I thought this may be interesting for some of you. I filed a ticket with BBL to let them know I disapprove of the coming firmware auth changes. Today I finally got a reply, but it's just a lame ass copypasta, basically retelling what the update on their blog already stated, ie. "there will be developer mode and people are lying about the implications" (paraphrased tl;dr)
Dear Customer,
Thank you for reaching out to us regarding the recent Firmware Authorization changes. Due to the overwhelming number of requests we've received on this topic, we've created this unified response to address your concerns.
We've recently published a detailed blog post explaining the updates introduced by this firmware. We’ve made the decision to implement an optional Developer Mode feature(under an updated LAN Mode), to provide advanced users with more control and flexibility. The developer mode will be released later.
To explain: When LAN developer mode is enabled by the user, the printer will retain the necessary interfaces, including MQTT channel, live stream, and FTP, to support third-party integrations that rely on LAN mode. Please note that Bambu Lab cannot guarantee full compatibility or provide customer support for this mode.
Additionally, we hope to clarify that online claims such as remote disabling of printers, mandatory subscriptions, or unauthorized monitoring of printed files are completely false. For details please kindly refer to the blog post.
At present, the Firmware Authorization update is available in Open Beta exclusively for the X1 series. Participation in the beta program is entirely optional, allowing you to explore and provide feedback on the new features. Alternatively, you can continue using your current firmware.
Please feel free to reach out if you still have questions or need further clarification after reading this. We'll do our best to assist you.
Best regards, Bambu Lab Customer Support
Then why call home for permission at all?
I figured this company was sketchy when their first few printers had some unusual cloud dependencies. Looks like I did the right thing avoiding them for it
Notice the weasel words too: "mandatory" subscriptions, "unauthorized" monitoring of prints.
Sure sounds like a system where they can lock a ton of functionality behind an "optional" subscription, and where they will force you to "authorize" monitoring of prints with a TOS change in order to use your printer at all.
Lawyer brain detected
I'm not defending them here but those are phrases people are throwing around online as speculation.
While the progress towards making printers user friendly is impressive, I don't think I've ever seen a company whose mandate and path was clearer than Bambu's.
From the beginning, they've hemmed and hawed about contributing their source code changes required by the licenses of software they're using, and they have built in the infrastructure that would allow them to "flip switches" to lock users out of functionality when they decide it's a plausible market strategy (e.g. default cloud connections, tightly integrated website/repository, and RFID "identification" readers with non-generic codes), all while taking VC, charging a premium, and presenting a customer-facing image that emphasizes their similarity to vendors in more mature and locked-down segments. They're not a walled garden right now, but many those foundations look really solid, LOL.
I'm not immune to taking the path of least resistance. I have an iPhone, my Xitter account is the only one I've actually deactivated, and I use a couple of Windows-only commercial software packages, but I do flatter myself to think I'm clear-eyed about what I'm giving up. Bambu has always been "Enshittification-ready."
Ye, if I see something "enshittification ready" I avoid it like it's already "shit". Because that effort wasn't made to not be used at some point
So this was coming from the start...
I suspected so, and unfortunately I was right
Yeah the writing was on the wall but people didn't care cos convenience. Hopefully they have provided enough competitive pressure to more open manufacturers to pick up their game.