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Raspberry Pi blocks changing RAM chips

258 points · 211 comments · edandersen

  1. dannyw · · focus · HN ↗
    That's quite disappointing. Whose hardware is it anyways? Yours, when you pay for it.
    1. sbarre · · focus · HN ↗
      I find their explanation to be completely reasonable.

      As they clearly explained, giving you the choice to swap the RAM chips would create broader systemic problems that would lead to bad customer experiences and a support burden for their organization.

      You'd be ok with that trade?

      Local maximalists like to imagine a world where everything is aligned with their own personal incentives, but then present this world as being filled with freedom and choices. Just not anyone else's freedom or choices, only their own.

      1. VCFundedGenYer · · focus · HN ↗
        The entire point of the RPi is the user can do whatever they want with it.

        So no, it's not reasonable at all.

        Buy an Apple product if you want what you're stating.

        1. camgunz · · focus · HN ↗
          No, RPis are very inexpensive computers. What you're advocating would considerably increase the price of a Raspberry Pi to pay for the additional support burden (if this is even reasonable--should they hire a bunch of people just to answer "you bought a RPi w/ bootleg RAM" over and over again?), and that defeats the point.
          1. dwedge · · focus · HN ↗
            > No, RPis are very inexpensive computers.

            This hasn't been true for 5 or 6 years and there is very little reason to buy one over a second hand 1L PC these days. They are expensive and notorious for screwing SD cards.

            To put it into perspective, an 8GB raspberry pi with a 32GB SD card and cable but no monitor, no keyboard, no mouse is 251GBP. 35% the price of a macbook neo.

            1. t0mpr1c3 · · focus · HN ↗
              This. You're paying for various forms of documentation and support. If you don't need that, there are cheaper (e.g. Orange Pi) or better (1L, thin client) options.
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