Misc. Ramblings

[rant_power="giga-watts"] Is there a role for government in monopoly industries such as power generation? You're damned f@#$ing right there is. I'm sick and tired of being reasonable in the face of people who hide behind "deregulation" when all they want is the unfettered right to rip people off.

I am fed up with leaches who slide behind the banner of deregulation.

I am fed up with industry attorneys and lobbyists wearing the cloak of "free enterprise" when what they want is neither free nor enterprise.

And finally, I am fed up with investors that make life more dangerous for me and my family because they don't care how they make their money as long as they make as much as possible. If you won't take responsibility for your actions, then I guess someone else will (see here how one company is behaving differently, and making money doing it).

See how FirstEnergy of Ohio, and its predecessors have put profit before public interest because it made them more money (in the short run) by reading US presidential candidate Dennis J. Kucinich on Larry Lessig's blog here.

What happened there has happened all around the country. Are you better off now then you were before deregulation? Is your phone service better? Is your bank better? Is there more quality TV programs to watch or better radio stations to listen to?

The open market economy may be the most efficient way of setting a fair price. But efficiency is the enemy of reliability and in certain industries, like power generation or banks, reliability is the critical need.

There is a small difference between spinning the truth and lying. I'll leave it up to you to decide which is which when you read this US House of Representatives site that lists various public policy issues that the current US President has tried to affect by, shall we say, means other than the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (see it here). Thanks to the Doc for the link.

License to Steal Most software purchased by you isn't really yours. By that I mean you purchase a license to use the software under certain conditions. You literally do not own the software. Go ahead, you can stop reading this post and go and read the small print license on almost any commercial software you purchased. Come back when you're done.

Okay, now that you're back, many of the newer licenses are now time limited. You know the kind where you purchase a license to use the software for a period of time. In many cases, the period of time is until the next version comes out. Then, the license (and the software) would expire and you could no longer use the program unless you paid for a new license.

In other cases, the period of time is set. That is, you can use it for one or two years after which you must buy another license, even if there have been no changes to the program. In most cases, the company will probably do a token update to give their marks customers the impression that they are getting something new for their money but not necessarily so.

This model essentially locks you into paying for the same service for the rest of your natural life. Contrast this with, for example, your buying a car or home. In these instances, when you finish paying off the loan, the car or home is yours. You own it and can do what you will with it. Under the license model, you never own the product. To continue the analogy, this would be a lease on a property or auto. You pay and pay, but never own.

As you would imagine, most people prefer to own what they pay for rather than leasing. And within the bounds of what you can afford, you have the choice. But what happens if you could no longer have that choice? What would you do if you could no longer own your home or car? How would things be if you were forced to lease them for ever and you could never own either?

Well, that's where we seem to be heading with software. As the industry matures and the growth potential curve levels off, companies are looking for ways to keep the money rolling in. Hence, many software companies are now switching to licenses that expire and force you to continuously pay them money, even if there have been no updates/upgrades.

I realize that if a commercial company doesn't make a profit it can not exist. But I also know when I'm being ripped off, and licensing positively reeks of this.

So, while you still have a choice, take a look around and see if you can't find alternatives to companies that see you not as a customer but instead as an open wallet to be plundered.

[rant=off]

Aloha!