14 September 2006

Size Doesn't Matter

Just because you occupy a significant portion of a market doesn't mean you're infallable. Just ask Pluto. In this example, Amazon tries to play the video-on-demand game, and fumbles the ball:
After the Install Shield launched and I chose uninstall, I got a login screen for my Amazon account. I just wanted to uninstall it. I shouldn't have to log in to my account to do that. So I canceled the login, and the uninstall failed. I tried that three times, and it failed each time. Finally I gave up and logged in and the uninstall finished. So, in summary, to be allowed the privilege of purchasing a video that I can't burn to DVD and can't watch on my iPod, I have to allow a program to hijack my start-up and force me to login to uninstall it? No way. Sorry, Amazon."
I've purged software I've both paid for and downloaded for free because of them running Man Behind the Curtain operations without the knowledge of typical computer users. Hardware or software that operates covertly is the kiss of death for me - no matter whose name is on the package.

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