Offering ML installation as a service in my business

[nahuel_89p]

Hi, Im currently running a small business of PC & tech repair, service, etc, and i've been a big DSLR Photography enthusiast for 5 years.
The business is not really advanced or proffesional. But you know, there's plenty of people in my area that don't know how to reinstall windows, format HDD, fix this or that, etc, etc, but instead would pay someone to do it.

The point is that i've been asked a few times to install Magic Lantern and CHDK software on Canon cameras, and so far I did well (4 Canon cameras, including mine). So im thinking in formally offering the service, you know, getting paid for this. I live in a big city with lots of photographers, and im sure many of them will be willing to try ML as soon as the find out what this is about (but most wouldn't dare to install it by theirselves because of the "risks"). Of course I will make clear my "disclaimer" position before running the installation, and explaining clearly about the risks, and re-asking before going on. But my main doubts are these:

a) Are there any statistics about the bricking?
b) Is there a chance of f**cking up a camera, even though I perfectly follow every safe step taking all cares? (I guess an unexpected electricty black out while installing would be a problem, but i have a UPS battery plugged to my PC).
c) If there's a problem, like "camera won't boot", "it only blinks", what are the odds of it being fully recovered back to life (without sending it to Canon service)?
d) Am i wrong if i say most of common issues have a "happy ending"?
For example, the "removing card before safety blink" issue seems to be very usual. Has it got a simple workaround to restore camera without moving from home?


The "best practices" list seems to make it very safe. Gotta print a copy to give with every ML camera.
http://www.magiclantern.fm/bestpractices
This is also useful: http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=2221.0

Sorry for my english, I write from Argentina.

What are your opinions?

[nanomad]

a) Is there any statistics about the bricking?
b) Is there a chance to f**ck up a camera, even though I perfectly follow every safe step taking all cares? (I know an unexpected electricty black out while installing would be a problem, but i have a UPS battery plugged to my PC).
c) If there's a problem, like "camera won't boot", "it only blinks", what are the odds of it being fully recovered back to life (without sending it to Canon service)?
d) Am i wrong if i say most of common issues have a "happy ending"?
For example, the "removing card before safety blink" issue seems to be very usual. Has it got a simple workaround to restore camera from home?

a) Close to 0 is my best current estimate (if we exclude people not correctly following the instructions or best practices)
b) Yes, there are so many variables in play that we cannot guarantee anything. You can fuck things up both during installation and usage of ML (if you happen to hit a major undiscovered bug). The UPS won't save you unless you're using a canon AC adapter (the one that allows the camera to do a firmware upgrade).
c) The best we can do is restore the ROM (provided you have a backup first, and this is a thing I'd love to introduce in the next installer) or force a firmware upgrade. No one ever tried this.
d) Depends on how you define "happy ending". At worst canon will happily service your camera with no questions asked.
(e) None that I'm aware of, beside pulling out the battery. If you happen to somehow erase the ROM though (and I think it happened once), things may get interesting.

That being said, assuming you start actually making money out of the "install ML on my camera" business I'd kindly ask you to donate some money back to the project (protip: clearly state so in your leaflet or whatever, it makes people think that you're a nice guy)

[nanomad]

Clarification note: We don't know yet whether ML is legal or not, so I'd advise against selling a service related to it and seek legal advice first.
This is also a call for lawyers, if you can help us define the legal status of ML in your country we would like to hear back from you

[nahuel_89p]

a) Close to 0 is my best current estimate (if we exclude people not correctly following the instructions or best practices)
b) Yes, there are so many variables in play that we cannot guarantee anything. You can fuck things up both during installation and usage of ML (if you happen to hit a major undiscovered bug). The UPS won't save you unless you're using a canon AC adapter (the one that allows the camera to do a firmware upgrade).
c) The best we can do is restore the ROM (provided you have a backup first, and this is a thing I'd love to introduce in the next installer) or force a firmware upgrade. No one ever tried this.
d) Depends on how you define "happy ending". At worst canon will happily service your camera with no questions asked.
(e) None that I'm aware of, beside pulling out the battery. If you happen to somehow erase the ROM though (and I think it happened once), things may get interesting.

That being said, assuming you start actually making money out of the "install ML on my camera" business I'd kindly ask you to donate some money back to the project (protip: clearly state so in your leaflet or whatever, it makes people think that you're a nice guy)

I see.
Good idea that of donating, i will surely be able to do so. Seems fair to me.

One more question:

Did anybody here noticed any difference between the cameras shipped to N.America than those shipped to Europe or South America? I'm talking about a difference when it comes to the way the camera responses to ML. I'm not sure, for example, if Canon industries uses the very same components for cameras that are meant to be sold in N.America than those in S.America, and whether Magic lantern is more likely to be more buggy in one of them. Or, like, some 1000D are made in Taiwan, some other in Malasya, who knows? Just wondering.

[nanomad]

The firmware should be identical (they are feature-wise and ML-wise), I suspect the cameras to be the same too.

[a1ex]

Magic Lantern does a firmware checksum first - if the firmware is different than the one we developed on, it won't start.

[nahuel_89p]

Cool.

Just saying: I was browsing in youtube, gathering for some statistics. Most video-tutorials on ML installation has 99,9% of thumbs up, and some of them have more than 50k views.

I came across this comment:

No one can give you guaranty. But we had 1000s of successful installs, and not one single reported brick. I myself had about 50 different builds, some of which were heavily experimental testbuilds and debug-builds, and no problem by now. Its 99.999% safe - if you do it right.

Seems safe enough to me.

[nanomad]

Well, the 2.3 release has been downloaded 133.586 times and the "help my camera is dead" section feels quite empty