Right to Repair
I'm a strong supporter of the Right to Repair movement.
What is Right to Repair?
The Right to Repair is a global movement advocating for consumers' ability to repair their own devices and equipment. It pushes for:
- Access to spare parts at fair prices
- Availability of repair manuals and diagnostic tools
- Software freedom — no artificial locks preventing repairs
- Design for repairability — products that can actually be fixed
Why I Care
As someone who works with electronics, woodworking, welding, and automotive diagnostics, I've seen firsthand how manufacturers increasingly lock down their products. A car that won't start because a dealer-only tool is needed. A laptop thrown away because one component failed and can't be replaced. A washing machine bricked by DRM.
This isn't just wasteful — it's wrong.
The European Initiative
The European Right to Repair Campaign is leading the fight in Europe. They've already achieved significant wins:
- EU regulations requiring spare parts availability
- Repairability scoring on products
- Pushing back against planned obsolescence
I encourage everyone to support their work.
How My Projects Align
My open-source work is directly inspired by repair culture:
EdiabasX
Cross-platform BMW diagnostics. Why should car owners need expensive dealer tools to read error codes from their own vehicles? EdiabasX gives that power back.
tisx
Decoder for BMW TIS graphics. Repair manuals shouldn't be locked in proprietary formats.
inpax
INPA interpreter — running BMW diagnostic scripts without Windows-only legacy software.
What You Can Do
- Support repair.eu — sign petitions, spread the word
- Choose repairable products — check iFixit scores before buying
- Learn to repair — YouTube, iFixit guides, local repair cafés
- Support right-to-repair legislation in your country
- Use and contribute to open-source repair tools
"If you can't fix it, you don't own it."
→ repair.eu | iFixit | Repair Café