======================================================================== THE GRIPE LINE: ED FOSTER http://www.infoworld.com ======================================================================== Tuesday, October 12, 2004
LATEST WEBLOG ENTRIES ======================================================================== * Rewriting History, Sneakwrap Style * Technology Turn-Off Time? * A Model License ADVERTISEMENT -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Grid computing: Beyond the hype The promise of grid computing is immense. However, like many powerful concepts, there are dissimilar views and different strategies on how to make this a reality. Get beyond the hype by tuning in now to this new webcast. http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=942915:2B910B2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- REWRITING HISTORY, SNEAKWRAP STYLE ======================================================================== Posted October 12, 12:16 AM Pacific Time I've discovered a funny thing about the really nasty sneakwrap terms -- they often disappear shortly after I write about them. And while that's a good result in the overall scheme of things, it does make it harder for us to continue discussing these terms as we go. An interesting example of this has unfolded over the last few months. Back in June, I wrote a GripeLog column ( http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=94290B:2B910B2 ) about the absolutely horrifying terms Hilton Hotels was using as both its online site usage agreement and privacy policy. Coincidence or not, barely a week later Hilton had changed both policies ( http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=94290A:2B910B2 ), removing the most offensive privacy terms from their site usage agreement and revising their privacy policy extensively. Then last month I started hearing from a few readers who had noticed an article ( http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=94291A:2B910B2 ) in an Internet community called CIOinsight. (I suspect CIOinsight might have pretensions to being more than an Internet community, but since that's how they chose to identify the GripeLog without further inquiry, I feel justified in returning the favor.) The story quoted the Hilton CIO at rather remarkable length about how dearly his company values privacy, and then ended with a reference to my story having criticized language in the Hilton privacy policy "which seemed to give it license to use customer information as it chooses." Now, doing what I've been doing for all these years, I've learned not to begrudge the companies I write about engaging in a little damage control. So I was more amused than anything else about the story when it was first pointed out to me, particularly as it did contain one enlightening fact. It turns out that Hilton's Chief Privacy Officer reports not to the CIO but to the legal department, which explains a lot about why it took the company a year to replace their no-privacy privacy policy with something a little more balanced. When the same legal eagles that are in charge of writing the sneakwrap terms get to write the privacy policy as well, of course it's going to be one-sided and totally unfair. But then I received a message from another reader who had just seen the CIOinsight story. "Hilton seems to be calling you a liar, so I am very disturbed that I can't find the privacy terms you quoted in your original story in any of the agreements from Hilton or its affiliates," the reader wrote. "I checked the 'update' link you provided the original terms, and it's broken. Unless you made it all up, I would urge you to produce the original so that we can help defend you." Yikes. Defend me? While I don't believe Hilton is actually suggesting the language I quoted wasn't there, it does give me pause to realize there is no evidence to be found on the web now of what the Hilton documents said. This has happened to me before when discussing some particularly nasty EULAs that were changed after I brought them to light. Linking to an archival webpage doesn't work ... For the full story: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=94290E:2B910B2 TECHNOLOGY TURN-OFF TIME? ======================================================================== Posted October 11, 7:55 AM Pacific Time Are all the latest technology toys worth the trouble? One reader recently explained why he's decided to just stop using broadband, PDAs, high-end cell phones and on-line bill payment. "Essentially -- if anything has to talk to anything else -- I avoid it," the reader wrote. "Because it won't. Or it won't without a lot of coaxing. Or an upgrade. Or a separate service charge. Or the moon being in the right phase, you standing on the left foot, and reciting Shakespeare. In fact, a lot of my 'time saving tools' have been costing so much time spent fixing glitches caused by 'computer errors' on the part of software or the institution that I've dropped: "High Speed Internet: The time spent downloading or uploading mid sized files on dial-up is now exceeded by the time spent downloading and installing the latest fixes and patches to keep out viruses I never had to worry about when using dial-up. Cost? Don't go there. "PDAs: I loved my PDA -- but problems using it with the Outlooks address book always put me traveling, out in the middle of nowhere, only to find the latest update before I left wrote gibberish all over my travel instruction to ... For the full story: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=94290D:2B910B2 A MODEL LICENSE ======================================================================== Posted October 9, 10:26 AM Pacific Time There are some -- indeed, there may be many -- software publishers who are willing to offer their customers fair terms. But why should they? How likely is it to bring them more business? At least one software developer's experience says that it's not all that likely. "About a year ago, I decided to change the EULA and my licensing policies ( http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=942912:2B910B2 ) for my products," says Michael Baker, owner of Code-It Software, a maker of audio editing and other multimedia tools. "My goal was to offer the fairest EULA out there short of open source. I did it for several reasons. First, because I thought it was the right thing to do. I've been following your views for several years and I've joined AFFECT ( http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=942917:2B910B2 ). And, I thought by doing it right, it ought to help my business." Baker's EULA ( http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=942913:2B910B2 ) is indeed more than fair, and his policies eschew all the nasties like DRM and spyware, but so far the evidence is that not many customers care. "I ran a survey where I gave a software application free to any visitor that responded," Baker says. "One of the questions was 'Does the EULA, or the fact that the registered software requires ... For the full story: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=94290C:2B910B2 Contact Ed Foster at [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Ed Foster's "Reader Advocate" column, http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=94290F:2B910B2 , can be read exclusively at his GripeLog Web site: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=942916:2B910B2 ======================================================================== ADVERTISE ======================================================================== For information on advertising, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] UNSUBSCRIBE/MANAGE NEWSLETTERS ======================================================================== To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your e-mail address for any of InfoWorld's e-mail newsletters, go to: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=942909:2B910B2 To subscribe to InfoWorld.com, or InfoWorld Print, or both, or to renew or correct a problem with any InfoWorld subscription, go to http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=942914:2B910B2 To view InfoWorld's privacy policy, visit: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=942910:2B910B2 Copyright (C) 2004 InfoWorld Media Group, 501 Second St., San Francisco, CA 94107 This message was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
