Serious question, I have a Bambulab printer now. What is a good next printer option? Prusa is way too expensive without a decent AMS alternative. Flashforge is doing some sketchy stuff with their maker site + AI. Is Creality or QIDI the best next options?
So Bambu's argument hinges on "impersonation" claim of Jarczak's modified client using the same user agent string?
If a user compiles official BambuStudio from source, does BambuLabs then also claim their non-bit-identical client is also impersonating the "real" BambuStudio?
Or are they abusing user agents strings as authentication mechanism?
If they don't consider it abuse, but rather legitimate use of agent strings as authentication mechanism, then are they effectively openly arguing they left the user-agent-as-credential in the public repository? BambuLabs is going to claim in court that it publishes login credentials to its network in its open source BambuStudio, and then complaining that people actually use them?
If I bring my post-it with all my computer passwords to CCC and wave it in front of any camera I find, can I then sue the CCC and others filming, because they are spreading my credentials?
It's sort of ironic that all the money going to "teach Bambu a lesson" is ultimately defending a guy who is building free tooling that specifically adds value to the Bambu platform. In a sense they win either way.
Me and a buddy, victor teisller, hacked the most popular 3D printer a few years ago (flashforge) to turn it into a major fire hazard through reverse engineering the firmware update remotely. Changed the max temp of the extruder to the temp of the Sun lol. These things are a fascinating security target because they're an easy place to turn abstract digital hacking into physical repersussions that can literally murder.
I'm not in the community, so I'm taking this article at face value. If I read correctly, he made software that possibly exploited a security gap, they asked him to remove it, then he demanded free hardware. They said no, and the conversation turned sour.
Why is everyone mad at them? I'm not blaming either side, but it sounds like a rather typical failed negotiation.
I'm in the market for a new 3D printer. My old Ultimaker 2 is still going strong, but it's from a different generation and doesn't fit my needs anymore. Looking purely at features, I really want a Bambu Lab X2D. However I hate what that company is doing, don't want to give them my money and don't want to lock myself into their increasingly locked down ecosystem.
Features I want:
- 2 nozzles (print parts with a different support material or a combination of solid and TPU)
- make simple 2-color prints without manual intervention (to add labels on parts, only a few layers require two colors)
- hassle-free filament storage (protected from dust and moisture, multiple spools ready to print at all times)
- a choice of different nozzles (e.g. 0.8 mm) which can be swapped easily
- able to print ABS reliably (or another material that is more heat resistant than PLA), the Ultimaker 2 with its open chamber is not good at this (parts lift off and warp)
- hassle-free operation (no tinkering)
Don't need:
- cloud stuff (I print everything locally, my own models)
This is such an interesting case because all sides are talking past each other and it doesn't really fit the pattern of past vendor lock-in / open source scandals. It's nuanced.
Empirically compared to most tech products in 2026, Bambu products have very little lock-in and are relatively open. But they are handling communication so poorly, they are creating their own drama and blowback for no gain while managing to piss off every OSS fan in the world.
Bambu's model is you can either (1) use the product off their cloud and do whatever you want OR (2) you can use their cloud but are locked to remote controlling the printer with their app. That's empirically more open than most home smart tech products (robo vacs, playstations, smart fridges, whatever) which don't give you the first option at all. Bambu literally lets you disable all their cloud and auth features with one click and use open source apps instead.
The issue is that Bambu made their closed cloud too good, so people really want to use it. Their cloud mobile app is way better then any other vendor.
Bambu has never done anything even remotely similar to HP requiring you to use their refills, yet people repeat this myth online like it's inevitable. Meanwhile the very popular eufyMake UV 2.5D printer literally has ink cartridges with lockout chips in them an nobody complains at all.
Where Bambu has totally failed is (1) they changed the cloud access rules after releasing their first products which people absolutely hate and (2) they are terrible at communication, making awkward threats at OSS developers who try to access their cloud without permission.
The funniest part is the only reason the developer was able to access their cloud is because Bambu supports Linux with OSS software. The Linux software isn't notarized, so they couldn't lock access to their cloud to a certificate. The 'hack' was just running the Linux cloud auth code on Mac/Windows.
This creates a situation where the actual details of the dispute are pretty nuanced, some people are vaguely mad at Bambu for things they absolutely aren't doing (like locking out 3rd party filament), and yet Bambu is still creating an army of haters to achieve basically nothing useful for themselves.
The smart move would have been to totally ignore the OSS developer and just lock down their cloud service on the server side. Then there would have been no drama and they would have achieved their goals.
Bambu needs to hire a western PR person who understands what is going on here to clean this up. The whole thing is dumb, avoidable, and pointless. Even if Bambu 'wins', they achieve nothing for the company.
The other nuance though is that Bambu is outselling other brands enormously and their sales this past Christmas were bonkers. No other vendor is even in the same league. HN readers will be buying Prusa or whatever, but Bambu is servicing a different market segment in which Prusa is totally irrelevant and has microscopic sales. But it's worth remembering that this entire drama is over something that literally does not affect 99% of Bambu's user base who happily use their cloud apps and have no reason to try anything else.
Bambu started this whole charade right after I bought my very first printer of theirs. Unfortunately, outside of the return window.
Rest assured, my next printer will not be a Bambu, and in the meantime I only buy 3rd part replacement parts and filament. Does Bambu do market research? I’d love to see which knucklehead put together the powerpoint that convinced them that their remarkably technical audience would be amenable to such tactics.
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[ 1.9 ms ] story [ 32.2 ms ] threadIf a user compiles official BambuStudio from source, does BambuLabs then also claim their non-bit-identical client is also impersonating the "real" BambuStudio?
Or are they abusing user agents strings as authentication mechanism?
If they don't consider it abuse, but rather legitimate use of agent strings as authentication mechanism, then are they effectively openly arguing they left the user-agent-as-credential in the public repository? BambuLabs is going to claim in court that it publishes login credentials to its network in its open source BambuStudio, and then complaining that people actually use them?
If I bring my post-it with all my computer passwords to CCC and wave it in front of any camera I find, can I then sue the CCC and others filming, because they are spreading my credentials?
Or should I be laughed away in court?
https://www.theregister.com/security/2020/04/13/how-to-make-...
Why is everyone mad at them? I'm not blaming either side, but it sounds like a rather typical failed negotiation.
I'm in the market for a new 3D printer. My old Ultimaker 2 is still going strong, but it's from a different generation and doesn't fit my needs anymore. Looking purely at features, I really want a Bambu Lab X2D. However I hate what that company is doing, don't want to give them my money and don't want to lock myself into their increasingly locked down ecosystem.
Features I want:
- 2 nozzles (print parts with a different support material or a combination of solid and TPU)
- make simple 2-color prints without manual intervention (to add labels on parts, only a few layers require two colors)
- hassle-free filament storage (protected from dust and moisture, multiple spools ready to print at all times)
- a choice of different nozzles (e.g. 0.8 mm) which can be swapped easily
- able to print ABS reliably (or another material that is more heat resistant than PLA), the Ultimaker 2 with its open chamber is not good at this (parts lift off and warp)
- hassle-free operation (no tinkering)
Don't need:
- cloud stuff (I print everything locally, my own models)
What should I buy?
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48109224
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48175820
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48115127
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48115681
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48186583
Etc etc
Empirically compared to most tech products in 2026, Bambu products have very little lock-in and are relatively open. But they are handling communication so poorly, they are creating their own drama and blowback for no gain while managing to piss off every OSS fan in the world.
Bambu's model is you can either (1) use the product off their cloud and do whatever you want OR (2) you can use their cloud but are locked to remote controlling the printer with their app. That's empirically more open than most home smart tech products (robo vacs, playstations, smart fridges, whatever) which don't give you the first option at all. Bambu literally lets you disable all their cloud and auth features with one click and use open source apps instead.
The issue is that Bambu made their closed cloud too good, so people really want to use it. Their cloud mobile app is way better then any other vendor.
Bambu has never done anything even remotely similar to HP requiring you to use their refills, yet people repeat this myth online like it's inevitable. Meanwhile the very popular eufyMake UV 2.5D printer literally has ink cartridges with lockout chips in them an nobody complains at all.
Where Bambu has totally failed is (1) they changed the cloud access rules after releasing their first products which people absolutely hate and (2) they are terrible at communication, making awkward threats at OSS developers who try to access their cloud without permission.
The funniest part is the only reason the developer was able to access their cloud is because Bambu supports Linux with OSS software. The Linux software isn't notarized, so they couldn't lock access to their cloud to a certificate. The 'hack' was just running the Linux cloud auth code on Mac/Windows.
This creates a situation where the actual details of the dispute are pretty nuanced, some people are vaguely mad at Bambu for things they absolutely aren't doing (like locking out 3rd party filament), and yet Bambu is still creating an army of haters to achieve basically nothing useful for themselves.
The smart move would have been to totally ignore the OSS developer and just lock down their cloud service on the server side. Then there would have been no drama and they would have achieved their goals.
Bambu needs to hire a western PR person who understands what is going on here to clean this up. The whole thing is dumb, avoidable, and pointless. Even if Bambu 'wins', they achieve nothing for the company.
The other nuance though is that Bambu is outselling other brands enormously and their sales this past Christmas were bonkers. No other vendor is even in the same league. HN readers will be buying Prusa or whatever, but Bambu is servicing a different market segment in which Prusa is totally irrelevant and has microscopic sales. But it's worth remembering that this entire drama is over something that literally does not affect 99% of Bambu's user base who happily use their cloud apps and have no reason to try anything else.
Rest assured, my next printer will not be a Bambu, and in the meantime I only buy 3rd part replacement parts and filament. Does Bambu do market research? I’d love to see which knucklehead put together the powerpoint that convinced them that their remarkably technical audience would be amenable to such tactics.