Actually, in most situations with this problem it is possible to solder 2 additional resistors inside the offending USB-C device. I have done that on a flashlight and can confirm that it fixed the problem.
"Odometer" for HDDs and SSDs are already provided in SMART data that is more or less standatized and accessible using many tools. The data is not resettable by mortals similarly to car odometers.
Everyone should test their hard drives within the return window after purchase for these kinds of errors as it is a warning and failure condition, but there is no reason to buy a caution or warning status drive. The metrics are standardized somewhat but the interpretations of the values are vendor and model specific. I’ve used CrystalDiskInfo in the past but don’t know what the state of the art in this is at the moment and this isn’t a recommendation per se. I just have backed up a lot of hard drives, and when I have block or file level access issues, there are usually SMART errors, but not always on the vendor provided tools. Sometimes the third party tools are wrong, but I had a pretty large sample size of computers that had unknown problems which is not likely representative of most computers or computer users, but the tools were helpful as far as knowing more about the hardware to inform the user, so I can see where HP is coming from. I suspect some kind of gaming of the metrics but can’t prove this. It’s not a horrible idea, but I don’t love more failure modes. I’ve seen BitLocker issues from updating firmware without turning it off first, which is cautioned against as a possibility, but if this helps with those kinds of issues too, it will be sold as a feature for the corporate market to help with fleet management.
Sure but that doesn't apply to the whole machine. What HP is proposing is SMART data for much more than just the storage device. The only thing that would make this better is if the data can be stored in NV flash on the motherboard rather than a vendor-reserved sector on the SSD. This way failed drives can be replaced while preserving the data.
Happens all the time. In the company I used to work at, everyone in the web development team used the obsidian editor. I mentioned multiple times that I don't think it's free for commercial use, no one even bat an eye. I feel like people just don't care, especially if they don't have a stake in the company (which is very understandable but imo still not reasonable).
Looks like one (or perhaps all) of the following is true:
1) the company too small to attract a lawsuit, and nobody cares
2) the company does not have decent IT training
3) the company does not have a competent IT department
At the place where I work, we have been told clearly that we are not supposed to install third-party software without approval, and if we did that and specifically used the software in a way that violates ToS, we'll get a serious chat as soon as IT finds out.
I'd suggest you to use firefox on your phone. you can install many extensions there. then you could use an android debloater app to remove chrome completely from your phone
Microsoft 365 [whatever/copilot] apps on Android. If you enable notifications in Outlook you course get notifications when it updates to new version.
Or the Office app shows a notification that it can open every PDF you download.
Speaking of newish natural gas (CH4) heaters, they all should have modulating thermostat capability with OpenTherm/eBus or other protocol. Combined with a thermostat with outdoor temperature sensor system efficiency is increased a few percent and that should help offset thermostat and installation costs. In the end you have more efficient modern heating system.
OpenTherm is a cool idea but even new installations aren't always wired for it. When installing a new smart thermostat I found the installation has been wired as S Plan with the few cables running between the boiler location and valves location already consumed. Makes the job much bigger if you're not prepared for it.
