Talk:Brick (electronics)

message: People failing to upgrade their wireless routers with custom/opensource firmware are often referring to them as bricked as well. I think there should be a mention here.
ok, there already is. Masterhand10(Talk)(Contributions) 04:57, 4 June 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I guess the reason why the term "bricked" came about in reference to simple consumer devices like this instead of PCs (including Macs, PC and wintel are NOT the same thing. Well... maybe they are now, *sob*), laser printers and stuff is probably because the newer consumer thingies are small and rectilinear enough where one can imagine them as actual bricks (and imagine lobbing one through an actual window;-). 207.177.231.9 17:33, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

text: Are you asking for an authoritative definition of "Bricking"?  I don't think one exists, because it's a slang word.  If the goal of this article is to define a slang word, I don't know why it's on Wikipedia. Ethan 05:31, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  References 

message: * This article is about the word bricked, a verb- derived from UK slang. The noun 'brick does not refer to an object that has been bricked in common usage.
* Brick (electronics) would more commonly be known as a shortening of the US technical slang, Power Brick which refers to the cheap Mains AC to LV DV power converters common with many consumer electronics devices. It is called a Brick, because generally even with a unit with an appealing design, a cheap OEM power 'brick' (transformer) is generally supplied, and has a much less pleasing design - it generally is a black 'brick'. Inertia Tensor 23:49, 14 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Incorrect Title / article

message: I think that this article needs an image of a brick, in order to make the comparison with a real brick extra clear. Oh, yeah, it would be a good laugh too, but still encyclopedian.--Henke37 23:05, 10 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: It is not what the article is about. Doshindude (talk) 18:30, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

text: As amusing as that would be, I think that sort of thing is only tolerated in the WP: namespace. 72.235.10.142 (talk) 07:57, 15 June 2009 (UTC)
replies: text:  It would however benefit from a screenshot of some kind of BIOS error - although it might be tricky to get hold of one unless you deliberately set out to destroy an old computer. E.g. something like this or this. -Ashley Pomeroy (talk) 16:17, 8 July 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Image 

message: I removed the completely unsourced text about the PSP being bricked by "pressing the wrong button" because i follow the PSP scene(Homebrew and official) almost religiously and have never heard anything about this or anything similar, I looked but couldn't find anything about it so i presume it's someone thinking it's funny or just a DS fanboy. Feel free to revert my edit if you add sources.78.86.137.237 (talk) 23:26, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Removal of dubious content

message: Can Software be bricked? Cal05000 (talk) 14:22, 15 July 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: No. Doshindude (talk) 18:30, 1 September 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Floppy disk software can be bricked if you delete certian files, but I don't think they use the term "bricked" to describe this. GO-PCHS-NJROTC (Messages) 19:36, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

text: Yes, in a manner of speaking. For instance, if the software in question relies upon centralized network verification and you aren't connected to a network (or, say, the central server drops compatibility with the version you're running,) then the software in question is effectively “bricked.” Even so, I'd say applying the term “bricked” to software is somewhat nonstandard usage. 72.235.10.142 (talk) 07:57, 15 June 2009 (UTC)
replies: text:  In your example, the software is not "bricked", it's just software that isn't working. Ethan 05:31, 3 October 2009 (UTC)

text:  A key element of bricking is the process of in someway damaging firmware, the component of a device which allows the hardware to be useful. Therefore software cannot in any way be bricked. Software can be rendered useless through various means, but none of those means can be described as bricking Annon 10:11, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

text: It can be corrupted (eg., in the process of applying a patch which doesn't work properly) which would be broadly the same thing; but it can also be backed up beforehand, and so there shouldn't be any impediment to simply restoring the backup and carrying on if something goes wrong.  If you do manage to "brick" your software, everyone will laugh at you because it will be your own fault (none of this "the dog kicked out the power lead halfway through" business). --ToobMug (talk) 10:19, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Software 

message: in regards to tag "dubious" on the ability to change imei numbers here is a source http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1749215.stm
actually i was able to locate this link on the imei article hosted on wikipedia.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.60.97.147 (talk) 05:43, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Changing IMEI 

message: The first sentence in the "Soft Brick" subsection limits usage of the term exclusively to Android-based devices.  Does anyone agree with this?  I can soft brick anything with an operating system, however simple. 2620:106:6000:20:0:0:0:38 (talk) 22:46, 10 May 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: I would argue that "soft brick" is not a generally accepted term and that it should be removed from the article. The essence of "bricked" is that its not reversible by the user. Ingomaro (talk) 17:40, 5 January 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Soft bricking only for Android? 

message: The example of a blown capacitor is rather a hardware failure and not the device having been bricked – at least in my view, 99.99% of the time if one says "my <device> is bricked" people will understand it as the software/firmware failing and rendering the piece of hardware unusable for it's original purpose as it's merely a paperweight in its current state. fancsali (talk) 09:45, 3 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Is H/W failure considered being bricked?