Isto é Mongo! Código na agricultura mas bottom-bottom: a democratização do código

Quase que juro que devo ter escrito algo aqui no blogue em tempos sobre o assunto, a verdade é que já procurei e procurei mas não encontro.
.
Há coisa de 1/2 anos li um artigo em que um técnico de uma empresa sueca líder no seu sector, a Permobil, discorria sobre as inovações que tinham em curso. Pensei o quão limitados e concentrados nas cadeiras de rodas estavam, na altura começava a ver os artigos sobre experiências com exoesqueletos, os artigos sobre drones controlados pelo pensamento, sobre os smartfones para os paralisados, sobre as aplicações para educar, treinar, ensinar, crianças especiais.
.
Por que me lembrei disto? Por causa deste artigo "Farmers Reap New Tools From Their Own High-Tech Tinkering":

"The robot tractor isn’t a prototype or top-of-the-line showpiece. It’s an eight-year-old John Deere that the 30-year-old Mr. Reimer modified with drone parts, open-source software and a Microsoft Corp. tablet. All told, those items cost him around $8,000. He said that’s about how much he saved on wages for drivers helping with last year’s harvest.
...
“Even if they release [autonomous tractors] next year, it’s probably going to be 15 years before that technology trickles down to every farm,” said Mr. Reimer, referring to the big farm-equipment companies. What’s more, his version would be “a lot cheaper than if somebody’s got five to 10 engineers working full-time on something like this,” he said. He added that his system doesn’t require altering Deere’s own software or coding.
.
The engineering-school dropout says he picked up programming from online forums and coursework archived on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s website, though he said he didn’t complete that program either.
...
“Poverty is the mother of invention,” said Jim Poyzer, 65, who returned to farming six years ago after a few decades in computer programming. During the winter months four years ago Mr. Poyzer began tinkering with a microprocessor, eventually developing a system to monitor and adjust how many seeds his planter places in his fields near Boone, Iowa. The system tailors the flow of seeds to the soil’s ability to produce healthy crops.
.
He estimates the system’s cost at about $750, versus commercial versions that retail for around $5,000, and says it helped him save about $1,000 a year on seeds. “That’s not much, but farmers are trying to optimize everything,” he said.
.
Now, Mr. Poyzer is working on other projects, like a solar-powered sensor to monitor soil temperature that he says could help him get a jump on planting.
...
Some farmers-turned-techies aim to reap profits on their innovations. Dirt Tech, a startup run by two farmers and two software engineers, is developing a range of mobile applications that help map soil fertility across farmers’ fields, or mark rocks to avoid damage to machinery or allow for yanking them out. The Elbow Lake, Minn., company’s apps have been downloaded more than 4,500 times."

Isto é Mongo! Isto é meter código nisso.
.
BTW este trecho:

"Some companies, including Deere, have taken steps to prevent anyone from modifying the software that runs their equipment, and also warn that altering a tractor’s systems could put farmers and workers at risk. Deere uses copyrights and other intellectual-property measures to protect its software.
.
“We always have producers wanting to build on top of those solutions. I think it’s a great thing,” said Cory Reed, head of Deere’s intelligent solutions group. But when it comes to Deere’s software, Mr. Reed said, “there has to be a limit, both for regulatory safety and for proprietary reasons."

Fez-me lembrar o Steve Jobs no tempo em que queria manter o controlo de tudo e lutava contra os que dentro da Apple pediam outra abordagem.