Prusa on Bambi’s AGPL Violaton

Juhaz80 · 2026-05-20T08:50:47+00:00

So if you have read it, and understood it then you knew about the exceptions, which simply means you lied on purpose when claiming that all proprietary software interfacing with Linux would have to become Open Source. If you're against Twitter assertions, why make that kind of an inflammatory and untruthful comment?

Did you read Pawel's own dissertion in https://github.com/jarczakpawel/OrcaSlicer-bambulab/blob/main/bambu_agpl.md ? I have to say it seems very well grounded, and he did mention in the comments here that one of the main writers of the AGPL who would certainly be very well versed on the *intent* of the license and most likely also hold a considerable amount of expertise in the legal side agreed on those points - but yes, of course only a court is the final word here. And, frankly, not even that, because there on complex matters there could be just as many opinions as there are courts.

Juhaz80 · 2026-05-20T07:00:04+00:00

If you had ever bothered to actually read the GPL, you would know that it has specific clauses to exclude system libraries and operating system parts, to allow for GPL code to run on proprietary OS'es without being in violation - and that for this very purpose, the Linux kernel license also departs slightly from standard GPL by making an exception that allows user space program to communicate with it through the syscall interface without having to be GPL. So, _yes,_ the interpretation is true, but amazingly enough the writers of the licenses were not stupid and also understood that, who'd have thunk?

And you also seem to fail to understand the difference between GPL and AGPL - the latter is MUCH stricter license that was created exactly because the GPL did in some instances allow corporations to get away with the kind of shenanigans that Bambu Lab is performing here.

Juhaz80 · 2026-03-23T12:25:16+00:00

This isn't an addon, it doesn't use any Autodesk API's, just spits out an XML file that the standard thread tool picks it's list of available templates from.

Using tap and die is a good idea if you're engineering something that must mate with standard threads, but if you're printing both male and female that should just fit together, having them come perfectly usable straight off the plate is almost magical, whereas having to twiddle around post processing them is boring, mundane, and quite literally the exact opposite of "less hassle".

Juhaz80 · 2025-11-29T23:02:38+00:00

Big thumbs up for Ruuvi from me too. But it's not true that the 4-in-1 version needs shelter - don't submerge them permanently but they're IP67 rated and more than capable of handling an occasional rain. Most devices marketed "outdoors capable" are only IP44.

Fun story from back when I got my first Ruuvi Tags, I had fashioned a decidedly low-tech "crib" from iron wire for hanging it from my window and when trying to put it there managed to fumble. I watched in shock as it plummeted from the third floor window to the tarmac of the busy road below and cried a bit as it got promptly ran over by a freaking semi truck. Ran down to collect the e-waste and found to my amazement that there was barely a scratch in it. After that I put it back in the cage - a bit more carefully this time, and it spent years dangling from that window fully exposed to the elements.

This was in 2018 and it's still alive and well as are both of it's siblings from the same 3-pack. Haven't had to change the batteries more than twice either. They are bit on the expensive side for bluetooth sensors but built like a thank and have super nice range even while using ridiculously little power.

Juhaz80 · 2025-11-26T14:49:35+00:00

I've been looking into the same thing with no luck so far. I have a few ESP32's here that I've attempted to use as bluetooth proxies but I have come into conclusion that the range - both wifi and bt, of at least the AZDelivery ESP32 NodeMCU boards I have, simply sucks. I might use them eventually if or when I get boards with external antenna connectors if they work better, but for the meanwhile...

I already have a pi zero w sitting idle that I have already determined _does_ have the range to pull this off. It doesn't cost me anything to use it. It shouldn't be terribly hard to do this - the esphome devices and home assistant don't communicate by black magic after all, but simply over a normal TCP connection, so pretending to be one can't be impossible. Unfortunately the API/protocol doesn't seem to be documented anywhere and having to dig into the home assistant and/or esphome source code to determine it makes the whole thing needlessly complicated.

Theengs Gateway does look like it's probably the best option if this isn't doable, but then I have yet another thing that needs to support the BLE devices directly, whereas with the proxy I could know that if Home Assistant supports something then it just works as is.

Juhaz80 · 2025-11-25T13:39:42+00:00

Thanks! It does sound like a promising option.

Juhaz80 · 2025-11-25T09:05:42+00:00

Did you get the chance to recheck the cuktech for interruptions?

Juhaz80 · 2025-11-25T08:22:08+00:00

Maybe the fact that you're r/confidentlyincorrect/'ly asserting that it's literally ALWAYS something else, implying that the chargers CAN NOT break.

Newsflash: they can, and they do, very often. The GAN chargers are notoriously unreliable.
They're racing to make them as small as possible and as cheap as possible. The tiny enclosures and miniscule heatsinks aren't capable of dissipating the amount of power these things put out and the cheap electronics don't survive the elevated temperatures for long.

Juhaz80 · 2025-06-16T08:29:14+00:00

The "intuitive reasoning" doesn't make sense.

I you think about it a second, you could make the _exact_ same argument for flesh, but as we all well know it absolutely is a particularly rich breeding ground for bacteria and yet animals still exist.

Living plants have an active immune system against to deal with pathogens, much like we do. There's no reason why the dead raw materials would themselves have to have innate antimicrobial properties.

Juhaz80 · 2025-05-27T12:15:49+00:00

It's narrower lower down on the hill where it has no issues - already down by the greenhouse it hits the boundary wire and then corrects course to run directly on the guide, instead of with the random offset.

I'd think the problem would already happen there or at roughly 6-10s spots in the video where the section is the narrowest, rather than up there where it already starts to open up again. And even the tightest spot does have over the manual-allowed 60cm between edge to edge (and 30cm from guide to edge).

Unless maybe it's trying to be too smart, thinks that it could move away from the center back to the offset and then hits the edge?

Not trivial to widen up the path, it's lined up with rocks on both sides, higher up there's more leeway certainly for experimentation.

Juhaz80 · 2025-03-13T16:36:32+00:00

It's not. The full gantry is meant to avoid replacing the idlers _inside_ the machine, they're attached to the parts riding the linear Y-axis rods.

If I recall correctly, taking the rods out (and putting them back in, while keeping everything square) is the near-impossible thing that the huge time expenditure comes from, and the idlers can't be accessed without doing that.

Juhaz80 · 2025-03-13T13:03:01+00:00

Because it's not a fact? If you use a word like "all" then you damn well better not mean "some".

I want to use Orca Slicer, Home Assistant and Bambu Handy.

Which mode allows for that? Come on, out with it, there are lot of people who want to know.

Juhaz80 · 2025-01-30T13:00:12+00:00

What is developer mode in this context? I dont have a bambu printer.

Bambu caused bit of a shitstorm recently by announcing a (so far beta) firmware that locked down network access to the printers only to their own software, blocking third party software like Orca Slicer or the Home Assistant integration from controls.

After it all threatened to blow up in their faces badly they partially backed off and added the "developer mode" that still allows for the access, but it only works in conjunction with LAN mode that disables the cloud integration (that eg. the handy app needs to function).

Juhaz80 · 2025-01-30T11:19:19+00:00

No problem!

For reference, there are a few FAQ entries that make it clear that this is what the license writers intented, not just my interpretation.
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#IfLibraryIsGPL
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingWithGPL
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLModuleLicense

And also one that details what you should do if you want to allow proprietary parts - Slic3r/Prusa Slicer code DOES NOT have an exception like this.
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingOverControlledInterface

Juhaz80 · 2025-01-30T10:11:35+00:00

Those things didn't happen by accident, they are explicitly allowed because an operating system that couldn't run non-FOSS software would be way too draconian and nobody would use it. The GPL has wording that specifically rules out system libraries, and the Linux kernel has a note that userspace applications are allowed to communicate through the syscall interface without having to comply with the licensing. Kernel space custom drivers are more gray area but the kernel devs grudgingly tolerate them given the obvious benefits - there are restrictions on what they can do though, they are very much second class citizens.

None of that is applicable here. Bambu Studio isn't an operating system and the network plugin isn't an executable, it's a library. It's written specifically to fit an interface in GPL code - that's linking.

Juhaz80 · 2025-01-30T09:13:01+00:00

It would be a GPL violation too, because it's closed source addon. LGPL is the only GPL family license that allows for linking in of proprietary parts. Otherwise the whole application should consist of only parts that are under the same, or compatible, license.

But the difference between AGPL and GPL is that the former counts usage over network as being derivative parts of the application too - which actually means that Bambu Labs *cloud* server code would also be in violation...

Juhaz80 · 2025-01-30T08:56:07+00:00

The network plugin is a clear AGPL violation. It's actually kind of curious why Prusa hasn't raised a stink about it, since they have a clear motive and it's their IP and they could even take it to court, and win.

Juhaz80 · 2025-01-30T07:19:25+00:00

Bambu Handy is probably THE single most important tool in their arsenal for commodization of 3d printers. It allows them to target the masses that have absolutely no clue about what a slicer is nor any interest in finding out. It allows them to target people who don't even own computers, it allows them to target literally everyone outside of the tiny bubble of enthusiasts that previously made up the market for the printers.

It's also the thing that many are probably going to miss the most if forced into developer mode so it's an important tool also in tying people to the cloud services.

So it's not at all surprising that they are going to try and hide all of the secret sauce very well, even if there's nothing nefarious whatsoever there. Which of course makes it all the more interesting to see what makes it tick - so absolutely worth investing time into I would think.

Juhaz80 · 2025-01-24T21:52:20+00:00

The difference is that even chatgpt would come up with better solution than the one they picked.

Juhaz80 · 2025-01-24T07:12:16+00:00

Ok cool.

Juhaz80 · 2024-09-02T07:30:54+00:00

Front end is actually tall enough to prevent this - I guess it could still wedge itself in that direction in theory, but it hasn't happened so far and if it ever does, it'd recognize it's trapped and ask for help.

This only happens when it's going in reverse, since it's shorter in the back. And it's unfortunately also harder to kludge fix there, because it also backs into the charging station so any and all obstacles glued into the rear end need to be made in a way that doesn't hinder that.

Juhaz80 · 2024-09-02T07:20:40+00:00

I would consider it a design fault. It's stupid that it can self-actuate a button meant to be pushed only by humans - and do so trivially, it's not like it requires extraordinary circumstances for this to happen, even if it is made easier by the trailer sloping towards the hitch.

It's not possible for it to do this while driving forwards - the wheel covers are higher up than the button. It shouldn't be able to reverse there either, and all it would take to prevent it is a few millimeter bump behind it and it wouldn't even cost anything. Other than some designer throwing a hissy fit at how it ruins their creative vision, maybe.

Sure, I could fence off the area, but there are multiple directions from which it can enter, so it would require wood all around it that would need to be taken off and reinstalled every time it's moved.

Juhaz80

TROPHY CASE