Yeah, I know Gmail isn't Teamviewer, and I'm not all grumpypants because my free software went away. Those weren't really my points.
Teamviewer's sudden kicking off thousands of (claimed) non-commercial users was either a business decision, or it wasn't.
- If it wasn't a business decision, it suggests gross incompetence in their detection algorithm.
- If it was a business decision, I feel it was a very poor one. Because...
They could have sent suspected naughty people a notice that their access would be cut in X days if they couldn't provide evidence of private use. They chose not to do that, but just cut people off.
This move, if intentional, presumably was designed to convert free users to paid ones. Maybe it's a brilliant plan and is working like a charm. But from the point of view of this particular user, the way they pulled the rug out from under folks makes it much less likely any future remote-control-software money of mine will go their way.
In my case, I had just driven home to Canada after installing a computer for a friend in Massachusetts. He's a 65-year-old farmer who kind of thinks the internet = AOL. So, remote access to his computer is direly needed if I am to help him take his first steps with his shiny new Gmail account. So, the sudden Teamviewer banishment isn't the end of the world, but it's gonna be painful talking him through setting up **Third Party Product**.
For what it's worth, **Third Party Product** did a similar thing years ago. They originally offered both free and paid services. Then they decided to eliminate the free option. Did they suddenly accuse people of violating their terms and cut them off without notice? Nope. They announced the decision and allowed their customers time to find another service, or pay for a subscription. Was it ethics, or just the thought that angering thousands of potential customers might be a Bad Idea? Who knows.
Anyway, once I get back to the farmer in Mass and my Aunt's computer in Connecticut, all my puters will then be migrated to the shiny chrome train, so I've mainly moved on. But this sends me emails whenever people post, and much like a car crash, it's hard not to look.
