I recently had a moment of clarity with regards to my historical stance on downloading software that I have not paid for. It wasn’t the sort of clarity that helps me to pass on my point of view to others, but the sort that is more or less self-defining.

A new jailbroken iPhone application has been released into the wild that allows users to install cracked versions of pay apps as if they paid for it. It’s no different than using a cracked version of Photoshop or Premier or any other pirated software, but it’s new because it’s on th iPhone! The new app is called Installous (available at www.hackulo.us) and it is a great idea.

I saw my friend using a very expensive application ($70) that he hadn’t paid for and I though, “I want to do that too!” I downloaded the app and installed a couple games that are normally pay-only. I was messing around a little more today and it dawned on me again, after many years … I don’t want to pirate software.

This was particularly poignant because I was recently speaking with someone about the importance of revisiting semi-religious decisions like this with some regularity. I don’t know that I can take a stand against the moral implications of piracy, because I’m honestly not against the concept of learning how to use an application from the cracked (i.e. pirated) versions. But I can say that I have followed-through with my conscience regarding my desires to “have” and to “be able to resist”. I have learned to do without these toys this long, and I can do without them longer if I don’t want to pay for them.

What are your thoughts on piracy? Do you feel you’re just saving money? Do you care?

(Written from my iPhone)

I’ve been using Window 7 pre-release on my home desktop for a couple weeks now and it’s probably a decent time to jot down some thoughts.

I really dig most elements of the user interface: the organization of the screen, as well as the addition of Mac-ish features like preview from the taskbar, make it pretty easy to find directories (aka folders) when you aren’t necessarily good at navigating that sort of thing. I believe there are a few more elements from Vista-land that Vista users have shown me, but I forget to check it when I get home.

I’m am not sure I like the way Win7 handles the congregation of the My Documents folders. I haven’t looked too far into this, but the requirement that I add folders to My Documents instead of just switch where that folder is located is sort of annoying.

The thing that I truly dislike is how hard it is to act like an administrator. When I’m an admin, I don’t ever want to have to use the “Run as administrator” option. I even disable UAC and still am hamstrung when installing or trying to delete certain files. It’s very frustrating when I’m so used to the XP experience, so I’m going to definitely check out what I’m doing wrong there.

Overall I report positive things. I think the average Windows user will like the changes. Being a true power-user, there are a few things I would like to see or use differently.

My computer died… all of a sudden… for no apparent reason.

My main home desktop is was Windows XP SP3.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know that MANDIANT Highlighter v1.1.1 is released and ready to rock and roll!

MANDIANT is proud to announce a new version of Highlighter (version 1.1.1).

We use Outlook 2007 at work to manage all our emails, calendars, and contacts.

Ok, so Highlighter is that log file analysis tool that Jason Luttgens and I created and Nick Harbour contributed a huge amount to in version 1.1 (thanks Nick!).

I’ve had this weird problem while playing games for the past couple years — at some indeterminate interval (admittedly, I haven’t attempted to measure the time because I’m usually very intent on the game), while moving or shooting… basically doing anything involving my mouse, my “character” is immediately turned around. In other words, I’m running North one instant and South the next. I don’t know if it’s exactly 180deg, but I do know that I often get killed because of this issue.

I searched around with various Google searches:
“mouse error jumps OR flips 180 degrees during game”
“mouse error jumps OR flips automatically”
“mouse error jumps OR flips automatically during game”
and so on… I found one possible hit that remarks it’s a Linux-only problem… obviously not since I’m running XP SP3.

I have had this problem with World of Warcraft and Battlefield 2, though I cannot remember (and have not played recently enough) if it happens with Half-Life or HL engine games.

If anyone knows what this is, please comment here. Thanks! I’ll also update if I find a solution.

Jason Luttgens and I were interviewed by Bret Padres and Ovie Carroll over at the CyberSpeak podcast regarding our log analysis tool, Highlighter. Take some time to listen if you’re interested — the interview begins at 18m 10s, though I recommend listening to the whole podcast because those guys are fun and their content relevant.