Ok kids, here’s the deal. I am not the biggest fan of closed source ecosystems. That said, I’m typing this on a MacBook Pro, I use an iMac at work and my life (like a lot of people) revolves around my iPhone. It may seem a little counter intuitive, but I am huge supporter of Open Source hardware and software, and I love being able to tweak my printers with Open Source firmware (Klipper) and run them on Open Source hardware (Raspberry Pi) and Open Source software (Linux).
So why am I running all these Apple products, then? That’s actually pretty simple: there are certain things I just want to run, not be in a constant state of administration and troubleshooting. That’s how I felt about every Windows-based laptop I’ve had for the past, oh, 10 years or so? I administer networks and systems for a living, I don’t want to constantly do the same damn thing with my phone or laptop. Hence the switch to iOS, and eventually, to MacOS and Apple hardware.
I’ve gotten to the same point with 3D printing. There are certain things I’d like to do without constantly having to mess with the printer(s). Now I enjoy that part of it, and I also really enjoy taking something like an Alfawise U20 Plus that was created long before Klipper, and making it run Klipper with a new extruder, etc. BUT… here’s the but. Sometimes, I just want to hit “print” and know that the damn thing is going to come out of the printer and look good.
I’ve bit the proverbial bullet, and purchased a Bambu X1 Carbon with AMS, for that hit-print-and-good-things-come-out factor. It’s a damn expensive machine, and it’s largely closed source. What I’ve seen lately out of the company has given me hope that Bambu Lab is the company I want to deal with. There’s no pretense about them having a closed source ecosystem. In fact, they compare themselves and Prusa Research to Apple and Android (very fitting), but they are starting to come around to the idea of community collaboration for the betterment of their customer base, current and future. I like that.