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Hunter and Clark use Picnam to manage scanned invoices and timesheets.
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"What a great program! I've been goofing off for months with other programs and this is the easiest to use and simple to boot."
Bernhard R.
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Information
Installation Instructions
Online Documentation
Managing Scanned Documents
Picnam contains features to make working with scanned documents easier.
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Why Text Files?
The most common question people ask about Picnam is "Why did you choose to use text files for comments?" This article gives some of the reasons you might prefer to use text files rather than metadata to store information about your pictures.
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Recording Information About Genealogy and Family History Photos
Picnam is ideal for making notes about scanned documents and photos for family history or genealogy.
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Preserving Digital Photos
Digital photography makes it easy to take lots of photos, but they are very easily lost. What can you do to make sure your photos survive for years to come?
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EULAs Part 2: Minimum entitlements and Software Code of Conduct
In Part 1 of this article I described the way software End User License Agreements (EULA) are used, and argued that they are too complex for a consumer product, and some companies are using them for unethical purposes. Many people either pay too much for software or inadvertently use software illegally, because they don't understand the licenses.
Most products don't require you to read an actual contract to purchase them. There are laws that have been created over time that spell out what sort of agreement is created when a product is purchased, and the rights and obligations of the seller and the purchaser. You don't need to explicitly agree to anything before your new toaster will cook a slice of toast for you.
When you purchase software, every product is likely to have a different End User License Agreement (EULA). The EULA spells out what you have actually purchased, and often reduces the manufacturers obligations to the minimum legally possible. It is usually impossible to read the EULA at the point of purchase, which means that in practise most people don't know exactly what they are purchasing when they hand over their money. Complex contracts might be reasonable for companies buying software, but not for normal consumers buying a product off the shelf.
Minimum entitlements for a consumer
To help with this problem, a standard set of rights for software purchasers could be defined. These would be similar to the implied terms when purchasing other products. They would set out the minimum entitlements a software purchaser would receive, and an EULA would not be permitted to modify them. To protect the flexibility to negotiate terms between businesses, there would be limits on when they apply. They would only apply to software bought "off the shelf" (including over the Internet), by consumers. They would not apply if there was actual negotiation about the terms of the agreement.
These are the minimum entitlements a consumer should receive when they purchase a software product:
- The right to install and run 1 copy of the software on 1 computer for use by 1 person at a time.
- The right to remove the software from a computer and install it on another computer.
- The right to use the software for as long as it remains useful to them. Ongoing support and updates from the manufacturer are not guaranteed, but the software should not become unusable simply because time has passed.
- The ability to reinstall and use the software even if the vendor no longer exists. This rules out activation schemes where contact with the vendor is required, but allows schemes where a key is supplied to the purchaser. The purchaser is responsible for keeping the key safe.
- The terms of the license should not change depending on what else is purchased at the same time.
- The standard protections of fitness for purpose and merchantable quality (EULAs often attempt to exclude them, although that may not be legally possible).
- Any additional license terms should be brought to the attention of the customer before they buy the product. Additional terms should be in plain language and simple enough that a consumer could reasonably be expected to read and understand them.
- The EULA should not be changed through updates or bug fixes. A new version of the software can include a modified EULA, however it should be clear to the user that it is a new product with different terms and conditions. The upgrade should be initiated by the user rather than an automated process.
These should be the minimum rights - the vendor is free to give additional rights if they wish to e.g.. installing on a second PC used by the same person.
If some basic protections for the vendor were also included, you might be able to dispense with the need for an EULA altogether. Both parties could rely on the implied terms. This would make purchases of software similar to purchasing any other consumer product. Consumers would have a much better understanding of what they were buying. Accidental software piracy would be reduced.
Software Code of Conduct
I would also like to see a code of conduct for software. This is probably impossible to define legally, but it might be possible to create some sort of brand for software that complied.
I would suggest the following for a software code of conduct:
- Unless the software is sold as a utility program, device driver or part of the operating system (e.g. antivirus, firewall, backup etc) it does not use any interfaces not intended for application programs, and does not install any hooks into the operating system.
- The software does not attempt to deceive the user about any of its functions.
- The software does not communicate over the Internet without permission.
- If the user shuts the program down, it should exit completely. Programs should not start up automatically when the system boots without asking the user first and providing an easy option to disable this function. Sure, it makes your program look like it starts faster, but if every program on the system is running nothing runs fast, and booting takes forever. If it is really necessary for a program to run all the time, the user should be able to enable it for the programs they use.
- The software does not interfere with or disable the function of other programs (other than malware, if the software is sold as a defence against malware or is being targeted by the malware). The overriding principle is that the user should be in control of their own computer, and software should not do things that the user does not want.
- The software does not force the user to upgrade to new versions. The user can continue to use an old version if it fits their needs.
The good new is at least some of these items are covered by various spyware laws, and they are the basis for parts of the lawsuits against Sony.
Unfortunately most of this is probably pie in the sky stuff. The big software companies are not going to agree with it, and they have the money and the influence to make the rules. However enough pressure from consumers might make a difference. Tell your local politicians that the current EULA system is too complex for consumer software, and it is often difficult to even find out what you are buying before you spend the money. Tell your local consumer affairs organisation. If you write software, follow these principles yourself, tell your customers about it and ask them to demand it from other companies. The reputation of the computer industry can only be improved by treating consumers fairly. If consumers come to expect better treatment from software companies, maybe the larger companies will be forced to improve their practices.