A rant brought to you by lost_soul.

[lost_soul]

I finished school, and while I was there, I took and passed the A+ exam. I also got testing software to prepare for other certs as well, such as Security+, Network+ and Linux+. These came on CDs. Back then, I loaded up the security training and ran through it a few times.

 

*** years later***

 

On Friday, I decided to load up the Network+ training to learn something and I was considering going for that certification as well. This testing software requires activation. Sure enough, the piece of ***** would not activate. I called the company and they told me that my license to use the software had expired. My ability to access content on physical disks should not "expire".

 

So, my question is, is there any alternative to Transcender to study for these certifications?

 

Also, to any students going to school. DO NOT LET THEM SWITCH YOU TO EBOOKS. The publishers will fuck you over and remove access to the books after you exit the program, or just whenever they feel like it. You will no longer be able to e.g. dig out an old math/science book for a refresher.

 

And while this material is old, most of it still applies. For example, network protocols, security practices and PDNTSPA model do not change.

[Bikerdude]

These f**king arsehole companies want everyone to "lease" s/w from them, in no other industry would the consumer tolerate this level of bullshit. Just imagine you buy a car and after a few years it want start because you cant activate it online or you go to sell it and the company who made it want a cut of the s/h sale. The phrase that springs to mind is "They can F**k right off" and the sooner we the consumer stop putting with being dictated too the better off we will be.

[Sotha]

ebooks? What kind of ebooks? If they are pdfs, surely they can't shut them down after a period. Even so, you could print them into a file or otherwise remove silly security 'features.'

 

Training software is of course a different matter entirely. A bad guy could maybe find a crack online or something. Not endorsable activity in any way, of course.

[Bikerdude]

Let me re-phrase that for you -

 

In a situation where you can't activate online anymore due to the short-sighted greed of the company who made the s/w, the end user is left with no other legitimate choice but to obtain patch/crack/hack online in order to use the s/w or app they paid for with their hard earned cash.

[Sotha]

But the consumer should not buy software that is 'rentware' if they do not like the idea of paying for the renewed license annually. They should get the competitors software that uses the old business model, where you buy the CD and that's it.

 

Bying the rentware and then cracking it cannot be justified. You should simply vote with your wallet and use the products that fit your payment preferences.

[rich_is_bored]

Why is it hot dogs and their buns come in mismatched counts? Why are incandescent light bulbs needlessly fragile? Why don't cell phones manufacturers settle on a standard connector? Why are printers cheaper than their cartridges?

 

You could vote with your wallet out of principle. But then again I'm not sure it's possible to change human nature. It seems people are greedy and they will happily fuck each other over if it's profitable.

Edited February 10, 2013 by rich_is_bored

[Sotha]

Why is it hot dogs and their buns come in mismatched counts? Why are incandescent light bulbs needlessly fragile? Why don't cell phones manufacturers settle on a standard connector? Why are printers cheaper than their cartridges?

 

You could vote with your wallet out of principle. But then again I'm not sure it's possible to change human nature. It seems people are greedy and they will happily fuck each other over if it's profitable.

 

Amen! But we should not steal the incandescent light bulb only because it is needlessly fragile, right? Others can be greedy bastards, but you can choose to be better.

 

Clean shield and all that crap.... Life is more tolerable if you can look yourself in the eye through the mirror. Hopefully I will not make it to so high echelons in life that I would have to let this principle deteriorate.

[Serpentine]

*** years later***

 

Piracy called, it wanted to tell you that its copies are still working fine and you don't even need to feel guilty, they got their money.

 

I've never bothered to use any cd/dvd/thing that's come with a textbook, I have a whole pile of them sitting around. If the content was important they'd have printed it in the book. Extra examples and work never seemed worth it.

[Tels]

These f**king arsehole companies want everyone to "lease" s/w from them, in no other industry would the consumer tolerate this level of bullshit. Just imagine you buy a car and after a few years it want start because you cant activate it online or you go to sell it and the company who made it want a cut of the s/h sale. The phrase that springs to mind is "They can F**k right off" and the sooner we the consumer stop putting with being dictated too the better off we will be.

 

It has already started with entertainment. Have you bought a TV, blu-ray player or media-player lately? The ally come with "apps", and a big disclaimer that the apps might be gone tomorrow, not work at all, or changed in ways you don't like and there is nothing you can do about it.

 

And interestingly, on the LG sets from 2012 the program list, the TV guide, the settings menu, the build-in manual etc are all apps. (30 from 320 Mbyte are used on my set with the "build-in" apps). Technically, the TV is just a computer running linux and either Java or HTML "apps" the provide you with the menu. Practially, it might stop working in 2 years just because the computer in your TV can no longer be updated.

 

The trend is for other devices like telephones, car radios, refridgerators etc to move in the same direction (cell phones are there alreay since a few years). Android devices are so cheap that you can get an entire computer with android, USB power and HDMI output for about 80 € including tax here. There is no real reason they won't add them to devices in the future by default.

 

This trend is disturbing...