As an employee of John Deere I can assure you that is false. We are proud that machines made in the 1950s are still in regular use, and we make a ton of money providing replacement parts for machines that old. We have also spent large amount of dollars over the last decade replacing electronics that have gone obsolete, not to mention buying and storing spare parts so we can continue to replace those old electronics for customers. Our bottom line would look a lot better if we didn't have to redesign perfectly good electronics all the time.
Our bottom line would look a lot better if we didn't have to redesign perfectly good electronics all the time.
Well, I can think of at least one easy way to avoid that problem. If you document your hardware and put a leash on your lawyers, you'll find that your customers and their independent service organizations will be glad to take on this responsibility for you.
I can't go into more detail than that.