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A
Anonymous
September 13, 2011
Question

License agreement - to be taken seriously?

  • September 13, 2011
  • 1 reply
  • 996 views

I am installing Adobe Flash Player. To do this, I have to check a box saying that I have read and agree to the License Agreement. So I try to read the agreement before I tick the box. Here is what happens.

Clicking on the link takes me to a page with zillions of links to all kinds of documents. I have to find the correct document on that page myself. This is plain rude. The installer software knows which package and which version it is installing, so it should not be difficult at all to serve me the correct document at once. Someone has been appallingly lazy here.

Having found the document that goes with the package I am installing, I try to open it. The first time it hangs my browser and I have to restart the download. The second time it is irritatingly slow, but in the end a document appears.

All I see is Arabic text. There is no table of contents that would help me find a version in a language that I can read. All I can do is browse through the document. Arabic, Chinese, Russian, more Asian languages, more slavic languages, page after page of meaningless rubble. Finally I run into Dutch and English, two of the languages that I can read. Again, the only word I have for this is rude. How difficult can it be to provide a table of contents that takes me to the correct page right away? I mean, Adobe are the owners of PDF, wouldn' t they know how to make a PDF document that is accessible?

If I am not supposed to read the license agreement, then do away with it all together. If I am to take it seriously, I want to be taken seriously as a customer.

Which each new version of Adobe software, I get the same box to tick, whether or not the agreement has changed. And again I feel treated badly. How difficult can it be to only give me a new agreement when it has really changed? Everytime I have to either go through the same ordeal, or trust Adobe blindly. I do not have very good experience with trusting big software companies blindly.

What do you all think?

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    1 reply

    pwillener
    pwillener
    Legend
    September 13, 2011

    Here is what happens to me when I want to read the license agreement. Clicking on the link on the installer panel takes me to a web page with multiple license agreements for different products, but set so that Flash Player is on top.

    I click on the 10.3 link, which opens a new browser tab, containing the license agreement PDF in multiple languages, but opening on the English page.

    If English is not the language I want to read, then I can click on the left-hand panel on the desired language.

    How difficult is this...?

    A
    Anonymous
    September 13, 2011

    OK, if it would work like you describe, it would be workable, but by no means elegant or user friendly.

    It does not work that way here. The PDF takes ages to load and - I have tried this several times with every update - often does not load at all or hangs my browser. And no, it is not my internet connection because that is a very fast ADSL and other sites work like a breeze. The PDF does not open at the English section and there is no left-hand panel with bookmarks.

    If Adobe would take users seriously, they would:

    - serve me the correct document right away (the installer knows what I am installing - I don't see what the problem is)

    - serve it fast

    - let the document open with a table of contents where I can click on the desired chapter and go there - which is much more reliable than a bookmarks pane which works or does not work depending on software version and user settings.

    But since you are crazy enough to write your name upside down, you must be of the kind that loves puzzles and doing things the difficult way. I like things the easy way. So we will probably never agree on this.

    L
    lakrsroool
    Participant
    September 22, 2011

    Your absolutely correct KoosdeHeer,

    Adobe says I must "read and agree to terms of the Flash Player license Agreement" but EVERYTIME I click on the link to "Read the license here" it NEVER works. Everytime I get an error that reads the following in Adobe Reader: "There was a problem reading this document (14)."

    I have an HP Pavilion G7 with an I3 processer that uses Windows 7 and have 4 Gig Memory and 500 Gig storage and am using the most current version of FireFox browser (6.0.1) and am using Adobe Reader 9.4.5 so I am reasonably current with all that I am using so this should not be the cause of my problem.

    I've tried upgrading the Adobe Reader to version 10 to see if this would solve my problem but I have the same problem as far as doing what is REQUIRED FROM ADOBE, that is read the "license argreement" for this update as well.

    If Adobe can't get their version 9x Reader to work on a system like I have in order to comply to their requirement to read their "agreements" then I have to agree with you that Adobe does NOT take their requirements SERIOUSLY AT ALL.

    When Adobe offers a link (see image above) that is REQUIRED to read but yet DOES NOT WORK with what I have for an operating system and Adobe Reader to do so which works with other documents but NOT Adobe's OWN LINKS then I've got to wonder about Adobe, PERIOD.

    I've gone ahead and installed in the past, but would actually rather just hit the "QUIT" button except for the fact that adobe readers and flash players are so essential.  Sadly, I guess the very fact their applications are so essential allows Adobe to apparently not really care about all of this.

    The only thing I can think that MIGHT be a problem is that I use Dial-Up, if this is the problem then I don't think much of Adobe AT ALL, if they can't accomodate the still around 20% of users who use Dial-Up!!!!

    I've owned Adobe stock in the past but long ago sold it all and don't plan on buying any more in the future based on their total irresponsible attitude about making REQUIRED actions impossible to perform by the user.

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