The 2038 Syndrome: Second Coming of Y2K

[randint]

As a technical question: how do you go about upgrading firmware of things like refrigerators, laundry machines, televisions and other non-Internet compatible devices? Your idea is amazing, but how do people go about installing such software? Thanks.

[Nathan4102]

First of all, take televisions off the list of non-Internet compatible devices. My TV is connected to the internet.

I don't really know how fridges and laundry machines would connect to the internet. Perhaps a GUI of some sort where you can connect to your wifi? Or a small charge added to the price of a machine for a small cellular device inside the machine that checks for updates? Who knows!

[randint]

OK, yeah, televisions can be WiFi compatible now. Anyhow, so I suppose it is pretty easy to add a 802.11g WiFi compatible device or whatever onto these things?

Hmm...my DVD player needs a firmware upgrade...

[mirhagk]

Yep the company in question basically figured it'd add about $2 to the cost of the unit if they enabled it to be able to access cellular resources to check for updates. You could choose to connect to wifi instead, but that'd require configuring it for wifi.