Not much to add to this simple, and yet effective phrase that fit many of the concerns about modern companies and their attitude.
Yes, however Softfever claims that Bambu has not worked with him. I know that there is a possibility he might lie, but I see no reason for him to.
…Bamubu ?!?.. what the heck? That’s the long awaited and highly rumored, the most secure ever new printer from The New Printer Line… the infamous Bamubu H2D???
… and you might (possibly) get there 
Most likely, what they mean by “worked with” means “have informed him that he has has to use Bambu Connect”.
So glad that OrcaSlicer is not falling for this trap! 
SoftFever (The main OrcaSlicer dev.) has spoken:
I hope, this canonball is hitting the right people at Bambu. So sad, that good products get killed by sales ppl… 
So, I read that whole story as: “Broke the wifi at his friends house, 'cause his friends mom still had the default password on her router.”
Sorry for revising something that is 6 days old and probably I’ll repeat some of the things that were already said, but…
However, it is far too open to ensure optimal security.
I want to point out that open doesn’t mean insecure (and closed doesn’t mean secure). If you’ll look for actual research about security of open software and closed software - you’ll see that there is no significant difference in terms of security overall and all that matters are the coding practices of the project (if you do a poor job, security will suffer, if you won’t - it would be ok).
Moreover, you may have noticed that there have been recent cases of stolen protected models.
Can you please name few concrete examples where it was done because of the unofficial firmware? As otherwise that is a logical fallacy - if some one stole a flash drive with a model and published it or some one accidentally published it on a public forum - that have nothing to do with the argument for the security of the firmware.
Here’s a concrete example: imagine a user installs this unofficial firmware, which contains unpatched vulnerabilities.
That is not a concrete example but an imaginary scenario. Concrete example would need to include:
- CVE that was unpatched in unofficial printer firmware (I mean it should be an actual vulnerability)
- Delay in days or hours for the vulnerability to be patched in unofficial firmware compared to upstream
- Concrete attacking vector, including how the attacker hacked into the user’s home network or how the printer was made available on the internet and why (as that is not a default mode for Bambu printers, no matter what the firmware is).
Until then, that is not a concrete scenario.
Again, who would be held accountable?
Legally - Bambu Labs and a hacker (if hacker was the cause).
And it would stay the same in hypothetical but actually, a more likely scenario that someone would hack into Bambu cloud and do the same. So no real difference there.
Actually, it is simple for Bambu to protect themselves - add a tick box that would waive their responsibility in case 3rd party software is at fault, and require sd card to be present to write a log onto it and then require user for support cases to provide printer logs, which would show if its 3rd party software that is at fault or not. Very simple and won’t alienate users.
For those using Orca, it’s worth mentioning that Bambu Lab is actively working with them to maintain existing functionality.
And SoftFever replied in pull request 8103 that they won’t support Bambu Connect because it is too restrictive. I’m not sure why some people were in denial and thought that it wouldn’t be the case, given the restrictions that that approach has.
In the meantime, a tool is already available to transfer G-code files generated by Orca directly to your printers.
Yeah, so users like me now either need to stay on older firmware with all its risks and problems or to install unofficial firmware with all its risks and problems or to use a 3rd party tool or a flash drive to slice in Orca and then send it to bambu printer and then to lose control over the printer that Orca used to have. That is clear anti-user behaviour.
So emotions aside, unless Bambu makes it right (rollback the decision or allow an easy and scalable way for 3rd party developers to get the same access to the APIs as Bambu Slicer does) in the next maybe month or so, my Bambu printer goes to the local market place, and I’ll get myself something from their competitors, as there are few available. If that would be the case, I would refrain from buying anything from them until the company changes to overcompensate for that behaviour, and I would discourage literally everyone I know from buying from them.
Well for the Bambu Lab first time users, I’m sure this sounded great when announced but this doesn’t seem like “We’re working directly with the team to integrate Bambu connect”
@SoftFever Great choice and we will continue to use OrcaSlicer as it’s primarily been the most helpful, reliable and stable slicing program we’ve ever used. We hope the best for the future and will forever support open source amongst this community and the industry. Looking forward to the next stable update!
Thanks for sharing this link.
Wow! Softfever’s decision marks a major shift that Bambu Lab will definitely feel. The lead OrcaSlicer developer is clearly breaking away from Bambu.
Other printer manufacturers have already embraced OrcaSlicer as their go-to slicer, with Qidi being the latest to fully support it by contributing significant code. This is the power of open-source collaboration—the Stone Soup effect in action.
This move further separates Bambu Lab from the broader community, creating an “us vs. them” dynamic. In my 40+ years in tech, the closest comparison would be Sony’s Betamax vs. VHS. Sony had the superior video format, but VHS won the market because of its open format. How many people today even remember Betamax? (Though it’s still used in broadcast video.)
Orca Slicer or Die!!!
So back onto the original topic.
Dr Tao’s grand strategy? Or dumb idea?
I always wondered if Bambu would pull this sort of move with Orca.
Maybe this is Dr. Tao’s grand strategy—drawing a line in the sand and betting on either user complacency (“sheeple” effect) or the unstoppable momentum of their products.
But if Dr. Tao is reading this, I’d remind him of what Google’s CEO said in 2007 about their dominance in search: “We are less than 10 years old, and all of us are only one tech innovation away from obsolescence.” A year later, Facebook took off, and MySpace became an industry tombstone within two years. Google+ never gained traction. Fast forward 18 years, and now ChatGPT is challenging Google Search within a year of its launch.
Only time will tell if Toa’s strategy is right. I think it’s safe to say, he ain’t no Steve Jobs. One cool product does not guarantee success when the margin of performance can be out-innovated with a single product release just like he did with the X1.
I use Orca for calibrating new filament because it’s easy to click on those calibration tests instead of downloading projects and so on. That being said, I don’t use it for prints. I don’t see the difference in my prints. If it’s going away for me, I wouldn’t miss it.
What percentage of the Bambu users use Orca Slicer over Bambu Studio? Probably those who came from other 3d printers and have a thinkering background. So a minority by comparing with the amount of people who bought a Bambu printer and use it as it came. Probably those who make reddit threads and vocal here on these forums.
Looking through social media, most people use the handy app directly. If any of those people complain that they can’t use the app in LAN mode and their app, and I’ve seen youtubers complaining and gaining traction with their ignorance, then they don’t know how the internet works. You can’t have an isolated appliance in your LAN and also access it from distance, from the internet. You need a middleman, being that a cloud, their cloud, a custom vpn or whatever. No, if you’re near your printer it doesn’t mean your app knows you’re nearby or in another country. It works over internet connections, just like every other app you have on your phone, except those paired through bluetooth.
There is too much drama over the wrong thing. Some are legitimate concerns, others complains are just like mindless drones following other ignorant opinions.
What I don’t get it is why would Bambu care about other slicers support. Why would Bambu users care about other slicers? It wasn’t written anywhere when I bought my printer that it has to support Orca or Prusa or whatever. Same thing about MQTT. It should work with their slicer and the rest… they shouldn’t care. If people move away from your slicer to other slicers then it means you did something wrong at some point. Or it’s the minority that they use these printers in other way, like a farm. When it comes to Orca, how do they deal with Prusa Connect? I guess it was already integrated since it’s a fork of Bambu which is a fork of Prusa.
Anyway, my A1 is in LAN mode. There was a need for a mandatory update when I got my replacement bed with that incident a year ago. Otherwise I don’t see the point of firmware updates. There is nothing critical, everything already worked as supposed from the start. It work without problem with Orca or Bambu. If I am to believe those that already have this beta firmware installed, why do I still need a connection to their cloud to set up my printer in LAN mode? Bambu supposedly dismissed that but I’ll believe it when I see it. As long as current printers and future printers still leave these options available (advanced mode supposedly), I don’t see a problem. If future printers don’t have this option that you need it (completely offline or LAN), simply don’t buy it. But of course, you can’t complain about the lack off the handy app or undocumented features that other companies exploit right now. I didn’t choose Bambu for the brand but because the printers are performing very well by default, comparing with the alternatives. Your wallet speaks louder than this drama. Saying that I’m selling my printer because of this, without any real update and not enforced, is just silly.
People talking about replacing the entire software and even circuit boards with open source they don’t know what they are talking about. There is nothing special about the physical Bambu hardware alone. Some other modern printers are just as good when it comes to hardware. It’s all about the software and integration. You will get just another Ender by doing that.
There is some emotional stuff going around, yes. But many of us have in mind and are putting forth complex, principled arguments about the nature of ownership and our rights as owners, not to mention privacy and other issues.
That is not “drama”!
I find arguments over the frequency people choose to exercise their property rights irrelevant and unconvincing. I suppose those of us with minority use-cases should just abandon personal preferences, and all of our deeply held ethical beliefs in privacy, ownership, freedom… because on social media it seems like most people don’t care about these things? Maybe you haven’t interacted with a ton of others with this mindset yet. 
I don’t think anyone’s complaining about “Handy” here. We’re aware we can’t reasonably use a mobile app to control our printers remotely without some kind of cloud integration. (Remote Handy access is a useless niche use-case if I ever heard one, unless you’ve got some oompa loompas living under the printer to clear the plate. I don’t even have the app installed.)
When I first started doing this, the (low) quality of Bambu Studio led me to believe that they’d rather not spend any resources supporting it at all. Mobile apps are the usual junk that get thrown at us.
I don’t know why they would care about pushing use of BS, but if they do maybe they should fix some of the bugs to encourage it first?
Just another rant why I prefer OrcaSlicer:
I don’t understand why Pressure Advance configuration has to be here
And it’s been frigging bugging in and out from my custom value 0.04 to default value 0.02 (all 3 slots that have uname brand PETG). If I forget to check this and put it back to my custom value of 0.04, the seam will be like a giant scar!
Don’t really know if this is programmer incompetency or nefarious down play “unsupported” brand.
Nur weil du die App als sinnlos betrachtest heißt es nicht das sie es auch ist.
Ich hab zum Beispiel Schneemänner als Wheinachtsgeschenke gedruckt. Ich habe den Drucker eingeschaltet und von Arbeit aus den Druck gesstartet. Als die ersten fertig waren habe ich meiner Frau bescheidgegeben das sie die Teile aus den Drucker nimmt. Danach habe ich neue in Auftrag gegeben.
Also aus meiner Sicht ist die App alles andere als nutzlos.
Gruss der Garfield
Just because you think the app is pointless doesn’t mean it is.
For example, I printed snowmen as Christmas presents. I switched on the printer and started printing from work. When the first ones were finished, I told my wife to take them out of the printer. Then I ordered new ones.
So from my point of view, the app is anything but useless.
Greetings from Garfield
Translated with DeepL
FWIW, the X1C is my first 3D printer, I got it a couple weeks ago. First issue I had with BS I was pointed towards Orca.
I think some reasonable expectations for even a closed-source printer are:
- It prints.
- It can accept print jobs and monitor the print via an open protocol over LAN. No closed-source components are required to be installed on another machine, distinct from the printer.
- It is properly secured to the extent that a lack of security can be harmful.
I understand now that the network plugin was already a closed-source component. I was tricked by the claim on BL website that BS is open source. Anyway, requiring some nonsensical standalone bloatware app now is definitely a step even further in the wrong direction.
I am aware it might be quite a bit of work to get back the same seamless printing experience. Anyway, if BL can do it now, the open source community can do it in the future.
Once I found out Orca Slicer was an option I wanted to give it a try, but it will not connect to my A1 with out a pin code and A1s don’t give pin codes.
This is the lack of information that Bambu does not address.
To have the printer to hand an access code to you, you must go into the settings in the Network tab of the printer and turn on Lan Mode. Only then it will give you that access code that you must write within Orca so that you can access it.
If you don’t want Lan mode, you can use the phone app and their cloud and there is no access code needed, only for you to create an account.
Good luck and any question, the community is here to answer.
I don’t personally use Orca Slicer and had no idea that so many people did. However, I wholeheartedly support everyone’s freedom to choose the slicer that best fits their needs