That's great news. Perhaps they can manage to kill off their sales to hobbyists and students.
It would be nice though if they spent that priority manpower in fixing bugs in their units, first. Rather than letting them languish for half a year or more without being addressed.
Really, you think they should not worry about people stealing their products?
Hmm. I can't see where you got that, from what I wrote? I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't put words in my mouth. And I wasn't aware anyone was "
stealing" their products!
![Shocked :o](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/shocked.gif)
AFAIK, everyone here was buying their Rigol's.
![Confused :-//](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/confused0024.gif)
Was there a "back of the truck sale" I missed out on?
Presumably you wouldn't consider upgrading the software on a Rigol
stealing, since you did so on both your DS1052E and DS1074Z, right?
Rigol is a business, they have to make some money.
I'm quite sure they're making money. Let me ask you this, since you were so incensed by my comment... if someone buys a DS2072A and
never upgrades the memory capacity option, who's being robbed? They've
already paid for the additional 28 MB of memory, because it's installed in every unit, whether it's ever turned on or not. But for "only" 40% of the cost
of their entire scope, they can enable the memory that's already been paid for.
![Huh? ???](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/huh.gif)
Certainly seems both fair and logical to me.
![Roll Eyes ::)](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/rolleyes.gif)
I'm a big fan of altering the function of hardware myself but...
but, but, but...
...to act like Rigol should embrace theft because it increases volume on their lowest margin sales and to justify this behavior kinda irritates me.
.
Yes, I can see that.
![Smiley :)](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif)
Especially when no one here has been advocating theft.
Look, as marmad has said here, more than once, Rigol isn't particularly happy about this, and has taken steps in the past to rectify it, and will take more steps in the future. They have a perfect right to do so (i.e., to try to stop hacking). However, my comment was simply that it's obvious they have limited manpower available. Otherwise they'd be fixing and improving the software much more quickly than they've ever demonstrated an ability to do so, in all the years they've been in business. And I questioned whether that's the best use of those limited resources. IMO, it's not, but in their opinion, it is. That's fine.
The
primary (if not exclusive) impact of locking things down will be reduced sales to folks that have very limited funds to start with. Meaning hobbyists, beginners, students, etc. Do you really think that pro's (spending company funds) and engineering firms with $$$ resources are buying Rigol's for cheap and unlocking features w/o paying for them? I don't. If they need a 300 MHz scope, they buy one. Not buy a 70 MHz-rated one, and cross their fingers it will work at 300. That would be foolish indeed.
But the result of having a pool of hobbyists [or even pro's, with limited funds for a home lab] with access to the technology, and experience with Rigols, will mean that if they're in a position to recommend something, it's that much more likely to be something they're familiar with. Like... a Rigol. Or if they bring their Rigol into work one day, or to a client site, Rigol gets exposure they would not have otherwise. And as a result, increased sales. So in a very real sense, Rigol
could consider these hobbyist sales as "seeds" being planted. That will bear enhanced fruit later. And as low-cost promotion and 'advertising' for their brand.
Obviously, these are not important factors to them (or they simply have failed to recognize the potential benefits), and again, that's fine. I never said, "
How dare you?" or "
Curse you, Red Baron!" Or shook my fist at the sky.
![Rant :rant:](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/rant.gif)
Don't get me wrong. I read this thread every day (and have read every message in every page), and love the work, ingenuity and features that have been unlocked.
And that you've personally benefited from. Yes, I'll try very hard not to get you wrong.
![Wink ;)](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/wink.gif)