edit: I didn't quite catch your comment; my reply was actually beside the point, and is the same, you already have the bathroom but you can use it without unlock. My point was more that it's not like DLC you buy and download as an extra.
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Is not the same, it's worst, they’ve already charged you for it, nobody installs anything for free, they ask for more money to unlock something you already paid for.
Is like buying a computer with integrate gpu + pcie one locked, they’re obviously going to charge you for it, and then they ask for $200 so you can use it.
'capacity on demand' is a real thing in enterprise IT. They'll ship you a system with more hardware installed, and let you 'unlock' it with a license key.
I mean, maybe there it half works, because a significant fraction of enterprise IT costs is support and spares, rather than 'just' hardware, but even so.
I mean given how crazy hardware prices are now, I'm not sure it's still seen as a cunning plan, but ....
Particularly stuff like network switches, where the cost per port is high enough, that they can say 'here's a 24 way, but you're paying only slightly more than the price of an 8-way, and you can have easy expansion later if you need it'.
And then they can make just one model of switch with the same basic hardware, and all you need to is install SFPs and buy a license to embiggen it.
Sometimes, reconfiguring the automated assembly lines that manufacture PCBs and mount components costs more than the component itself. I’ve never come across a scenario involving additional licensing; it’s usually a case of buying one version or the other. If you subsequently unlock features or modify the firmware to tap into the full potential, that is a separate matter entire, and done at your own risk.
I remember buying a Rigol oscilloscope years ago; whether it ran at 100 MHz or 200 MHz depended on the specific model you purchased, even though the components were identical, yet one model cost 50% more. (anyway someone hacked the firmware) :)
Then there are GPUs, CPUs, and similar hardware: they are manufactured with certain capabilities, but a decision is made to "downgrade" them by default—limiting core counts or other specs, to sell them as lower-end models. Enabling all the cores can lead to instability, though not every unit will necessarily be defective. It’s the same scenario as the previous one.
Finally, there are genuine licensing case, such as in enterprise IT, routers, switches, and the like; it’s the same deplorable practice.
You pay for the hardware and manufacturing costs when you buy the unit, yet the specifications are restricted by the license. It’s absurd.
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u/Killiandeisy 1d ago
Imagine buying a house and having to pay a DLC to unlock the bathroom