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Many Manay Sneakwrap Tricks
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By Ed Foster, Section Columns
Posted on Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 12:51:09 AM PDT
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Just how low can software publishers go in hiding the true nature of what they're selling deep in the fine print of their sneakwrap terms? An outfit called Manay Software is testing those limits of those murky depths with what appears to be a EULA-sanctified bait and switch scheme.
(74 comments, 1084 words in story) Full Story
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The Gripe Wiki: An Experiment in Reader Advocacy
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By Ed Foster, Section Columns
Posted on Mon Aug 08, 2005 at 08:29:03 AM PDT
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I've got a little experiment I'd like you to help with. I've always tried to keep the GripeLog reader-driven, and lately my readers have been steering me toward what they think might be a better way to let them share their opinions about products and vendors. So today I'm announcing the Gripe Wiki, at http://www.gripewiki.com, and I'd like to invite you all to come take a turn at the wheel.
(16 comments, 756 words in story) Full Story
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The Second Annual AntiVirus Poll
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By Ed Foster, Section Columns
Posted on Mon Aug 01, 2005 at 12:05:59 AM PDT
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One of the best ideas I've had since I started the GripeLog was the poll I ran a year ago asking which antivirus software vendor readers trust the most. So why has it taken me until now to follow up on my promise to do it again, adding those vendors that readers felt shouldn't have been left out of the first one? And why do I suspect -- hope, even -- that this second annual GripeLog AntiVirus Poll will be the last?
(118 comments, 599 words in story) Full Story
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Dumb DRM Gets Boost From Sony Music CDs
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By Ed Foster, Section Columns
Posted on Mon Jul 25, 2005 at 09:16:59 AM PDT
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For all their weeping and wailing about peer-to-peer piracy, sometimes it seems like the music industry giants are trying to discourage us from buying their CDs. That's certainly the impression readers are getting from dealing with the copy protection scheme being used on recent Sony BMG Music releases.
(63 comments, 1081 words in story) Full Story
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Alienated Over Onsite Support
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By Ed Foster, Section Columns
Posted on Fri Jul 15, 2005 at 01:26:48 AM PDT
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Almost all onsite support contracts from system manufacturers contain some weasel words to the effect that the decision to actually send a tech to your site is at the manufacturer's discretion. But how extreme do your circumstances have to be before they agree to actually provide the onsite support you paid for? To judge by one reader's recent experience with Alienware at least, it would seem that the more you need onsite support, the less likely you are to receive it.
(75 comments, 880 words in story) Full Story
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No Topical Relief
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By Ed Foster, Section Columns
Posted on Fri Jul 08, 2005 at 08:08:15 AM PDT
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Well, my readers have spoken. And while, as always, they are by no means speaking with one voice, there does seem to be a general consensus that the mix of topics we cover here in the GripeLog is just about right. That doesn't mean, however, that things can't be improved.
(6 comments, 846 words in story) Full Story
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Shouldn't The CardSystems Victims Be Notified?
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By Ed Foster, Section Columns
Posted on Mon Jun 27, 2005 at 08:42:16 AM PDT
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Since it appears most banks aren't going to notify customers whose credit card information was stolen in the CardSystems security breach, here's a suggestion. How about we all turn in our credit cards and get new ones?
(72 comments, 1006 words in story) Full Story
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A Very Fishy License Agreement
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By Ed Foster, Section Columns
Posted on Fri Jun 17, 2005 at 12:20:53 AM PDT
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Tricky sneakwrap terms lurk in the depths of the Internet for so many different kinds of products theses days, it's all too easy to violate some supposedly binding legal contract without even knowing it. If you happen to have some ornamental fish you're leaving unchaperoned, just for example, you might already be in way over your head.
(63 comments, 1112 words in story) Full Story
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Did Apple Sue the Rumor Blogs to Keep Intel Deal Quiet?
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By Ed Foster, Section Columns
Posted on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 08:50:05 AM PDT
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Something's bothering me about Apple's switch to Intel, and it has nothing to do with how well the Mac-Intel machines will perform. In light of what we now see has been on Apple's mind for many months, what should we make of the company's legal attacks on weblogs that supposedly revealed its trade secrets?
(20 comments, 825 words in story) Full Story
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