Open source calculator firmware DB48X forbids CA/CO use due to age verification
(news.ycombinator.com)
this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2026
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That is wild. There is no exceptions in Colorado for hobbies projects or userbase size. Here is the definition of device. This would apply to an Apple II, calculators, possibly printers, TVs, monitors, and who know what else.
"DEVICE " MEANS ANY GENERAL- PURPOSE COMPUTING DEVICE THAT CAN ACCESS A COVERED APPLICATION STORE OR DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION .
Vapes
And thermostats and fragrance releasing things can run Linux
Do those have operating systems, though, or are these baremetal applications?
I'd consider a web server to be a kind of application. Turns out the pregnancy tester was just hacked for the screen, so that one probably doesn't count.
Computers can still be super small though. Gonna update with a few things that can run Linux.
Yes, those can be considered application programs, as I stated. The bills in question specifically call out operating systems, though. Of course the writers of this bullshit have no clue how the underlying technology works or what the terms they're using even mean; not all OSes involve a user setup scenario, for example, nor does downloading a runnable application, e.g. new firmware, make something relevant to their ill-conceived law.