b.cognosco
Where leaping to conclusions is my primary form of forward motion.
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Tuesday, November 4, 2003
Goodbye ActiveWords
Your license to ActiveWords PLUS was initiated on 2002.11.03 and has expired.Visit the Purchase link at www.activewords.com to renew the license. A Name and Key will be provided to unlock the software after purchase.
Click "OK" to enter a new Name and Key to renew the license.
Use the Windows Add/Remove Programs Control Panel if you wish to uninstall the software.
ActiveWords ceased to work on my machine yesterday. I don't mean my license expired and they stopped updating it -- like Symantec does with Norton Anti-Virus. I don't mean they stopped offering hosting or additional services like Userland does with Radio.
I mean they locked down the software and told me to uninstall it.
Sorry. Wrong answer!
As it happens I never built a significant base of ActiveWords, so I didn't lose much. But I do believe this is the first time that a simple utility software maker has exhibited such galling behavior. I've never had anyone lock down an app on my desktop computer. And I find it deplorable, I don't care what the EULA said. The principle behind it -- a sort of hostage taking mentality -- is offensive.
I didn't use AW enough to justify paying another $30 or $40 for it. And the appropriate, established model for software like this is property ownership, not rental. I can't -- won't -- ever recommend a utility package that expires and locks up.
What we are left with is an ambivalent user who would have been perfectly happy to keep on using the few simple functions he had created, but had no interest in additional support or features and would likely have created no ongoing burden for the company.
And we have a software company that stood to gain no additional revenue from the user whether they locked up his software or not, but chose to piss him off by throwing a nagging renewal screen in his face every day for the past month, locking up his software and telling him to uninstall it.
I expect I'm not alone. I bought ActiveWords a year ago when there were several bloggers singing its praises and I thought it looked interesting. I'm guessing there are quite a few others who bought it at the same time and they're getting the same crappy treatment. I'd be interested to know if their reaction to this tactic is as visceral as mine. (Sadly, my comments don't work yet so you'll just have to e-mail me.)
Sunday, October 5, 2003
No Comment
As a result of the hosting change I will be temporarily disabling the comment feature of b.cognosco. For the past year I have used the comment server function built into the Manila server I leased from Weblogger. Moving away from Manila means I'll be looking for another way to manage comments here, as well as some other weblogs I run.I hate to lose the comments from past contributors, but that's the way it goes when we have to change platforms. And I'm not sure what comment mechanism I'll use yet, but it shouldn't take too long to get sorted out.
Kudos to Weblogger.com
For the past year b.cognosco has been ably hosted by Erin Clerico and friends at Weblogger.com.Over the next couple of weeks I'm making some changes to my personal technology infrastructure that mean I'll be leaving Weblogger, but this is in no way a result of me being dissatisfied. Erin and friends have done a fine job and I have found their service and support to be among the best I've ever used.
My online needs are changing and growing to the point I need to look at different hosting and management solutions for my business, and consolidating my weblogs into the same structure makes sense.
So I bid a fond farewell to Weblogger, and leave them with my highest recommendation. If you're looking for solid Manila support and service you couldn't ask for a better partner. Their specialty is Manila hosting, but they do a fine job for Radio users and offer simple FTP hosting as well.
Thanks again, Erin.
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Skype Me
There's a new Skype button in the right-hand column of this weblog. The jury is still out on just how useful this will ultimately be. Directory services right now are poor to nonexistent. Sound quality is intermittent. But the cost is right, and it works better than a lot of Beta software I've tried. Install was easy and it didn't break anything else on my machine.I've had a few interesting conversations so far, and there are a few other bloggers putting some serious thought into how this might be utilized. So I think the Skype concept worth enough to break out of my self-imposed blogging exile to post my username.
Henceforth, you can Skype me at terrywfrazier.
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This Page was last updated: Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:06:57 GMT
