Avoid technological lemons and be your own consumer advocate.
Most software products are released with known defects. Misleading advertising is rampant in the industry, and few software publishers provide real warranties for their products. And as we all know, most software companies provide woefully inadequate technical support. Quite simply, consumers usually get the short end of the stick in the software industry. Not for long, if the authors of Bad Software can help it. This book pulls no punches in explaining why things are so bad, and how consumers can best stand up for themselves. The authors provide guidance on how to troubleshoot faulty software and when to call for help; exactly what to demand of software companies when defective products cost you time and money; how to ensure a replacement or refund; how best to deal with intransigent companies and their personnel; and much more. Written by industry insiders with software management, technical support management, and legal experience, this book will show you how to fight for your rights and get valuable results.
Companion Web site features legislative and regulatory news and commentary, court cases, and contact information for protection agencies.
Cem Kaner is a Professor of Software Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology, and the Director of Florida Tech's Center for Software Testing Education & Research (CSTER) since 2004. He is perhaps best known outside academia as an advocate of software usability and software testing.
Prior to his professorship, Kaner worked in the software industry beginning in 1983 in Silicon Valley "as a tester, programmer, tech writer, software development manager, product development director, and independent software development consultant." In 1988, he and his co-authors Jack Falk and Hung Quoc Nguyen published what became, at the time, "the best selling book on software testing," Testing Computer Software. He has also worked as a user interface designer.
In 2004 he cofounded the non-profit Association for Software Testing.