Should Hardware Drivers be Region/Language Locked?

An anonymous reader asks: "Recently, I have purchased Sony's new Hi-MD player. I popped in their driver CD, and instead of installer launching, I was greeted by the message, 'Cannot install for this Windows language.' It seems like it rejected installation, because my default language setting is Japanese, although I am using English version of Windows. I got the response from Sony stating that: 'If you are using a different language set up for your computer, you will not be able to use the software supplied with the product. Unfortunately, currently there is no workaround for this issue. The only option would be to change the language setting of your computer.' Now I'm asking for my money back. The hardware device is practically useless without the software installation, and it seems like they are going too far, especially since this may affect anyone who uses more than one languages on their computer. Isn't this discrimination to multi-lingual people living in the targeted market? And isn't it unfair to impose such restrictions on software that is required to use hardware?"

Comments

Not exactly a 'lock-out'

[cbiffle]

This isn't a region or language lock-out. It's a language-aware installer that lacks a localization for your region.

The problem here, really, is that the installer won't offer to install some default localization when it can't find an appropriate one. There isn't some massive evil company trying to keep you from using their software.

Why not kick the computer to English for the duration of the install, and then switch it back?

it can be other things too

[greywar]

For a while my company would ALSO lock you out of installing on a japanese machine.

As it turns out japanese machines have a different base character set, and the installer [installshield] would crash ALL the time. Even if multiple language packs were installed. Eventually after much head scratching, and installshield saying "wow you are right it doesnt work here either, and we have no idea why" I finally figured out what it was.

Turns out installshield at the time if you had a copyright symbol in a start emnu folder name would always crash.

I've also seen installations that just simply did not support japanese or chinese. They do have different language formats, not every letter can be kept in a single byte of data.

Or the CD-rom is hard coded to a region, and they make assumptions about people in a different regional language trying to install hardware not region specific. hard to say.

Slashdot

[NotoriousQ]

Yeah! I am upset as well. I have been trying to post to slashdot in many different languages, and it does not work.

I will try again:
Cyrillic:
Hebrew:

It does not look like it is working properly. All I see is that it is changed to unicode characters that slashdot seems to filter when they are displayed. What do they think I am going to do with them? Construct a giant unicode version of ascii art goatse?

I am very annoyed! I petition for slashdot to be multilingual.

Re:Simple Solution

[gl4ss]

'for the future' advice, It's not bad.

He should have listened it already, if you're intending to use a player to listen to stuff you encoded into mp3/whatever yourself, Sony sucks as a music player choice.

I too, however, use their earplug style headphones which are pretty good in the price/performance ratio. But people who have bought their MD players to be used as Mp3 player replacements have been disappointed in all cases I know(They advertise them like they would work like charm, moving mp3's to them and playing them from it, yet it doesn't work like that. converting to atrac with drm that adds unneeded complexity, dependance on their crappy software, and re-encoding).

They're excellent as MD players, but that's just about it..

so what should he do? return it, try to get his money back and complain to Sony that their way sucks(going through EXTRA TROUBLE to HARASS THE CUSTOMER).