[mythtv-users] Western Digital Red for Myth

[Larry Finger]

On 08/24/2013 12:44 PM, Stephen Worthington wrote:
> I am guessing that they have had problems with businesses using
> desktop drives in high usage server applications and had complaints
> about the failure rates.  So they are now adding these specifications
> to cover themselves against getting sued.

This is OT, but vendors covering their behinds is nothing new. I once dealt with 
a particular device that had serial readout of a register. If you did a spin 
wait on the next-digit-ready bit, you set up enough ringing on the 5V line that 
the register would intermittently be cleared just by the readout. A small 
capacitor on the 5V line fixed the problem and it was reported to them. Their 
standard software had to process an interrupt for each digit, and the overhead 
gave plenty of time for the 5V line to settle.

What was their response? They did not modify the device. Instead they changed 
the documentation to state that the warranty was only good if you used their 
software! It was a pleasure to drive them out of the business.