An avionics story on Slashdot?

JP Instruments sells a line of engine monitors that is popular among owners (at least, owners who spend more on their planes than I do). Engine monitors help you to find problems before they get serious, by detecting (say) an unusually high temperature in one cylinder hours before it actually fails — that’s important for safety, of course (think single-engine plane over mountains in IMC), but also also for the pocketbook, since engine maintenance and overhauls are one of the most expensive parts of flying.

One particularly cool feature of some engine monitors like JPI’s is the ability to download saved data to your computer and analyze it at home. A few months ago, however, JPI decided to encrypt their data to prevent owners from using any software other than their own. Owners, of course, are furious. Now even Slashdot has picked up the story.

Could the movement for open source and open standards make it as far as the dusty, cobwebbed corners of the avionics market?