3D printer manufacturer Bambu Lab’s newest firmware update for its A- and P-Series 3D printers has ignited backlash within the 3D printing community, with critics accusing the company of reinforcing i
I get the appeal of Bambu printers, I’ve been tempted myself to get one… but the thing that keeps me away is that they are closed source and I don’t want a world with closed source 3D printers because when the company goes evil - and they all eventually do - I don’t want to be held hostage. I’ve fallen in that trap before and don’t want to again.
Don’t give them backlash, instead stop using their printers. Release your models under a license that requires the printer that prints it to be open source. Let friends and colleagues know the dangers of supporting such a company.
Release your models under a license that requires the printer that prints it to be open source.
That has about as much sway as me telling you what bowl you must eat your breakfast from. Completely unenforceable.
Restricting models in such a way is also in itself against core values.
Bambu make great printing appliances but that’s about it. It’s still a good recommendation for someone who just wants to print as a starting point, and unconcerned with much else. The same kind of people would buy OEM cartridges at 3-5x cost for their paper printers and simply don’t care. File goes in, model comes out. Vendor lock-in doesn’t matter to them.
Other options exist for those of us who want to tinker, learn a thing or two, or simply just be in control of their shit.
Still, there will always be a ‘but…’ when I’m mentioning the company to someone looking to start printing. Then they can decide based on their own values.
There is also a problem of printers calling home regularly with unknown payload. Add to it that these devices have a camera it’s not a good look. Anecdotally mine stopped working in “lan-mode” after two or three weeks before it was allowed to connect and phone home again.
That is also a very good point. Not something I would ever allow.
Keep the target audience in mind though, who probably have Ring cameras and other ‘phoney-homey’ budget Chinese crap littered around. Still doesn’t really register on their radar.
Honestly, for the price and reliability, it’s hard to beat them.
Personally I am unhappy with what they are doing, but acknowledge that buying a “no-fuzz, just works”-printer was the only way I would ever be allowed to have one in the house.
Now that the missus and kids love printing, it’s easier for me to get another that is open source.
If RatRig can get their Vcore 4 sorted, I’d love to grab one and have a project in the future.
Bambu as a company are pretty much the poison for 3D printing that made ink home printers a nightmare. That and lobbying to regulate and criminalize a lot of what makes 3D printing great. I fear we‘re at our peak already and it can only go downhill from here. We are just not allowed to have nice things in the 21st century.
Release your models under a license that requires the printer that prints it to be open source.
Then you wouldn’t be releasing your models under a free and open source license. It’s that simple really. The only restriction that is universally agreed to be FOSS is the GPLs requirement to release any modifications under the same license. But you can still commercialise and run the software on whatever machine you want, for example a Windows device.
I get the appeal of Bambu printers, I’ve been tempted myself to get one… but the thing that keeps me away is that they are closed source and I don’t want a world with closed source 3D printers because when the company goes evil - and they all eventually do - I don’t want to be held hostage. I’ve fallen in that trap before and don’t want to again.
Don’t give them backlash, instead stop using their printers. Release your models under a license that requires the printer that prints it to be open source. Let friends and colleagues know the dangers of supporting such a company.
That has about as much sway as me telling you what bowl you must eat your breakfast from. Completely unenforceable.
Restricting models in such a way is also in itself against core values.
Bambu make great printing appliances but that’s about it. It’s still a good recommendation for someone who just wants to print as a starting point, and unconcerned with much else. The same kind of people would buy OEM cartridges at 3-5x cost for their paper printers and simply don’t care. File goes in, model comes out. Vendor lock-in doesn’t matter to them.
Other options exist for those of us who want to tinker, learn a thing or two, or simply just be in control of their shit.
Still, there will always be a ‘but…’ when I’m mentioning the company to someone looking to start printing. Then they can decide based on their own values.
There is also a problem of printers calling home regularly with unknown payload. Add to it that these devices have a camera it’s not a good look. Anecdotally mine stopped working in “lan-mode” after two or three weeks before it was allowed to connect and phone home again.
That is also a very good point. Not something I would ever allow.
Keep the target audience in mind though, who probably have Ring cameras and other ‘phoney-homey’ budget Chinese crap littered around. Still doesn’t really register on their radar.
Honestly, for the price and reliability, it’s hard to beat them.
Personally I am unhappy with what they are doing, but acknowledge that buying a “no-fuzz, just works”-printer was the only way I would ever be allowed to have one in the house.
Now that the missus and kids love printing, it’s easier for me to get another that is open source.
If RatRig can get their Vcore 4 sorted, I’d love to grab one and have a project in the future.
Bambu as a company are pretty much the poison for 3D printing that made ink home printers a nightmare. That and lobbying to regulate and criminalize a lot of what makes 3D printing great. I fear we‘re at our peak already and it can only go downhill from here. We are just not allowed to have nice things in the 21st century.
Then you wouldn’t be releasing your models under a free and open source license. It’s that simple really. The only restriction that is universally agreed to be FOSS is the GPLs requirement to release any modifications under the same license. But you can still commercialise and run the software on whatever machine you want, for example a Windows device.