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[-] cygon@lemmy.world 148 points 7 months ago

If you were alive (and online) during the 90s, you may remember the banter between Microsoft and General Motors:

From https://crysa.fzu.cz/ondra/documents/cars_like_windows.html (the only online copy I could find)

Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving twenty-five-dollar cars that get 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

[...]

  1. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single "general car error" warning light.

  2. New seats would force everyone to have the same size butt.

  3. The airbag system would ask "Are You Sure?" before going off.

  4. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key, and grabbed a hold of the radio antenna.

30 years later, some of those jokes are finally becoming reality, thanks to Tesla.

[-] Artyom@lemm.ee 17 points 7 months ago

I've heard of Tesla owners being unable to get into their car because their wireless-only key fob was to close to a radio dish and was being effectively jammed. The owner had to go under the car and hide the remote from the radar dish to get it to unlock

[-] rbos@lemmy.ca 5 points 7 months ago

Yikes. Wouldn't that effect all fob style entries though? A lot of cars do that.

[-] Artyom@lemm.ee 11 points 7 months ago

Yes it will kill any brand's wireless capability, but almost every wireless key fob also has a valet key that can open the door without any wireless connection. Tesla's mistake was to require you to use the wireless fob.

[-] tetris11@lemmy.ml 2 points 7 months ago
[-] maxFapper@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 7 months ago

O_o they also have an RFID card that you can use like a regular key, so that doesn't track.

[-] Tja@programming.dev 7 points 7 months ago

To be fair, original model s and x didn't, that's new from model 3 onwards.

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this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2024
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