Slashdot Mirror
Some Hotmail Accounts Wiped
tomhudson writes "PC Magazine reports that many Hotmail accounts have lost all their emails. Users' entire email histories have apparently been lost. 'Users can still log in sans issue. However, they arrive at empty inboxes: No custom folders, no messages in "Sent" or "Deleted," nothing. As one might expect, the abruptness (and unexpectedness) of the purge has left some of Hotmail's long-time users a bit in the dark.'"
> You gets what you pays for.
No you don't. proof: people buy Microsoft products.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
Although I agree that users should have backups in place (and, as I mentioned in another post, any suggestions for a simple bit of cross-platform software that archives into an open format would be helpful), simply saying "It's free, you have no right to bitch" is disingenuous. Yes, in an ideal world one should have a signed contract laying out their precise rights, and yes, any normal free email account has an EULA that basically says "We are not responsible if our service breaks into your house, tars and feathers your spouse, and paints your dog blue", but that does not instantly absolve them from all responsibility in the eyes of their users, wherever they may stand legally. To a reasonable person, there is an expectation of reliability even in a free email service - even if a class action suit wouldn't have a leg to stand on, there's still the (often equally powerful) court of public opinion to deal with.
Personally, I like Mailstore Home when I'm using Windows. It's convenient, backs up only unique emails and allows for convenient archive. With the ability to search for and restore individual emails as well.
$400,000,000, last time it was sold.
Saying Hotmail is free is disingenuous or plain stupid; it's big business. Shifting the commerce method to something slightly more complicated than kindergarten economics is no excuse to parrot such a pathetic knee-jerk response on Slashdot. That's as thoughtless as the plague of "correlation is not causation", "first post!", & "imagine a Beowulf of these."
Yup, and Hotmail trades on reputation. They specifically say they're not responsible for loss of data only to /limit/ liability for failure, but they cannot remove the damage it does to that reputation. Damage it enough and Hotmail will truly become 'free', because it'll be worthless, not paying big salaries and dividends.
People bitching is absolutely crucial feedback to the economic loop. It informs the greater tribe or users, informs the advertising clients, and informs the management, that there are bottom-line affecting problems that need to be addressed right now. People have the legal, moral, and _rational_ right to bitch when Hotmail fucks up data-preservation. They're only limited from suing.
That you and I know better methods of email does not enter into it. Saying "you get what you pay for" here is the most juvenile form of "I told you so" -- it's expressed only to emphasize your "I", grotesquely distorting facts to form a small "notice me!" soapbox for ego. Compared to complaining about this Hotmail fuck-up, you've actually demonstrated stupid bitching rather than identified it. It's really not a proud moment.