Learn more about our current job openings and benefits of working at FSL.
Detailed reviews and feedback from past and current clients.
Get to know the Management Team behind FullStack Labs.
Our step-by-step process for designing and developing new applications.
Writings from our team on technology, design, and business.
Get answers to the questions most frequently asked by new clients.
Learn about our company culture and defining principles.
A high level overview of FullStack Labs, who we are, and what we do.
A JavaScript framework that allows rapid development of native Android and IOS apps.
A JavaScript framework maintained by Facebook that's ideal for building complex, modern user interfaces within single page web apps.
A server side programming language known for its ease of use and speed of development.
A lightweight and efficient backend javascript framework for web apps.
An interpreted high-level programming language great for general purpose programming.
A JavaScript framework maintained by Google that addresses many of the challenges encountered when building single-page apps.
A JavaScript framework that allows developers to build large, complex, scalable single-page web applications.
A progressive JavaScript framework known for its approachability, versatility, and performance.
A progressive JavaScript framework known for its approachability, versatility, and performance.
A progressive JavaScript framework known for its approachability, versatility, and performance.
A progressive JavaScript framework known for its approachability, versatility, and performance.
A progressive JavaScript framework known for its approachability, versatility, and performance.
A progressive JavaScript framework known for its approachability, versatility, and performance.
A progressive JavaScript framework known for its approachability, versatility, and performance.
View a sampling of our work implemented using a variety of our favorite technologies.
View examples of the process we use to build custom software solutions for our clients.
View projects implemented using this javascript framework ideal for building complex, modern user interfaces within single page web apps.
View projects implemented using this framework that allows rapid development of native Android and IOS apps.
View projects implemented using this backend javascript framework for web apps.
View projects implemented using this high-level programming language great for general purpose programming.
View projects implemented using this server side programming language known for its ease of use and speed of development.
We have vast experience crafting healthcare software development solutions, including UI/UX Design, Application Development, Legacy Healthcare Systems, and Team Augmentation. Our development services help the healthcare industry by enhancing accessibility, productivity, portability, and scalability.
We offer a range of custom software development solutions for education companies of all sizes. We're experts in Education Software Development and specialists in enhancing the learning experience across web, mobile, and conversational UI.
We're experts in developing Custom Software Solutions for the Logistics Industry. Our work offered a whole new and more efficient way for Logistics companies to manage their crucial operations.
We partner with various construction industry organizations to build custom software development solutions. Our Construction Software Development Services allow construction companies to manage projects, resources, and documentation.
We have vast experience crafting healthcare software development solutions, including UI/UX Design, Application Development, Legacy Healthcare Systems, and Team Augmentation. Our development services help the healthcare industry by enhancing accessibility, productivity, portability, and scalability.
We offer a range of custom software development solutions for education companies of all sizes. We're experts in Education Software Development and specialists in enhancing the learning experience across web, mobile, and conversational UI.
We're experts in developing Custom Software Solutions for the Logistics Industry. Our work offered a whole new and more efficient way for Logistics companies to manage their crucial operations.
We partner with various construction industry organizations to build custom software development solutions. Our Construction Software Development Services allow construction companies to manage projects, resources, and documentation.
Learn more about our current job openings and benefits of working at FSL.
Detailed reviews and feedback from past and current clients.
Get to know the Management Team behind FullStack Labs.
Our step-by-step process for designing and developing new applications.
Writings from our team on technology, design, and business.
Get answers to the questions most frequently asked by new clients.
Learn about our company culture and defining principles.
A high level overview of FullStack Labs, who we are, and what we do.
A JavaScript framework that allows rapid development of native Android and IOS apps.
A JavaScript framework maintained by Facebook that's ideal for building complex, modern user interfaces within single page web apps.
A server side programming language known for its ease of use and speed of development.
A lightweight and efficient backend javascript framework for web apps.
An interpreted high-level programming language great for general purpose programming.
A JavaScript framework maintained by Google that addresses many of the challenges encountered when building single-page apps.
A JavaScript framework that allows developers to build large, complex, scalable single-page web applications.
A progressive JavaScript framework known for its approachability, versatility, and performance.
A dynamic programming language used in all sorts of web and mobile applications.
A cross-platform programming language designed to run robust applications on any device.
A UI toolkit used to build natively compiled applications from a single codebase.
A functional programming language that’s ideal for scalability, maintainability, and reliability.
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform that seamlessly integrates with your business operations.
A high-performance programming language that makes it easy to build simple, reliable, and efficient software.
View a sampling of our work implemented using a variety of our favorite technologies.
View examples of the process we use to build custom software solutions for our clients.
View projects implemented using this javascript framework ideal for building complex, modern user interfaces within single page web apps.
View projects implemented using this framework that allows rapid development of native Android and IOS apps.
View projects implemented using this backend javascript framework for web apps.
View projects implemented using this high-level programming language great for general purpose programming.
View projects implemented using this server side programming language known for its ease of use and speed of development.
Our lives are more connected now than ever, and we rely a lot on our personal electronics. Laptops, cellphones, smartwatches, and other devices are part of our daily routine. But what happens when they stop working? In the past, some of our devices were more modular and easier to repair, but this is becoming more and more difficult as time goes by because our devices are far more complex and smaller… or is it?
As a software engineer, you are sometimes asked to add DRM to a piece of software you’re creating. It’s normal practice when you work with a company that provides software as a service, but should this lock people from repairing their hardware too?
I’ve seen both sides of this story: on one side I’m a big fan of fixing your own gadgets, tinkering with devices you purchase and rightfully own, and experimenting to get the most out of it. On the other side, I’ve been asked to limit device management software to lock the client from making their own software solutions and limiting hardware support if we found out they tampered with the software.
Right to repair normally refers to legislation that allows us to have access to the necessary information and gives us multiple options to repair our electronics, giving them more life instead of being discarded as trash or replacing it with a newer product so often.
Right to repair has gained a lot of traction lately. For example, in the United States, 25 states are considering the right to repair legislation to require manufacturers of electronic equipment to provide the necessary schematics, spare parts, and diagnostic tools required to repair their electronic devices, and president Joe Biden just ordered the FTC to draft the right to repair rules.
There are several ways companies are locking customers from repairing their devices or making them more difficult or expensive in order to get more sales or to have control of the device after the sale. Some, for example, are limiting the necessary components or guides citing violations of their property rights. This has not been a problem for certain industries, like the automotive industry in which automotive manufacturers are required to provide the same information they use in their dealer shops to independent repair shops and individuals. Another example is limiting repairs only to authorized dealers thanks to proprietary diagnostic tools, locking out independent repair stores, or even self-repairs. American farmers have been heavily impacted by this by being locked out of repairs on their tractors based on the proprietary software needed to diagnose or even fix them.
Before being a software developer, I witnessed how DRM was used to limit our right to repair firsthand. I worked in a call center that provided technical support to a gaming console with a high failure rate, and if we saw that customers tampered with their devices physically or by software, we denied service on the hardware, even if the customer was willing to pay. While the company was right that modifying the hardware’s firmware to play backup games can lead to game piracy, that should have banned the users from their online service only. But by not allowing them to repair their devices when they are the only ones that could diagnose and repair certain hardware issues, that was not OK from my point of view.
Once I started my career as a software developer, I encountered another DRM-related issue. A couple of years ago I developed communication software that helped our clients send information (a retail items database) to certain company equipment. This equipment was rightfully theirs; they paid for it and could do basic hardware modifications but could not edit the firmware of the device. One of our clients was not happy with the communication solutions we were providing them, so they opted for installing custom firmware to manage the equipment on their own. One of their devices broke down — a hardware problem. When they requested service work on the equipment, it was refused once the technician figured out the firmware was tampered with. They could not get parts for it and had to buy new ones from our competitor. We lost a client in the end because we tried to lock down sales, software solutions, and services with DRM, and in the end, it was not worth it.
One of the most important points for the right to repair is helping the environment. By making it more accessible to repair our electronics, they can last longer and can be reused by other people or integrated into other projects at home. A perfect example of reusability done right is repurposing old smartphones as smart sensors for smart homes.
Another important point is revitalizing the economy by helping more small businesses repair our devices with the necessary information, and reducing the monopoly manufacturers have.
Most of the time we sign an NDA that limits us from sharing certain parts of our job with third parties. But that doesn’t limit how we can help our community. We need to be more vocal on the right to repair, help create sites that promote better practices in our industry to empower customers and not corporations. We need to limit our implementation of DRM to only software licensing, and not as a watchdog that monitors how the consumer uses their hardware.
We’d love to learn more about your project.
Engagements start at $75,000.