this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2024
162 points (99.4% liked)
Technology
39345 readers
239 users here now
A nice place to discuss rumors, happenings, innovations, and challenges in the technology sphere. We also welcome discussions on the intersections of technology and society. If it’s technological news or discussion of technology, it probably belongs here.
Remember the overriding ethos on Beehaw: Be(e) Nice. Each user you encounter here is a person, and should be treated with kindness (even if they’re wrong, or use a Linux distro you don’t like). Personal attacks will not be tolerated.
Subcommunities on Beehaw:
This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
“ See ink cartridges can be vectors for viruses because they have chips in them.”
“Why does a container of ink have chips in it?”
“To make sure you don’t use third party ink cartridges”
The virus thing is bullshit, but inkjet cartridges usually have chips in them because the print head requires a digital controller. They aren't generally just a container of ink.
Now, using the need for a controller to add anti-consumer lockouts? That's what we call malware.
By far most ink cartridges come without heads. The heads are mounted in the printer itself. Even if the head is on the cartridge the controller can still be in the printer.