If the hardware is still present, but is disabled, you're still carrying around the hardware. Most importantly, you're probably still powering its logic even if it's inaccessible to you.

BMW, like most German cars, is overcomplicated and overpriced garbage sold only to self-proclaimed car enthusiasts who wouldn't know how to change a tire let alone a timing chain. BMW got themselves into a bit of controversy by including heated seats which only functioned by subscription.

Now, say I had bought a BMW but didn't want the heated seats. I don't pay for the subscription. There's no additional cost to me, the purchaser of the car, because the profit from the people who do opt for the subscription are the ones paying the cost of the extra hardware in my car, correct?

Wrong. I am now carrying around an extra-beefy alternator to power the heated seats. I am now carrying around all the extra wiring to power the heated seats. All of this impacts my performance and my fuel efficiency. And all of this extra complexity adds a failure liability when something damages part of the heated seat hardware. All for a feature I specifically did not ask for by refusing the subscription.

With a disabled chunk of logic embedded in a processor, is it a negligible cost and a negligible risk? Maybe, but as the purchaser, it's crap that I didn't ask for, and you are imposing on me. If I have to carry it around and power it up, I expect to be able to use it.

If the manufacturer doesn't want to supply a feature then they should not supply the hardware. Leave the spots on the circuit board unpopulated. In the case of a chip, leave it off the die.

There's nothing like a good smack to the beitzim to stop a would-be rapist. And there's nothing like biting someone if it's all the leverage you have.

Remember, this is not a video game or a sanctioned fight in a boxing ring. This is your life versus the life of a terrorist or other attacker. Kill or be killed. Learn to fight.

So this is Geniza from between the First and Second Temple? Sorry, just had to ask. :)

Greetings from Y2K!

I don't want any Teams!

Why can't she have eggs, bacon, TEAMS and sausage?

Has anyone tried deleting or un-linking their Microsoft account after setting up a Windows 11 system?

There seem to be sites that say this works:
  https://gadgetsranked.com/how-...

It's hard to tell from the fantastic article, or the original Google post. Does this AI filter apply to all users, or just to users with a Google account? Is this specific to Android ND Chrome devices, or anything connecting to a Google service?

"just for funsies I bought a $300 hip-hop shirt that makes me look like a drunken generalissimo's white cousin for about $20 in the basement of a department store in Panama City."

This may be the greatest line I have ever seen on Slashdot.
I don't always agree with your posts, but thank you for everything that you do!

A serious response to a tongue-in-cheek question, with a link that not only answers my question, but also has cool stuff like graphs on how often words are used!

Thank you! This is why I still love Slashdot.

When did "compute" become a noun?

I'll second that. You are not alone. The surface Duo phones are great for getting work done.

Wow, I can't remember the last time I saw someone admit an error, on the internet. Is that even still allowed?

The tickets to this movie about shoes cost $300. Let's get em!

Dear whoever modded this post as "informative,"

You are the reason I visit Slashdot. Thank you!

I would mod this up if I had points today. A wise old professor once told me something similar: the law can be simple or the law can be fair, but not both.