I leave a hard disk on the floor next to the couch backing up with time machine. Today I was installing a new copy of vBulletin, but they use an awful disk structure of code+resources in one folder, so when I replaced my forums folder with theirs, I inadvertently wiped out the images that my forums user interface uses.

Well, time machine to the rescue!:

• Navigate to my images folder
• Click Time Machine on the dock
• Click back arrow
• See the missing “a2″ folder, select it
• Click restore
• Upload files to server

Done!

Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Ok so we need a WEP hex key for my mom’s airport. I fire up my Intel laptop, no dice, Airport UTILITY won’t open an older Extreme, only Airport ADMIN UTILITY.

Can I download this app? No, An hour searching on apple.com, nothing. I find 4.0.2 for 10.3.3, but that won’t install.

I try 4.0.2 for windows under vmware, nope, can’t see the basestation.

My mom’s new imac doesn’t have it either.

What a freaking joke. Whomever at Apple decided that two utilities, similarly named, and then abandoning the old one, was a good idea:

You should be fired.

This is not Apple quality. This is crap.

Step it up Apple and resolve this asap.

Here is a reply I got from WD about my Open Letter.

The formatting is correct (blue and black text) as it came via HTML email, so I guess that means this was some sort of form reply and they are getting a lot of email about this topic.

Update: Yes, my brother received the exact same email from Ms. Scott, formatted exactly the same. heh.

Now clearly Ms. Scott didn’t get my point. I fully understand that the drive itself does not restrict file access. However, for Western Digital to support this kind of “copyright protection” by including the software with its drives is offensive enough. Precedence is precedence. I don’t think the Western Digitals of the world should become police.

My stance remains the same, while this “MioNet” software is included with Western Digital drives, I won’t buy Western Digital drives.

---

Dear Steven:

 

Thank you for contacting WD and sharing your concerns.  We understand your position, and customer feedback like yours is very valuable to WD.

 

We think it is important to make clear that:

 

1. WD hard drives and WD external drives store user content with no restriction on file types, as they always have.
2. Two of our external hard drives, My Book World Edition and My Book Office Edition, offer MioNet software as an added value to customers.
3. The MioNet software offers users remote access to all of their data and content from anywhere with Internet access.
4. Based on WD’s respect for copyright owners, the MioNet software sold separately and bundled with WD’s My Book World Edition and My Book Office Edition storage appliances currently does not support sharing over the Internet of digital file types normally associated with copyright-protected music and video content.

You can learn more about Mionet software, which was acquired by WD earlier in 2007, by visiting: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/software/index.asp?familyID=200

 

We want to reiterate our appreciation of your feedback; it will be seriously considered for future product development. We’re studying how legitimate rights of copyright owners may be protected while still allowing our MioNet customers to share their own video and audio files.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Catherine Scott

Western Digital

Vice President of Corporate Communications

C.Scott@wdc.com

To: investor@wdc.com, PressRelations@wdc.com

Subject: re: Anywhere Access

I saw a note at MacWorld about the Anywhere Access software that you supply for Windows, which prevents sharing of some 30 file types, such as video files.

I own every piece of content on my computer. I follow copyright laws. I educate others to not steal content. I don’t support companies like Western Digital treating me like a criminal.

Until you cease shipping software that restricts what I can and cannot do with my files, I will cease to buy WD internal drives and My Books. This is a shame, because I like my two My Book drives, but I cannot sit idly by and allow companies to take my rights away.