That includes Quicken and TurboTax, folks. You probably have one…or the other…or both. So pay close attention, in case you didn’t know that your Quicken software is about to self-destruct.
You can find a link to the full story here, but here’s a quick and dirty version:
If you own Quicken 2005, as of April 30, 2008, many of the features you’re currently using — online billpay, downloading your bank account, stock quotes — will be disabled and will no longer be available…unless you pay $59.99 to upgrade. Without these features, what’s the point of using Quicken?? Most banks have online billpay that’s tied to one or more of your bank accounts, along with online account access and online statements — so you’re not totally screwed, but you are indeed about to be really inconvenienced unless you shell out the bucks to upgrade. Boo hiss!
And do we really need to mention the TurboTax/Spyware debacle of 2003?
I can understand the need for Adobe to upgrade Photoshop often and build in all sorts of anti-piracy features — it’s expensive software, mostly used by people who make their living using it. Fair’s fair. If you can charge a client $20,000 for an identity package, you should be able to afford to pay $1800 for your tools. But we’re not talking about a professional-level software here — we’re talking about Quicken and TurboTax. If you’re running a business and only use Quicken for your accounting…well, maybe I can address that issue in a separate blog post. These are consumer-level software packages, and shouldn’t be subject to the same controls and forced-upgrade policies — bottom line.
So yet again, I find myself saying “shame on you, Intuit” and will be looking into buying something else to do next year’s taxes.
Tags: corporate greed, crap, geek stuff, software, spyware