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                  “No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!”

Oh, now that just sucks.

I'm trying to get some software I wrote released under the GPL. The software
in question, developed under and for Unix, is owned by a company that no
longer uses said software, being that they switched completely over from Unix
to Windows NT. [1] I've been slowly working on this for several months now.
Not continuously, but as I remember to do so.

The code has an interesting history. It's a library of code I developed over
a period of several years working with Armigeron Information Services, Inc.
[2] It became part of the property the above company bought when they bought
us out a few years ago, but since we left, the above company has since
changed to NT and the library has pretty much languished in obscurity ever
since.

I was working with a friend of mine at the company who was in charge of the
IT department there. He was willing to sign off on the code, but my friend
Chuck, [3] who sold the code in the first place, wants the president of said
company to sign off on it.

Last week we sent a letter to the president outlining what I want to do and
asking them to assign the rights back to me (or at least allow me to GPL the
code and release it). I haven't heard back from them and just now decided to
call my friend to see what's going on.

<RANT>

Not remembering the number of the company, I decide to check their website.
What do I see?

[USEMAP:————.gif]

(Oh, did I mention I'm using Lynx? It's faster than loading up Netscape).
Fine. I click the link.

[USEMAP:————.gif]

MAP: http://www.————.com/#imagemap

1. http://www.————.com/index1.html
2. http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/alternates/index.html [4]

Fine. I click on the first link, knowing that Macromedia does NOT make a plug
in for Lynx.

[EMBED]

That's it. Completely useless. All I'm trying to do is find their @#$@#$@#
phone number and there is NO way to navigate that site without the proper
plug-in.

In-BLOODY-sane.

So I find the number the old fasioned way, I looked it up in the phone book.

</RANT>

“Hello, the Such-n-Such Corporation. How may I help you?” inquires the
receptionist.

“Yes, may I speak to So-n-So please?”

“I'm sorry, but So-n-So no longer works here,” said the receptionist. “Is
there someone else that can help you?”

“ … ” I was without speech. Granted this is someone I don't normally hang out
with on a day-to-day or even a month-to-month basis, but I wasn't expecting
this at all.

“Sir?”

“Ahhhh … oh … ummm … no, that's quite alright. Thank you,” and I hung up.

Great. Now what?

[1] gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2000/05/18.4
[2] http://www.armigeron.com/
[3] http://www.armigeron.com/people/chuck/
[4] http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/alternates/index.html

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