Soft ware, and how its affects how we use things we buy, including tractors

Bald Rick

Moderator
Livestock Farmer
Location
Anglesey
Yeah, had a demo telehandler “frozen” until they could collect it.

Every car now has a multitude of screens etc. Asking to be hacked or having updates put on that you don’t want.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I’m getting old and and grumpy, well in fact I’ve always been old and grumpy all my life, but it’s the sort of thing that boils my pee. Perfectly good equipment rendered scrap because of a software bug or constant pestering for things to be updated. I won’t buy a newer combine because of it.
Next car MGB GT or Morris Marina or similar. I always managed to get them off the hard shoulder with a bit of baler twine or once a pair of the girlfriend’s tights as a replacement fan belt.
 

Farma Parma

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Northumberlandia
I’m getting old and and grumpy, well in fact I’ve always been old and grumpy all my life, but it’s the sort of thing that boils my pee. Perfectly good equipment rendered scrap because of a software bug or constant pestering for things to be updated. I won’t buy a newer combine because of it.
Next car MGB GT or Morris Marina or similar. I always managed to get them off the hard shoulder with a bit of baler twine or once a pair of the girlfriend’s tights as a replacement fan belt.
ya just after the free road tax & no MOT i seen Top Gear aswell :ROFLMAO:
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
I have three computers in this room all made by the same big company. All work, just not with some pieces of software that have been "improved".

I happen to like the old software...and the old computers. When you've got things right, where do you go next? I'd got used to them and using them had become instinctive. I wouldn't mind continuing to use them, but I can't because 'the big people' have made sure of that. They make more money selling new stuff, even if it isn't better, just need to stop us using old.

But 'the little people' are fighting back! I bought two of the computers with software already installed. But the big people, being big people, have their own software, so they can look inside the computers and see when a new operator is using their software. So they put a block on it. They don't even need to "improve" it any more but they change things anyway so they can sell it to some foolish little people.

But some clever little person developed their own blocker to block the big people from looking into the little person's computer and turning things off. It just means the little person can't put the updates on their computer that stop the old software working, Now, does that sound like sense or not?

I think I like that little person better than the big person. I think maybe little people like the old planet the way it was before the big people got to be so clever and made us throw out the good stuff that still works. Maybe more little people should develop their own software and governments should see what's happening and cut the big people back down to size.
 

sjt01

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North Norfolk
My AD plant came from a german company PlanET. All due diligence was done and contracts checked and signed, in my ignorrance I didn't realise we had no access to the software, so only they can access and make changes, not a nice feeling.
It strikes me that there may be a business opening to rewrite AD control systems, I know someone who is looking for help at the moment I and might take it on. On our own plant we have always had the capability of updating the controls, as a controls engineer I insisted on it from the start. As well as the software, we have completely replaced the PLC for another brand as we did not get on with the Allen Bradley support. We now feed in a completely different way to the original design, and it works about 10 times as long between needing attention.
 

honeyend

Member
Apart from not being able to modify something you have bought you have paid for to work how it best suits you, the pairing of components on phones so it stops repairs using other non brand parts, and switches off functions, not even connected with the part replaced, is a bit underhand.
We know(ish), what google is doing with our data, but do you want them to know what is essentially how your business runs.
 

The Son

Member
Location
Herefordshire
It strikes me that there may be a business opening to rewrite AD control systems, I know someone who is looking for help at the moment I and might take it on. On our own plant we have always had the capability of updating the controls, as a controls engineer I insisted on it from the start. As well as the software, we have completely replaced the PLC for another brand as we did not get on with the Allen Bradley support. We now feed in a completely different way to the original design, and it works about 10 times as long between needing attention.
I am currently waiting on a quote from PlanET to replace the system, it is currently running on windows7, and I am very concerned about how much longer it will work for. I have found a company that would rewrite, they did a few Biogas Nord plants when they disappeared, however if you have a contact I would be interested, as I only run a simple Scada system, just can't get into it!
 

Tony1989

Member
We do a lot of work for a AD plant, and their systems Wher tied up by manufacturer and the suppliers, they have ripped it out and put a new one in at great expense!
 

sjt01

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North Norfolk
I am currently waiting on a quote from PlanET to replace the system, it is currently running on windows7, and I am very concerned about how much longer it will work for. I have found a company that would rewrite, they did a few Biogas Nord plants when they disappeared, however if you have a contact I would be interested, as I only run a simple Scada system, just can't get into it!
I am happy to work on Mitsubishi systems for which I have the software. I have done so on Allen Bradley, but have no current software. The starting point will be all the inputs and outputs, knowing which wire numbers they are. If you have a wiring schematic for the plant that would be a good starting point, without that a lot of detective work is required. I would suspect that Windows 7 will be the host for the HMI and it will be running on a PLC in the background. For a German based company my bet would be on a Siemens Simatic 7.
You would also need to know what sort of operating protocol you are using, in terms of feed strategy, heating, discharge, mixing etc.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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