The Ultimate Lock-In

Grok Headline matches for The Ultimate Lock-In

Lock down your SAN

Lock down your SAN 06/24/2005 03:23 PM
ZDNet Jun 23 2005 11:27PM GMT

Don't lock me in

Don't lock me in 01/16/2004 11:04 AM

There's no shortage of articles hyping the Google IPO and today the Washington Post contributes to the buzz machine with Google Fans Fill Web With Buzz Over IPO. Skimming through it, I came across a passage (on page 3) that struck me, though I've probably read the same sentiments a hundred times over the years. Regarding Google's competition, the Post writes,

Yahoo is counting on its roster of registered users and its portal status to give it the upper hand...Microsoft, having seen the rich margins available in search, has also decided to make a play there...In comparison with Microsoft and Yahoo, many analysts say, Google is at an inherent disadvantage because it has no locked-in users: It doesn't require people to pay or register for its services.

Shouldn't the goal be to have services people use, not because they're forced to, but because they want to? Though Google hasn't locked me in according to "analysts," I depend on them wholly for all kinds of things I do daily online, from spell-checking to news reading to basic old-fashioned searching, because they meet my needs. I have no interest in switching to some new improved Yahoo or Microsoft search unless Google fails me.

It seems to me that Google's on the right track, and the analysts are full of bunk. Focus on pleasing the users, give them what they want, and they'll stick with you. You don't need to trap them with registrations, you need to make it easy and pleasant for them to do what they want to do and then let them get on with their lives. It will only be when Google stops giving me what I want that I'd consider changing search engines. Happy users are loyal users, and that's all the lock-in you need.

CD-DVD Lock v1.8

CD-DVD Lock v1.8 02/12/2004 06:15 PM
CD-DVD Lock is intended for restricting read or write access to removable media devices such as CD, DVD, floppy and flash, as well as for restricting access to certain partitions of hard disk drives. CD-DVD Lock will allow you avoid many of headaches connected with unauthorized software installations from any removable media, and also prevent data leak by removable media. [Shareware $29.00 30 Days 800 KB]

vp-usb-lock 0.1

vp-usb-lock 0.1 08/29/2004 12:28 PM
A Linux driver and PAM module for the USB wireless PC lock.

Lock Cup

Lock Cup 07/12/2004 12:38 PM

You know, if your coworkers are so bad about stealing your coffee mug that you need a lock for it, perhaps you should 1) kill them, or 2) start putting your cup in your desk. But if you really need to be that one guy that just has to make a point about it, this Lock-Cup with a hole pluggable only by a special key is probably a good way to go about it, unless you work in a tracheotomy ward, then I'd probably just deal with it.
Read - design a key and what it opens [DesignBoom via I4U]

"Pint Lock"

"Pint Lock" 06/05/2005 11:45 PM

The Pen Is Mightier Than the Lock

The Pen Is Mightier Than the Lock 09/17/2004 10:02 AM
The bicycle thieves of New York always seem to be one step ahead of lock makers, and this time they figured out how to open the common U-shaped lock with a ballpoint pen.

Lock Folder XP v3.4

Lock Folder XP v3.4 08/16/2004 06:39 AM
Lock Folder XP is a new security tool that lets you lock your files, folders and drives with your personal password. The program uses advanced encryption algorithm approved by the US Government. The program protects your sensitive data from unauthorized access, malicious programs, accidental damage and intentional harm. Just drag your file, folder or drive over to the program's window and the rest is done automatically. Get Lock Folder XP now. [Shareware $19.95 30 Days 1.21 MB]

IPO Lock-Up Period

IPO Lock-Up Period 05/21/2004 11:26 AM
Understand how IPOs work before you invest in any.

The pen is mightier than the lock.

The pen is mightier than the lock. 09/14/2004 01:11 PM
Use one of those heavy U-locks to secure your bike? You might want to t hink again. It seems the barrel style lock mechanisms some of them employ can be opened by a Bic pen [.mov movie].

Folder Lock v5.2.0

Folder Lock v5.2.0 04/04/2005 04:05 PM
Folder Lock lets you lock, hide or encrypt confidential files and folders. It can also be used to protect removable disks. [Shareware $35.00 20 Uses 1.77 MB]

Examples of Really Bad Lock-In?

Examples of Really Bad Lock-In? 06/17/2005 04:33 PM
It seems that Jason is annoyed because he's run into something that's rampant in the on-line services world: lock-in. I get a lot of inbound email and I like to upload those contacts to LinkedIn every couple of months so I can figure out which of my contacts are in there. However, as best I can tell (and I could be wrong here) the only way to get your contacts out of GMAIL is to cut and paste the “All...

More Microsoft lock-in

More Microsoft lock-in 06/02/2004 11:18 PM
Windows Media Player 10 Technical Beta.

Microsoft released their technical beta of Windows Media Player 10 for download. The major features include a new interface, a built in online store (with choice of stores), an all in one smart jukebox as well as the most important item: enhanced device support. The enhanced device support includes Auto-Sync which "enables the seamless, automatic synchronization of music, video, and even recorded TV and photos to supported portable devices". It looks like you'll be able to map a hard drive or storage location like a PPC or Smartphone to Auto-Sync as well as transfer TV shows from the media center to a portable media center, we're not sure what is and isn't supported yet but we're going to check it out now.

[unmediated]

The real questions is - and speaking of Real - can this jukebox mix and match music from Napster, MusicMatch, Rhapsody, WalMart, etc?  How 'bout iTunes?

Is vendor lock-in bad?

Is vendor lock-in bad? 12/15/2002 02:28 AM
CNET Dec 15 2002 1:03AM ET

Digital Lock-Down (NPR)

Digital Lock-Down (NPR) 04/09/2004 04:12 PM
This is a near-transcript of a commentary of mine that ran on NPR's All Things Considered on April 5. You can listen to it via Real or Windows Media Player. (And please forgive my over-simplifications and overstatements.; I only had 3 minutes, which makes it tough to be subtle.) From the begining the Web has seemed like the Wild West. But now we're being told that it's actually a looting spree, with people smashing-and-grabbing all the music and movies and copyrighted text they can, for free. The irony is that thanks to Big Content companies such as the recording...

Thanko USB PC Lock

Thanko USB PC Lock 12/29/2004 01:45 PM
Engadget Dec 29 2004 4:32PM GMT

Lock-down CD scores No.1 hit

Lock-down CD scores No.1 hit 06/18/2004 04:55 AM
DRM-tastic!

Everyone Wants to Lock Docs

Everyone Wants to Lock Docs 02/18/2004 09:34 AM
On Tuesday, Adobe unveiled its Adobe Policy Server technology. And Authentica has its own solution to the doc-lock challenge, with its Secure Office solution.

NHL to Lock Out Players Thursday (AP)

NHL to Lock Out Players Thursday (AP) 09/15/2004 01:13 PM
AP - The National Hockey League will lock out its players Thursday, starting a work stoppage that threatens to keep the sport off the ice for the entire 2004-05 season.

Is Caps Lock Dead?

Is Caps Lock Dead? 06/05/2004 07:55 PM

Desktop Lock v6.0.4521

Desktop Lock v6.0.4521 05/21/2004 08:18 AM
Desktop Lock lets you lock all items on your computer (mouse, keyboard, desktop etc). [Shareware $15.00 30 Days 604 KB]

Twist a Pen, Open a Lock

Twist a Pen, Open a Lock 09/17/2004 06:08 AM
Wired News Sep 17 2004 9:56AM GMT

Watching the Google IPO Lock-ups

Watching the Google IPO Lock-ups 08/23/2004 02:40 PM
Search Engine Lowdown Aug 23 2004 7:14PM GMT

Keeping your identity under lock and key

Keeping your identity under lock and key 05/07/2004 01:29 PM
Last issue, I talked about the differences between WS-Federation and the Liberty Alliance schemes for federated identity. While having a free-ranging discussion with Arvind Krishna, IBM's Vice President of Provisioning and Security Development, I realized that the major obstacle to consumer acceptance of federated identity might be the issue of where data is stored: on the local PC, at a single "identity provider" site, or scattered among all of the organizations with which the user has accounts.

Lock Your Workstation from a Shortcut

Lock Your Workstation from a Shortcut 06/16/2004 02:43 PM

Firefox and browser lock-in

Firefox and browser lock-in 02/18/2004 10:37 AM

Browser lock-in is subtle, and Firefox developers should do everything they can to decrease it.

So I download Firefox, and I want to make it my standard browser. I open it. I'm browsing around, and it takes me a while to figure out how to create new tabs instead of new windows. Developers, make ctrl+N open up a new tab, not a new window. Make clicking a link that opens a new window open up in a new tab. Tabs are a major selling point, they should be the default.

I come across a page I like and I want to blog it. But my bookmarklet is on IE, not here. Developers, make an IE bookmarks import function come up automatically the first time I run Firefox. Have it ask me if I'd like to import the bookmarks. Make it painless. I'm at work and have no time to go hunt around for how to import bookmarks.

So I decide to spend a few minutes to create a bookmarklet here. (I'm motivated - I want to use those tabs!) I go to my movabletype page, and it asks me to login. I have long since forgotten my password (IE keeps me logged in forever). So I can't login and I can't ask for my password because I'm at work and the password gets sent to my home email. Developers, make Firefox import cookies when it imports bookmarks.

The end result is that I am forced to go back to IE, and Firefox may just sit on my computer never to be used again unless I find some time to set up all these things.

G-Lock EasyMail Professional v4.52

G-Lock EasyMail Professional v4.52 01/26/2004 10:14 AM
G-Lock EasyMail is a fast, powerful yet simple to use bulk email software designed primarily for applications in which the sender and recipient have an existing relationship, a retailer's customer base, a physician's list of patients, a newsletter. [Shareware $99.00 3.18 MB]

Open source lock-in

Open source lock-in 01/23/2004 04:13 PM

With the release of MySQL 4.0, the licensing policy of the wildly popular open source database underwent a subtle change. The code libraries that client programs use to access the native MySQL API, formerly licensed under the LGPL (Lesser General Public License), were converted to the GPL. The LGPL was designed to exempt "nonfree" programs that link against open source libraries from the GPL's strong requirement to release source code. The purpose of the LGPL, according to the Free Software Foundation, is "to encourage the widest possible use of a certain library, so that it becomes a de-facto standard." And indeed, MySQL has become the database pillar of the so-called LAMP platform, whose acronym expands to Linux, Apache, MySQL, and the trio of Perl, Python, and PHP. [Full story at InfoWorld.com]

Here's an interesting bit of backstory. As originally filed, my use of the terms LGPL and GPL in the lead paragraph was backwards. Not because I don't know the difference, but because it's so darned easy to get yourself mixed up when talking about this stuff. The error got past my own proofreading, and got by several editorial checks as well, but was fortunately caught before it went to print. I'm tempted to say that the complexity of open source licensing can make your eyes bleed, and that's true, but I guess it applies to all software licensing. Oracle, for example, is apparently now offering licensing seminars where you go to learn, not how to use Oracle, but how to pay for it. ...

Lock 'em up and throw away the Webcam

Lock 'em up and throw away the Webcam 08/10/2004 08:40 AM
CNET News.com Aug 10 2004 1:22PM GMT

Forgetfulness-proof PC Lock

Forgetfulness-proof PC Lock 08/17/2004 09:31 AM
Engadget Aug 17 2004 2:05PM GMT

PlayFair And The iPod Lock-In

PlayFair And The iPod Lock-In 05/20/2004 07:13 PM
Where Apple makes its money is from the iPod -- and the iPod is the only device you can play music bought at the iTunes Store on. Hymn/PlayFair removes that link between iPod and iTMS, making it possible to buy music on the store while using it on a competing player. That lack of tie-in is what makes Hymn a threat to Apple. By Ian Betteridge (via MyAppleMenu)

Don't Be Too Quick To Lock Down Desktops

Don't Be Too Quick To Lock Down Desktops 09/17/2004 10:38 AM

Some Readers Want to Lock Up Al Neuharth

Some Readers Want to Lock Up Al Neuharth 12/30/2004 11:53 AM
Pro-War Idiots Want to Lock Up Publisher Al Neuharth; Apparently, it is now an act of treason to offer an editorial opinion on the Iraq war that goes against the conventional wisdom. 12/30 .. left was shrill

editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.j sp?vnu_content_id=1000743012
track this site | 4 links

"Some Readers Want to Lock Up Al
Neuharth"

"Some Readers Want to Lock Up Al
Neuharth" 12/30/2004 11:31 PM

Will Apple use LaGrande to lock down OS
X?

Will Apple use LaGrande to lock down OS
X? 06/17/2005 07:13 PM
A recent Gartner report suggests that Apple may use LaGrande to lock OS X to Mac hardware. Let's take a look at how this might work, and at the arguments for and against.

A Software Key to Lock Up Data

A Software Key to Lock Up Data 06/05/2005 10:45 PM
I keep a spreadsheet file on my laptop with the passwords to all my online accounts and the Social Security numbers of my family members. How do I protect it?

Microsoft Attempts to Lock-Down As Much
as Possible

Microsoft Attempts to Lock-Down As Much
as Possible 02/05/2005 10:16 PM

Microsoft Licenses Analog Anti-rip Technology 

CD copy-protection specialist Macrovision is to work with Microsoft to ensure their respective DRM and anti-rip technologies are interoperable, the two companies said this week. Sounds straightforward enough, but the deal runs deeper. Microsoft agreed to license a number of Macrovision's patents, in particular those relating to analogue copy protection technology and more recent extensions to that system that cover video-on-demand, pay-per-view content and support for the US 'broadcast flag', which determines whether consumers will be able to record digital TV broadcasts.

Secure HTML Lock v1.2.7

Secure HTML Lock v1.2.7 11/03/2003 09:03 PM
Secure HTML Lock protects your webpages by blocking access to source code and more. [Shareware $50.00 3.89 MB]

Microsoft ERP may lock in firms

Microsoft ERP may lock in firms 03/25/2005 06:26 AM
Personal Computer World Mar 25 2005 11:20AM GMT
Grok Description matches for The Ultimate Lock-In
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The Ultimate Lock-In

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