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History of Texas Instruments fails (TI versus community)

Started by Dream of Omnimaga, August 11, 2015, 04:48:07 AM

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Dream of Omnimaga

To lighten the mood up and laugh, here is a topic compiling some of TI's notable mishaps during their relations with the TI community or even their customers in the past decades:

1998: "The TI-Files site used the TI-Files name until late 1998 when they were forced to change it to Ti-Files by Texas Instruments. TI claimed that they were cyber-squatting with their TI-Files name and http://www.ti-files.org site URL because people could confuse them with the actual TI website (i.e., http://www.ti.com)." - Source: TI-Story http://tistory.wikidot.com/ti-files

2000: TI-News asked by TI to change their names (granted, they were also distributing ROMs, but the name change request was questionable: http://www.ticalc.org/archives/news/articles/4/40/40306.html

2002: TI blocks distribution of their flash unlocking routine (I guess they had a point since it was copyrighted code from their TI-OS but still... look at how long it took before flash unlocking became common on 83+ calcs afterward) http://www.detachedsolutions.com/forum/index.php/mv/msg/240/0/0/

2007: Nspire release with basically no viable programming capabilities

2009: TI-83+ RSA signing keys controversy (DMCA takedown notices) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Instruments_signing_key_controversy

Early 2010: TI sends C&D to TI-BANK for distributing OS 1.1. While they had a point, the fact they did not ask them to remove other Nspire OSes from their servers and that Ndless only worked on 1.1 at the time made TI's actions look like an attack against Ndless: https://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5291&sid=1442b18d0b86fed1953fd1e8f2ac4677#p83514

2010: TI adds anti-downgrade protection to TI-Nspire OS 2.1 (the first ever): https://www.omnimaga.org/news/nspire-2-1-out-don't-install-it!/ (this one even made Slashdot) and the OS releases allegedly violates the BSD license: https://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6132

July 2010: TI gets Critor's Facebook account suspended for posting his opinion against the OS 2.1 anti-downgrade protection on TI-France Facebook page. https://www.omnimaga.org/news/nspire-2-1-out-don't-install-it!/msg103858/#msg103858 . Several comments are also censored on their FB page

2011: TI blocks downgrades on TI-84+ and TI-84+SE http://www.omnimaga.org/news/new-ti-84-pocket-adds-anti-downgrade-protection-against-2-53mp-and-lower/

2013: TI goes as far as changing the Nspire CX hardware to block downgrades: https://www.omnimaga.org/news/new-ti-nspire-cx-boot2-antidowngrade-protection-blocks-ndless-nlaunch/

2015: TI blocks third-party flash apps on the 84+CE (thank god we can at least run Asm())

2015: TI blocks ASM entirely on their new TI-82 Advanced (which is based on the 84+SE)

No particular year: The many TI-84+/CSE/CE bugs dating all the way back in 1996 from the 83 OS and some trivial CSE bugs still present in the CE OSes.

No particular year: TI-CARES service (considered so bad that it's often nicknamed TI-DOESN'T-CARE.


I wonder if you remember anything that I might have missed?

EDIT: Satire/parody/April fools news posted in response to the incidents above (or other ones):

April Fools 2010: Omnimaga gets DMCA'ed for using TI fonts in its logo: http://www.omnimaga.org/news/ti-sends-dmca-takedown-notice-to-omnimaga-for-key-font-usage/ (parody of 84+ Signing key controversy)

April Fools 2011: 84+ OS 2.71MP https://www.omnimaga.org/news/84-plus-os-2-71mp-leaked-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-ti-84-programming/ (parody of TI-Nspire anti-downgrade)

August 2011: TI redesigns entire calculator line: http://www.omnimaga.org/news/texas-instruments-redesigns-entire-graphing-calculator-line/ (they totally fscked up their calc comparison chart that Summer.)
  • Calculators owned: TI-82 Advanced Edition Python TI-84+ TI-84+CSE TI-84+CE TI-84+CEP TI-86 TI-89T cfx-9940GT fx-7400G+ fx 1.0+ fx-9750G+ fx-9860G fx-CG10 HP 49g+ HP 39g+ HP 39gs (bricked) HP 39gII HP Prime G1 HP Prime G2 Sharp EL-9600C
  • Consoles, mobile devices and vintage computers owned: Huawei P30 Lite, Moto G 5G, Nintendo 64 (broken), Playstation, Wii U

Unicorn

Wow, thats quite a list of TI trying to restrict the community. Hopefully they don't contonue on this path.
  • Calculators owned: I own all of them: PICKACHUP TI 84+ CSE TI 83+ SE TI something something ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
  • Consoles, mobile devices and vintage computers owned: PICKACHUP ??? ??? ??? ??? ???



??? ??? ??? ??? ???

princetonlion.tibd

#2
Then TI stops producing calcs, trying to force to community to die :P

Theoretical situation :P


They forgot the V200 in 2011?! O.O
  • Calculators owned: TI-83+, TI-84 + CSE, Voyager 200, TI-Nspire
Anyway war sucks. Just bring us your food instead of missiles  :P ~ DJ Omnimaga (11.10.2016 20:21:48)

novenary

Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on August 11, 2015, 04:48:07 AM
No particular year: The many TI-84+/CSE/CE bugs dating all the way back in 1996 from the 83 OS and some trivial CSE bugs still present in the CE OSes.
Add to that the bugs in the Nspire cas that remain from the TI-92. :P

Dream of Omnimaga

Haha yeah the Nspire bugs. Also I forgot to mention their july 2010 attempt at discontinuing the 84+SE which was seen as an indication that the 84+ and 83+ were next. This incident generated public outcry in the community.
  • Calculators owned: TI-82 Advanced Edition Python TI-84+ TI-84+CSE TI-84+CE TI-84+CEP TI-86 TI-89T cfx-9940GT fx-7400G+ fx 1.0+ fx-9750G+ fx-9860G fx-CG10 HP 49g+ HP 39g+ HP 39gs (bricked) HP 39gII HP Prime G1 HP Prime G2 Sharp EL-9600C
  • Consoles, mobile devices and vintage computers owned: Huawei P30 Lite, Moto G 5G, Nintendo 64 (broken), Playstation, Wii U

utz

1981: TI releases the 99/4A home computer. Despite being far ahead of its time (it was in fact the first 16-bit home computer), it was discontinued after only 2 years. Why? TI reserved the exclusive right to publish software for the machine, and they released virtually no tech documentation on it whatsoever. Leaving aside a few minor design flaws, this is probably the main reason for the ultimate failure of the machine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI_99/4A#Lack_of_third-party_development
  • Calculators owned: TI-82, TI-83, TI-83+, TI-85, TI-86, TI-92+, Sharp PC-1403

novenary


Vogtinator

Quote2013: TI goes as far as changing the Nspire CX hardware to block downgrades: https://www.omnimaga.org/news/new-ti-nspire-cx-boot2-antidowngrade-protection-blocks-ndless-nlaunch/
I doubt that that was intentional. Yes, there is no downgrade protection for boot2 (which could in theory result in a brick that is not easy to repair, even for TI),
but it was only several weeks until HW-J was sold. If HW-J was a reaction to nLaunch, it would've taken at least three months, for testing alone. Also, boot1 is the same.
  • Calculators owned: TI-Nspie CX CAS, Casio FX-85ES

Dream of Omnimaga

It depends. If they decided to devote their entire resources just to block nLaunch for 1 week, couldn't it be possible?
  • Calculators owned: TI-82 Advanced Edition Python TI-84+ TI-84+CSE TI-84+CE TI-84+CEP TI-86 TI-89T cfx-9940GT fx-7400G+ fx 1.0+ fx-9750G+ fx-9860G fx-CG10 HP 49g+ HP 39g+ HP 39gs (bricked) HP 39gII HP Prime G1 HP Prime G2 Sharp EL-9600C
  • Consoles, mobile devices and vintage computers owned: Huawei P30 Lite, Moto G 5G, Nintendo 64 (broken), Playstation, Wii U

Adriweb

"1 week" ?

Absolutely not for hardware level things (not even technically possible), and extremely unlikely for software level things (but technically possible).
TI is big, and they have a whole process from dev to release; it takes time.

Removing an update, for instance, could be done quickly. But pushing another [new] one? No, not that quickly.
  • Calculators owned: TI-Nspire CX CAS, TI-Nspire CX, TI-Nspire CAS (x3), TI-Nspire (x2), TI-Nspire CM-C CAS, TI-Nspire CAS+, TI-80, TI-82 Stats.fr, TI-82 Plus, TI-83 Plus, TI-83 Plus.fr USB, TI-84+, TI-84+ Pocket SE, TI-84+ C Silver Edition, TI-84 Plus CE, TI-89 Titanium, TI-86, TI-Voyage 200, TI-Collège Plus, TI-Collège Plus Solaire, 3 HP, some Casios
Co-founder & co-administrator of TI-Planet and Inspired-Lua

Dream of Omnimaga

Ok, because with everything that TI did in the past, I sometimes get the impression that they would be willing to lose money just to block Ndless.
  • Calculators owned: TI-82 Advanced Edition Python TI-84+ TI-84+CSE TI-84+CE TI-84+CEP TI-86 TI-89T cfx-9940GT fx-7400G+ fx 1.0+ fx-9750G+ fx-9860G fx-CG10 HP 49g+ HP 39g+ HP 39gs (bricked) HP 39gII HP Prime G1 HP Prime G2 Sharp EL-9600C
  • Consoles, mobile devices and vintage computers owned: Huawei P30 Lite, Moto G 5G, Nintendo 64 (broken), Playstation, Wii U

utz

Oh and do you guys remember when TI build the first ever microchip, and then failed to bring it to the market? :D It wasn't really their fault, but still, epic fail is epic.
  • Calculators owned: TI-82, TI-83, TI-83+, TI-85, TI-86, TI-92+, Sharp PC-1403

Dream of Omnimaga

#12
Oh wow. Also one picture on that page is kinda intriguing:


https://plus.google.com/photos/+KenShirriff/albums/6126664086392223281/6145542424761273970?pid=6145542424761273970&oid=106338564628446721517

Because the gray things are shaped exactly like those North American things O.O

http://i.imgur.com/idn8U00.jpg?1
  • Calculators owned: TI-82 Advanced Edition Python TI-84+ TI-84+CSE TI-84+CE TI-84+CEP TI-86 TI-89T cfx-9940GT fx-7400G+ fx 1.0+ fx-9750G+ fx-9860G fx-CG10 HP 49g+ HP 39g+ HP 39gs (bricked) HP 39gII HP Prime G1 HP Prime G2 Sharp EL-9600C
  • Consoles, mobile devices and vintage computers owned: Huawei P30 Lite, Moto G 5G, Nintendo 64 (broken), Playstation, Wii U

Unicorn

Wait, Nintendo stole designs? Or ti did? Or that is a faked photo?
  • Calculators owned: I own all of them: PICKACHUP TI 84+ CSE TI 83+ SE TI something something ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
  • Consoles, mobile devices and vintage computers owned: PICKACHUP ??? ??? ??? ??? ???



??? ??? ??? ??? ???

Snektron

Maybe they just ordered the cases from the same factory :P
  • Calculators owned: TI-84+
Legends say if you spam more than DJ Omnimaga, you will become a walrus...


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