There’s a great deal more to the software than tuning intake and exhaust. The biggest machines are pretty much self-driving these days (they can follow other equipment). When self-driving cars are available for purchase by the general public, I’m guessing that end-user tampering of the control software is going to be banned as well.
This is a good early case for the freedom-to-tinker crowd. If they want to write their own self-driving car software in the future, then they need to stop John Deere from setting a precedent now.
All code is simple math used to perform a function. No one can own an equation or copyright functionality. I refer you to life work of Richard Stallman for further information.
problem is tractor can be 50-250,000$ maybe more and its in service for 15-20 years some longer depending on role … this locks people into john deere only parts…their is federal laws saying auto makers can not lock people out of non-oem parts …if they do part is free open a fram or aftermaket oil filter guide law and rules are printed inside guide and how to get free part from dealer.
I think that’s easy enough to handle. By law, you may modify the software in your self-driving car in any way that you like, so long as it remains completely compatible with all other self-driving cars and roadway systems. Otherwise it will not be street legal. Kind of like today’s laws which allow you to modify your cars - provided they remain within the law.
If a tinkerer finds a way to up the mpg on his self-driving car, hooray! If the tinkerer fiddles with the car’s right-of-way AI - it’s no longer legal on public roads.
Will people secretly modify their self-driving cars in ways they shouldn’t? You bet! Will people get hurt or killed as a result? Probably. And there will be consequences. But If I want to fiddle with the software in my car to make the seat comfier, nobody should be allowed to stop me. Those things will only be going 30-40 mph in my lifetime, so I want a comfy ride.
