[time-nuts] If any of your USB devices have stopped working lately...

[Bill Dailey]

I read somewhere that you can pay FTDI and re-enable the devices but
further in the article it said they would be permanently disabled in
windows.  Confusing.

On Thu, Oct 23, 2014 at 10:47 PM, jim s <jwsmail at jwsss.com> wrote:

> Petty BS.  If they want to disable the competitors, rev the device to have
> something that they can use to id their devices, and leave the other driver
> alone.  USB supposed to put the widest support in the host end, and the
> secret sauce in the device.
>
> If they have a problem, they will not produce anyone with a dead device
> wanting to ever do business with them by disabling infringing devices.  If
> they put out a message or such, but still worked with their driver fine.
>
> Else I will expect a generic unsigned driver to be out, which can be
> installed and will again work with all.  That isn't desirable for anyone,
> but if that is what it takes to get going,  most will install the unsigned
> driver, then mark FTDI devices forever off their list.
>
> They aren't the only ones with the secret sauce.  I've seen several
> others, and had I known about them planning to do this would have gone with
> them, and not FTDI.  There are only a few things that I have that have
> incorporated FTDI in, and I'm going to look at dumping that code and device
> now.
>
> Jim
>
>
> On 10/23/2014 8:01 PM, Paul Berger wrote:
>
>> Unfortunately the issue that FTDI is trying to combat is counterfeiters,
>> and I think you will find that the counterfeit devices will report the same
>> product and vendor id as the genuine ones.  The product and vendor ids are
>> how the OS identifies a device and how they decide which device driver
>> should be used.  Apparently at least some of these counterfeit devices are
>> not perfect copies or else a device driver would be unable distinguish them
>> from genuine.  It is like a number of years ago when cable TV companies
>> where having a lot of trouble with counterfeit cable descramblers, they
>> found a flaw in the code used in them and transmitted what became know as a
>> "magic bullet" that caused them to fail.
>>
>> Paul.
>>
>> On 2014-10-23 11:30 PM, Chris Albertson wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, Oct 23, 2014 at 7:05 PM, paul swed <paulswedb at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Umm I think its profoundly hard to know one way or another what chip you
>>>> have in a widget.
>>>>
>>> Before you buy it yes, you can't know.  But it's trivial to find out
>>> after you own it.  For example click the Apple logo then choose "about
>>> this Mac" and the data is there.  For example it says this random USB
>>> thumb drive I have is
>>>
>>>      Product ID: 0x3260
>>>     Vendor ID: 0x0aec  (Neodio Technologies Corporation)
>>>     Version: 1.00
>>>     Serial Number: 20040602032741578
>>>
>>> This same exact information is logged every time the device is
>>> inserted to my Linux system too.  I assume MS Windows will tell you
>>> all the vendor info as well.
>>>
>>> The vendor IDs are handed out to manufacturers by an outfit at "usb.org
>>> ".
>>>
>>> So, check your devices.  It's not hard to find out about the ones you
>>> have.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> This is pretty insane actually.
>>>
>>>> I buy products that I believe are legit no way to know just as if the
>>>> cpu
>>>> in my acer or emachines not legal. Heck I have no idea.
>>>> Regards
>>>> Paul
>>>> WB8TSL
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Oct 23, 2014 at 10:02 PM, Bill Dailey <docdailey at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>  Well..if they didn't properly license the technology...  They should be
>>>>> disabled.
>>>>>
>>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>>
>>>>>  On Oct 23, 2014, at 8:45 PM, Mark Sims <holrum at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Happened to a friend of mine.  All his Arduino stuff died.   This
>>>>>> could
>>>>>>
>>>>> be the reason:
>>>>>
>>>>>> http://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/ftdi-driver-kills-
>>>>>> fake-ftdi-ft232
>>>>>> Short story:  FTDI released a new version of their USB driver (via
>>>>>>
>>>>> Windows automatic updates no less) that bricks other vendor's
>>>>> compatible
>>>>> versions of their interface chip.   They also updated their license
>>>>> file to
>>>>> indicate that this may happen...  except you never get a chance to
>>>>> decline
>>>>> the new license with automatic driver updates.  I can just hear the
>>>>> class
>>>>> action lawyers drooling...
>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at febo.com
>>>>>> To unsubscribe, go to
>>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
>>>>>
>>>>>> and follow the instructions there.
>>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at febo.com
>>>>> To unsubscribe, go to
>>>>> https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
>>>>> and follow the instructions there.
>>>>>
>>>>>  _______________________________________________
>>>> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at febo.com
>>>> To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/
>>>> mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
>>>> and follow the instructions there.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at febo.com
>> To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/
>> mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
>> and follow the instructions there.
>>
>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at febo.com
> To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/
> mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
> and follow the instructions there.
>



-- 
Doc

Bill Dailey
KXØO