Category: Crazy Stuff

Sourceforge Joins the Ranks of EVIL with Filezilla Malware

666 The Number of the BeastA lot of people rely on Filezilla, the FOSS FTP application. Versions you find on Sourceforge are plagued with malware. And it is on purpose. Continue reading Sourceforge Joins the Ranks of EVIL with Filezilla Malware

Wikipedia Ridiculous Apples to Oranges Comparison to Publishers on Systemic Bias

Wikipedia pats itself on the back for being better on addressing systematic bias than book publisher Taschen in a ridiculous comparison. Continue reading Wikipedia Ridiculous Apples to Oranges Comparison to Publishers on Systemic Bias

Features Subscriptioned into Services Are Bad For You

Software publishers have been struggling with a problem for many years now.  We all know about it, and hate to talk about it. It is when the previous or current version of your product becomes the worst competitor for the next version you want to release. What you have right now (or even in a previous version) fulfills all the basic needs of your customers; your customers are so satisfied that they feel little compunction to upgrade.  Combine this with a growing domination in your market space, and suddenly you find yourself with far more upgrade customers than new customers, and a lot of those upgrade customers may want to skip an upgrade or two. Continue reading Features Subscriptioned into Services Are Bad For You

How Subscription Based Software is Bad for Customers

Software companies are working hard to convince you that a pure subscription model is good for you.  Sometimes it actually is. But mostly its not, because its implemented in ways that is bad for customers and their businesses. Nowhere is this more apparent than the direction of Adobe Creative Cloud.

Lets start with the painful lesson one user of Creative Suite 6 learned that caused him to invalidate his license and get locked into the subscription model. Continue reading How Subscription Based Software is Bad for Customers

Unheard Voices in Ukraine

As many world powers weigh in mostly against the actions Russia (with a mostly silent and non-committal China trying to remain out of the conflict), inevitably the conflict gets reframed to make it easier to understand.  I think that is a disservice to the people of Ukraine.

I have long relations with ethnic Ukrainians and resident Russians in Ukraine (those who also carry a Russian passport), and first and foremost – among all of them – there is an agreement that a Ukraine that is independent of both undue European and Russian influences is the best thing for all Ukrainians.  That may be a dream that died with the fires of the EuroMaidan fueled coup. Continue reading Unheard Voices in Ukraine

Crimea Seizure, Putin and EuroMaidan

When the Soviet Union came to an end, so did a vast cooperative network of military bases. Ukraine, along with its autonomously ruled Crimea region, provided vast ring of key sea and air bases.  Russia assumed the crown of world recognition (and more importantly, the permanent seat on the UN Security Council), but a separate Ukraine presented reach problems, much as regime changes have wrought problems for US bases found throughout the world.  Russia and Ukraine entered into a treaty to solve just that problem, which included paid for leases and rents. Continue reading Crimea Seizure, Putin and EuroMaidan

Ukraine Finding a Path Between Powers

I spend a lot of time working with technology companies to form their international strategies, and often the country of Ukraine is a part of that.  Id like to share my insight into what is currently in the news in the West about the country and its people. Let me tell you a bit about my relationship with the country. Most people associate me with Japan because I have established so many successful technology ventures there – but my investment in Ukraine is significant. Continue reading Ukraine Finding a Path Between Powers