to their reputation.

Mastodon represents a massive chunk of Framework's target demographic, Linux users and privacy advocates. Alienating nearly 80% of that core base is a serious error. If they value this community, they need to pay attention to these numbers.

#Framework #GNULinux #GNU #Linux #FOSS #OpenSource #TechEthics #Privacy #RightToRepair #Hardware #AskFedi #Fediverse #Mastodon #Vaxry #DHH

Terminal Tilt

2026-01-17 23:53:06

It has been a few months since the debate around Framework's sponsorship choices. I am curious where the community currently stands.

How much does Framework's financial support of controversial project maintainers (Vaxry and DHH) impact their reputation in the open/privacy space?

#Framework #GNULinux #GNU #Linux #FOSS #OpenSource #TechEthics #Privacy #RightToRepair #Hardware #AskFedi #Fediverse #Vaxry #DHH

Mit Gegenzöllen tun wir uns übrigens nur selber weh. Wir sollten lieber Cory Doctorow zuhören und das Antiumgehungsgesetz (und vergleichbare Gesetze) abschaffen.
Das sagt zwar kaum jemandem noch was, ist aber verantwortlich dafür, dass Technik immer schlechter wird und besonders US-Konzerne davon profitieren. Eingeführt wurde es u.a. weil die USA drohten, sonst Zölle einzuführen. Und wenn sie das eh schon machen, hat der Tiger ja seinen Zahn verloren.

Damit würden wir gleich 4 Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen:
1) Angemessene Reaktion auf Trump ohne einen Zollstreit zu riskieren.
2) Keine höheren Preise bei uns durch Gegenzölle.
3) Förderung der heimischen Wirtschaft und Deregulierung an einer sehr sinnvollen Stelle.
4) Maßgebliche Verbesserung unserer Technikgestaltung.

Am besten lasst ihr @pluralistic selbst erklären:
media.ccc.de/v/39c3-a-post-ame…

#Trump #Zölle #Gegenzölle #USA #Grönland #EU #Antiumgehungsgesetz #RightToRepair #Souveränität #39C3

It has been a few months since the debate around Framework's sponsorship choices. I am curious where the community currently stands.

How much does Framework's financial support of controversial project maintainers (Vaxry and DHH) impact their reputation in the open/privacy space?

#Framework #GNULinux #GNU #Linux #FOSS #OpenSource #TechEthics #Privacy #RightToRepair #Hardware #AskFedi #Fediverse #Vaxry #DHH

• Irreparable damage (33%, 1 vote)
• Significant damage (66%, 2 votes)
• Minor/Temporary hit (0%, 0 votes)
• No impact (0%, 0 votes)

Jeff Bezos is saying the quiet part out loud. They want to kill local computing.

You will own nothing and be happy. You will rent your computing power from the cloud. You pay a subscription for the privilege of using a computer.

AI demand is artificially spiking DRAM prices and Big Tech is pushing "AI PCs," the squeeze is on to force us into a rental model.

Reject this future.

Keep your hardware local.

Run #Linux.

Own your data.

The "cloud" is just a landlord for your data.

#NoAi #FOSS #OpenSource #Privacy #SelfHost #SelfHosting #BigTech #RightToRepair #RAM #Amazon #EatTheRich

windowscentral.com/artificial-…

When a company announces End of Life (EOL) of a product, there should be a law or regulation that demands that latest at the day of the EOL all service manuals are made available for free to at least the owners of said product, better though to the general public.

#RightToRepair

Bose SoundTouch users should read this.

itsfoss.com/news/bose-soundtou…

#bose #righttorepair

Excellent argument from @pluralistic.
pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/39c…

"Thanks to Trump's incontinent belligerence, we are on the cusp of a 'Post-American Internet,' a new digital nervous system for the 21st century. An internet that we can build without worrying about America's demands and priorities…The US trade representative has forced every one of its trading partners to adopt #anticircumvention law, to facilitate the extraction of their own people's data and money by American firms…But there's a…response… that's just sitting there, begging to be tried: what about repealing anticircumvention law?"

#Copyright #DRM #RightToRepair #TPM #USTR

Three years ago I bought @juliette an electric kettle for her birthday (because romance is not dead).

Looking for a stainless tank, hidden heating element, and temperature settings, I found the Krups KE07. Bit expensive, but it'll last decades. Right? Button 1 broke after a year. Button 2 today..

Thread in three parts

1. How it broke

2. Why I think you should not buy a Krups / Tefal appliance

3. How to fix it with a 3D printed part

1/x

#enshittification #plannedobsolescence #righttorepair

🚨 NEW VIDEO: The Windows Exodus Has Begun.

2025 was the breaking point. Forced hardware retirement and intrusive AI have sparked a mass migration to GNU/Linux. In this video, I explore:

📈 The data behind the 3.20% Steam high.

🇪🇺 How the EU is saving millions by ditching Microsoft.

🛡️ Why 2026 is the year of Digital Sovereignty.

Stop fighting your OS. Start owning it.

🔴 Full Video: youtube.com/watch?v=dLzdTgCXyR…

#TerminalTilt #WindowsExodus #Windows10 #Windows11 #Microsoft #WindowsEOL #Recall #Copilot #DigitalSovereignty #Privacy #DigitalPrivacy #NoAI #HumanMade #DeGoogle #EthicalTech #Autonomy #DataSovereignty #AntiSpyware #Telemetry #SurveillanceCapitalism #RightToPrivacy #Encryption #SoftwareFreedom #ExitWindows #Migration #LinuxGaming #GamingOnLinux #SteamDeck #Valve #Proton #Bazzite #SteamOS #HandheldGaming #PCGaming #ROGAlly #LegionGo #GamingCommunity #SteamHardwareSurvey #EWaste #Sustainability #RightToRepair #PlannedObsolescence #CircularEconomy #GreenTech #SaveThePC #Hardware #Environment #EUtech #PublicMoneyPublicCode #OpenStandards #SchleswigHolstein #GermanyTech #GovernmentIT #DigitalRights #Linux #GNUlinux #Debian #Trixie #FOSS #FLOSS #OpenSource #LibreOffice #Thunderbird #Nextcloud #SelfHosted #HomeLab #CLI #CommandLine #Terminal #Bash #FishShell #Dotfiles #SysAdmin #QueerTech #TransInTech #DisabledInTech #Accessibility #Queer #LGBTQIA #LGBT #HumanContent #ContentCreator #SmallYouTuber #SmallStreamer #YouTube #IndieCreator #SupportIndependent #LinuxUser #Tech #TechNews #OperatingSystems

If you've got a problem where your bed sheets keep shifting to one side, I have an elegant solution that works in my situation, and maybe could be adapted to yours.

Things like safety pins don't work, because either the force of the shifting sheet will pop the pin, OR if the pin is strong enough, it will tear the sheet.

After much experimentation, I stuck the rough side of a strip of Velcro to the flat surface the sheet contacts under the edge of the mattress, at the point the sheet most shifts (in the center). I did NOT attach the soft side of the Velcro to the sheet. I just put the hooks against the direction of the pull, letting them dig into the sheet itself. As the sheet tugs more in the wrong direction, the more the hooks grab. It's a larger surface area than a pin, so the force is better distributed.

I originally stapled the Velcro to the wood of the platform, but the staples didn't hold. It's a tricky edge to get to, so I hasn't got the staples in well. For now, I've situated it as best I could with just the weight of the mattress and figured I'd fix it later, but it seems to be holding somehow anyway. I think only one prong of one staple is still hooked. But the sheet hasn't shifted that way in months. Before, I was having to redo it every few days.

The sheet is still shifting from the other (perpendicular) direction. I just need to Velcro that side as well. But it's even trickier to reach with a staple gun (this is a trailer with tight spaces). I'll get to it. I'll probably stick two pieces of Velcro to the wall. The sticky stuff this Velcro came with doesn't stick too well in the ways it should, and way too well in the ways it shouldn't. (I think I'd made to stick to fabric, but it doesn't work well on that either.)

You mainly need a flat, solid point where the mattress+sheet comes into full contact.

You can see here how well it's working. The curve of the line is where the Velcro connects underneath. It ain't going anywhere.

#ProTip #RVLife #RightToRepair

I need more of this, everywhere, and less consumerism.

youtube.com/watch?v=TO2Vrc5skh…

#RightToRepair #Fixed

Hackaday Links: December 14, 2025

#hackadaycolumns #hackadaylinks #slider #airstream #artemis #bounty #brick #bugbounty #canada #canoo #colonialmarine #dcma #drm #einstein #ev #gameover #guardian #ice #jemesouviens #mars #montreal #nest #relativity #righttorepair #spaceforce #timedilation #vcf #hackaday
posted by pod_feeder_v2

My IKEA FÖRNUFTIG air filter was making a rattling sound, like something had broken off inside. Time to break out the @iFixit tools, and have a go at repairing. First hurdle was the triangle screw driver needed. Which fortunately my tool set has. Then I needed a Philips for a couple more. Finally the spudger to get the top and bottom to part ways (they are clipped together). And with that. I found a small piece is broken off inside.

Reassembly was simple. And it still works

#RightToRepair