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Software GUI Open Source Transportation

cURL Author Is Getting Tech Support Emails From Car Owners (daniel.haxx.se) 141

Posted by EditorDavid from the email-address-in-the-dashboard dept.
AmiMoJo writes: The author of the popular cURL utility has been receiving requests for help from frustrated car owners having difficulty with their infotainment systems... [B]ecause his email address is listed on the "about" screen, as required by the cURL license, some desperate users are reaching out to him in the hopes of finding a solution.
It sounds annoying to receive complaints like "why there delay between audio and video when connect throw Bluetooth and how to fix it." But though he rarely answers them, Stenberg writes that "I actually find these emails interesting, sometimes charming and they help me connect to the reality many people experience out there."

In a post titled "I have toyota corola," Stenberg says "I suspect my email address is just about the only address listed. This occasionally makes desperate users who have tried everything to eventually reach out to me. They can't fix their problem but since my email exists in their car, surely I can!"
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cURL Author Is Getting Tech Support Emails From Car Owners More

cURL Author Is Getting Tech Support Emails From Car Owners

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  • >why there delay between audio and video when connect throw Bluetooth

    My 2014 Honda has this problem, and it's exasperating. You hit "next track" on the steering wheel when listening to music from your phone on Bluetooth, and it takes a full 3 seconds to respond because of the delay.

    I have no idea why the car stereo system feels the need to buffer that much audio. Maybe they want to absolutely make sure bluetooth audio doesn't ever skip? Even a one second buffer should be long enough for this, though.

    Watc

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by JustOK ( 667959 )
      What I've heard is the only solution is to get a British car, put the system in the back. Twice. Rebooting always works.

    • For the love of God, grow a set.

    • Re: Bluetooth delay (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Either your phone or the bluetooth stack used in the stereo do not support one of the low latency audio codecs in current use, and therefore defaults to the standard codec which has that level of latency inherently. Even low latency aptx is on the order of 50ms or so, not particularly low latency, but much better than default for sure.

    • There are many potential causes for the delay. And they can add a second here, few ms there. I guess that :
      - there is the button on your wheel that goes through the car wiring and base embedded system : can (and CAN !) take time.
      - the button event is communicated to the infotainment system : should be fast, but who knows ?
      - the infotainment system sends an AVRCP (play, stop, pause, next/previous track) command through its Bluetooth module : some of these can also take time. I had the case where play was imm

      • I always thought the delay (which also affects some bluetooth headsets/speakers) was caused by the audio compression/decompression [soundexpert.org] process.

        • You're right, it's part of the process and I shouldn't have neglected it. But I think it's not the main reason for the delay.
          Just keep in mind that there is more than that, especially in the case of a car (that I don't know everything about), but also in a BT speaker (which I know much more because it's part of my job).

  • ...that clause that requires keeping the license and email address with derivative software clearly had some surprisingly results.

  • And still... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by demonlapin ( 527802 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @04:54PM (#53323167) Homepage Journal
    Why can't we just have a line-in input on a 3.5 mm jack as part of every damned car audio system? (Spare me the iPhone jokes.) My car has one that's in the center console along with a lighter plug, so I can actually power my Bluetooth audio receiver and connect it to the aux input. It's great. But when I rent a car, they all seem to have dropped the aux input. Bluetooth is good, but it's not that good yet.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by amiga3D ( 567632 )

      Bluetooth ranges from bad to fucking shit.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Aside from audio quality, I really love it when you are on the road and need to reboot the stereo because you started the car before remembering to turn on BT on your phone, so the BT won't connect. Only way to reboot the stereo? Pull over and reboot the CAR. These things, being mini-computers, need to have a reboot functionality built in. Or maybe that's just Hyundai...

        • That's just Hyundai. Even my Ford with the widely hated MyFordTouch (aka Sync 2) system doesn't have that problem, nor did my previous Kia (which shares corporate overlords with Hyundai, but strangely they don't share infotainment systems even in their platform-sharing models like Optima/Sonata.

        • My Chevy's infotainment system about once a year requires that I pull the fuse to get bluetooth to work. It generally works but it's really annoying, seems to only happen once I get on the freeway at the beginning of a long journey.
          I strongly agree with you. I should be able to hold the power button down for a few seconds to reboot it.

        • My Toyota Tundra has that issue, it makes no sense, but turning the stereo on and off doesn't connect, and telling the phone to connect doesn't work. You have to actually turn off the vehicle and turn it back on to get the stereo to connect to your phone. It even happens sometimes when Bluetooth is turned on, I am not entirely sure why though.

      • Not sure why you have such a bad time with bluetooth. I suspect it's the equipment you buy rather than the standard itself. I never have an issue.

        • With wired technology, even a $1/£1/€1 device works perfectly fine. The complexity of Bluetooth and the general physics of wireless conspire to make bad devices bad. A 3.5mm plug may be less "advanced", but it's superior technology, just as the wheel is a superior technology to the hovercraft's "air-skirt" for most land-based purposes.

        • Isn't that the point though, it's a complicated technology that is frequently unreliable to do a very simple job that is already solved by means of a cable.

          • Solved how? How does the cable solve me having to pull my phone out and try and connect a cable every time I get in and out of my car? Bluetooth solves that.

      • Bluetooth ranges from bad to fucking shit.

        I guess it depends on how its implemented. If you have latency issues inside a car, the implementation is the problem, not bluetooth. My BT audio setup is synched well within the frame rate of any video I've ever watched. I even use it for video editing.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by amiga3D ( 567632 )

          Maybe it's because I'm buying the cheap stuff. I looked at a 200 dollar headset but then I thought of all the other things I could do with 200 dollars. My apple mouse works pretty good and so far that's the only thing that isn't too bad.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by slazzy ( 864185 )
        Agreed. I love the 3.5" in my Subaru.

    • I had a Peugeot 207 "m:play" which was advertised as multimedia ready - that solely consisted of having a 3.5mm jack in the glove box. Thats it.

      • I had a Peugeot 207 "m:play" which was advertised as multimedia ready - that solely consisted of having a 3.5mm jack in the glove box. Thats it.

        Still the most effective solution. Road rage is bad enough when it's caused by human drivers -- adding Bluetooth drivers to the list of frustrations is going to get someone killed.

    • Bluetooth is good, but it's not that good yet.

      Bluetooth is about 20 years old now. I think it's safe to say that it's never going to be "good". It's a great idea that rarely works well in the real world.

      • There is nothing wrong with Bluetooth as a standard. Every problem experienced these days is the result of software attempting to do more than just simply play music and the writers having no clue.

        e.g. Every car I've had with a crap bluetooth setup has always also had a crap USB audio setup, really shitty programmed menu interface, and android apps which spend more time crashing than running. Every computer tool I've had connectivity with in bluetooth has similar connectivity issues with wifi and USB.

        It's b

        • Well don't the have to do all that other rubbish? Otherwise if you just use bt audio for audio, in a car there's no advantage to just having a cable.

          • Not sure what you said there? They shouldn't have to do all the other rubbish? Or that without the rubbish there's no benefit?

            Both are demonstrably false. The other rubbish comes in to using a standard interface to control the device. e.g. steering wheel controls instead of screwing with your phone. The cable itself is also a safety hazard, anything dangling that can get tangled in a cockpit is.

    • You need to apply the Slash Profit Rule:

      1. Replace a working standard with a something that requires more hardware and software.

      2. ???

      3. Profit!!!

      You must be new here.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Order the car without "multimedia system" and then install a radio that costs less than 1/3 of the shitty OEM one and has everything you could possibly need?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sootman ( 158191 )

      The Bluetooth in a family member's 2012 Rav4 was surprisingly good. The same phone playing the same files in the same way via Bluetooth in a 2016 Corolla is almost a full second behind which is SUPER annoying. (Note: I am not the guy with the "Corola" in the title who wrote to Daniel. But I do love curl and have been using it in shell scripts for over ten years.)

    • Why can't we just have a line-in input on a 3.5 mm jack as part of every damned car audio system?

      Because nothing bad has ever come from battling with a cable in the middle of a console? No seriously I loved my 3.5mm jack. I specifically ripped the radio out of my current car because it didn't have an aux input and replaced it with ... a radio with bluetooth.

      Over the year there's been enough tangle messes and near misses, cable getting caught around the stick (not an American problem I know) and changing gears has tossed the iPod across the dashboard that I am glad that this is one area where we have

      • The answer is the "device drawer" that sensible car-makers added to the dash. The cable only sticks out a couple of cm, you plug in, drop the device in the drawer and shut it. Control it via the inline control protocol and job's a good-un.
      • You can put the jack in the center console. Then it won't get tangled with anything.

        • Except that the phone is glued to the windscreen on the car and you now have a 2m long cable floating around the cockpit.

          There's literally nothing you can do with a cabled connection that won't result in some case that cable getting in the way. Cars are incredibly versatile with many different setups and layouts, may different ways people operate them (including many ways they shouldn't).

          Personally I used to run my 3.5mm cable through the air vents right to my phone, but that was a custom fix for my particu

          • Oh, I just use Bluetooth from phone to a Bluetooth receiver hooked to the aux input, entirely within the console. My car has Bluetooth phone but not audio, so this was the easiest way to do it: use the car system for phone, independent receiver for audio.

            • That's a great idea. I should remember this next time I have a hire car :)

              • There are some cheap ones like the Blackberry Music Gateway, but the maximum output is pretty weak. On the recommendation of someone else who was in my situation, I got a Himbox HB01 [amazon.com], which came with a lighter->dual USB adapter for power. If you're in an older car, it can even do the hands-free thing for your phone, but that would have visible cables (the microphone is in the Bluetooth receiver). I set my phone to connect to the built-in for calls (so numbers show up on the display, and the microphone is

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Xest ( 935314 )

      For the same reason that having satnav fitted into my car is a £750 module, when it could just be a free download onto the existence in car computer from the Google Play store. Because money. That's why.

  • Many years ago I wrote a simple webmail server. My email address wasn't even on the login screen, just my company name. There have been more than one occasion over the years when some customer of an internet provider that used my webmail server needed technical support, and apparently managed to Google the company name, find my email address, and ask me for a password reset, or something along those lines...

    • Re:Desperate users (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Dutch Gun ( 899105 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @05:34PM (#53323317)

      I think this is a result of so many companies making it nearly impossible to get in contact with them, or only providing a forum on their website and saying to customers "you guys figure it out on your own." Okay, I get it that there's support costs. But I would LOVE to reach out to an engineer at Amazon to tell them about a very irritating and easy-to-repro bug in their Android Kindle app when using it to play audiobooks. Or I'd love to contact Corel to tell them that they're alienating someone who's been buying and using CorelDRAW literally since version 1 with their current marketing shenanigans. But alas, there's no direct and simple way to provide feedback (at least that I've seen), and their products suffer as a result from lack of feedback.

      Interestingly enough, I have to give credit to the Visual Studio team at Microsoft for actually doing it right. They have a feedback tool built right into Visual Studio which can give both positive or negative feedback, report bugs, and even take a screenshot right from within the program. Too bad the Windows team doesn't seem to follow their example in listening to feedback. Or more likely, they're simply told by management to implement all the shitty things they've done to their users.

      One of these days, I'm waiting for a decently-large company to figure out that they can stand out from the crowd by providing outstanding customer service - that always seems to be the first to go when a company gets large. I'd think customers would actually want to support such a novel enterprise. Of course, the trick is that if your products are crap, your support costs skyrocket. So rather than fix products, it's easier for companies to simply shut down or outsource their support.

      • Dell's Enterprise Support for products under warranty is pretty decent. We use them pretty exclusively for our VMWare sub-system, hosts, SANs, iSCSI switches, and ESXi itself. 24/7 support, with a 4-hour onsite if we need it. One phone number, one ticket. I've yet to have an issue they couldn't fix.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Anonymous Coward

        One of these days, I'm waiting for a decently-large company to figure out that they can stand out from the crowd by providing outstanding customer service - that always seems to be the first to go when a company gets large. I'd think customers would actually want to support such a novel enterprise. Of course, the trick is that if your products are crap, your support costs skyrocket. So rather than fix products, it's easier for companies to simply shut down or outsource their support.

        Unfortunately this doesn't usually work out. Example: Starwood hotel group has/had excellent customer service. Business and pleasure travelers who experience a Starwood hotel become brand-loyal quite quickly. Marriott's customer service is slightly below average, but they chain generates more profit. With that profit, they bought Starwood, and at the end of this year much of the Starwood customer service team in Connecticut is getting laid off. If the money you save by providing low quality service is

      • I think this is a result of so many companies making it nearly impossible to get in contact with them, or only providing a forum on their website and saying to customers "you guys figure it out on your own." Okay, I get it that there's support costs.

        One of the problems with offering support is that your average punter isn't capable of judging where the problem is and ensuring they're contacting the correct customer support. The classic one is the poor old ISP who gets everything right down to "my computer won't switch on". If you get vastly more irrelevant support calls than relevant support calls, the support desk is just going to become a massive cost sink.

        Then game theory and chain reactions set in, because if the vendor of product X shuts down or

  • This is why I quit tech support (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    And got into politics. After all, if I had to suffer human stupidity, I might as well be grossly overpaid for it.

  • hi i just found you're website with google searc i got the same issue on my car sterio too. wats the answer? email me bak asap

  • if we weren't trying to technology the crap out of everything we wouldn't have so many problems.

    It's an absolute factual truism, the more complicated you make something the more problems you will have and these "entertainment systems" are living proof.

    Apparently in the mind of engineers a simple on/off knob, one which can be easily felt and operated without taking ones eyes off the road is now verboten. Instead, one now has to look at a screen, in the middle of the car, hope they find the correct icon to se

    • Totally agree. Now you have to take your eyes off the road to perform the most simple tasks. Nothing beats tactile controls. Now idiots demand their cars come with giant ugly touchscreens because they think its modern. You know all that shit is gonna break in a few years,

  • Why are the car companies even offering infotainment?
    They should stick to making their cars ride smoothly and include a generic multimedia dock for customers to put in their own 3rd-party systems.
    The 3rd-party systems could be replaced every few years for people who want the latest and greatest.

    This may lead to increased stereo thefts but a lot less future negative image for the car companies.
    If a modern youth's first car is a 10-year-old [insert model and make here] with a sucky stereo, he/she is unlikely

    • So that they can make money selling ads?

      • You think car companies haven't already thought of this? All the technology is in place now. One OTA update and you car chimes and displays the McDonald's logo when you drive past. You hit the radio button and have to watch a 10 second ad for Dr. Scholls odor eaters.

  • It is time car companies gave up and do what they do best. That is MAKE CARS!

    When Steve Jobs returned to Apple he immediately sold the printing division, pippin, and killed the clone market. Why? He said let HP and Xerox do what they do best and have us do what WE do what is best.

    Car companies do not know how to make UI's for car stereos or write programming. Going to Indian shops to save money or bringing in h1b1 visas to write the UI for cars do not work either. That is not what they know best.

    Let Apple a

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ptaff ( 165113 )

      That is MAKE CARS!

      That makes sense in general, not only in cars; I'm looking at you, router vendors.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Agripa ( 139780 )

      It is time car companies gave up and do what they do best. That is MAKE CARS!

      The problem is that they are not very good at this either.

  • My car is 15 years old so forgive my ignorance (Score:3)

    by Skuld-Chan ( 302449 ) on Sunday November 20, 2016 @02:19AM (#53325155)

    Why does a car need the curl utility to make bluetooth work?

    • Why does a car need the curl utility to make bluetooth work?

      It doesn't. The cURL installation will be there for updating software and/or satnav map data. The problem is that the guy's email address is easier to find than any contact details for the manufacturer's official support team.

  • on a different vein but highly related i was just telling some people about why forks are a pain in the ass to deal with when the core project is still active. people will email the original project asking them to fix problems the fork messed up. its super annoying.

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