Very often technicians start down the path of having me install software without saying what they're doing. I've gotten to where I can recognise this and respond with directly to the issues they will suppose makes it necessary for them to have their software and only their software installed. If its a chat application for example, I politely say I only use Free Software or Open Source Software (because they often recognise OOS and not FS) and that I already have a Free Software application that will do the job (I name their software and chat protocol) and I explain that redundant software in not necessary and undesired. Today however, a tech stopped me cold with "I am not authorised to discuss the use of other technical support software!" and gave this response repeatedly as I explained I didn't need to install two redundant applications for software for chat and desktop sharing for the software on her end to function. I finally replied "but of course" to each step of her installation process without complying with the instructions. Chat when fine as expected. I didn't really think it through that she would not see her software on my computer screen once she connected. She started with _amazing_ speed opening a command line, viewing my ip information, pinging different ip address (or she ran a script to do this, but I caught a few backspaced typos, so I think she was actually that fast). But after a few seconds disconnected from desktop and chat. On the phone she stumbled "I am not authorised to discu-ah-use of the others support softwares technical support of ah our software." Not sure how to proceed, I remained silent. Until she moved on to other parts of here script (the instructions in front of her that she follows). Well, the call ended on an unrelated note when she finally got to the part that I was beyond my 9 days of free support and continuing would cost me more than buying a replacement. It got me to thinking bout a lot of issues of 3rd party support. I wondered if the hardware manufacturer (most manufacturers I've found are willing to consider that the customer is always right) realised this militant enforcement of external software policy was being imposed on their customers (I intend to find out). But for the issue at hand. Is it possibly a the support company's canned response was specifically formed against FOSS or (seems more likely) against all other software. And does anybody have any suggestions on a better way to respond to an "install our software" ultimatum?
-- Viruses, Malware, CD-Keys, product activation codes, systems crashes, hours of installing software, uninstalling demo programs you'll never use, unconstitutional license agreements that destroy our Human freedoms, all are obsolete <http://www.ubuntu.com>. Install it and fix Windows forever. If you like, you can even keep your old Windows with all those problems; it'll run side-by-side with Ubuntu. Oh and there's over 5000 games available <http://www.uvlist.net/search?ftag=-notlinux&fplat=106&sort=pop&ipp=c>
