Oh Lord, what a fun morning it's been catching up on the evening news. 😉
I'm going to reply again to those involved in this thread, but generally speaking …
Notice the love in my first reply to this topic - the inclusion of the ) . Yes, the smiley face, not the potentially sarcastic wink 😉
There was no malicious intent in my reply (or subsequent replies), I simply caught the grammatical errors in the marketing slick and made a comment.
And I laughed when I read the fine print - not everything may be in the version you buy initially … remembering Guidance Software's marketing for Version 3 and the physical disk emulator promise. 😉
So for anyone who read my reply and felt I was throwing sand, I wasn't. Come back to the sandbox and play )
Cheers!
farmerdude
Hi all
Although I do not work for e-fense I do teach the use of Helix here in Europe and can confirm that a Helix Pro version which will be a 'paid' for option is on its way. The free version will continue with the option for a paid support contract.
For the hundreds of thousands that download Helix each release they appreciate its broad toolset, bootable Linux and Live sides and GUI's that attempt to simplify some tasks. That said, it is a free tool and so cannot promise to be perfect in every way. Although I love the 'free' element I also appreciate that like Famerdude, e-fense have wages to pay.
Those of you asking for the differences with Farmerdudes offering can I suggest that you do not listen to either Famerdude or e-fense marketing spin but download and try for yourself.
Famerdude, we have never met, but I have followed your comments regarding Helix for many years. Where serious product flaws exist, these should be discussed in an open forum but differences of opinion and processes are up to the end-user to discern. I appreciate you directing people to your site but also believe that open discussion here is a positive thing. Helix has been tested by many Police forces and Government bodies and it continues to be used extensively, indeed by virtually every Police force I know.
I wish everyone lots of fun playing with both products.
Nick Furneaux
WARDY -
Just a couple of thoughts.
A) There were many, many views of this topic before you posted your personal reply to me on the forum. No one else felt I was attacking the product or the company, or being unfair or unjust, or at least were understanding enough to see where my comments came from. (IE, they didn't take my comments personally) There are grammatical errors in the marketing PDF - I wasn't the only one who spotted them. Lighten up. A smiley face indicates happiness )
B) Supporting A above, wherein you were the only one to reply that anything I said was unjust, unfair, below the belt, etc., when I read your reply I had _no_ idea who you were (are)! I did not know you work for the company behind the product. I thought it odd that you replied as you did, but now that I know you work for the company behind the product it makes it all very clear. You took it personally, and you shouldn't have.
C) Had _anyone_ else (anyone without a Linux boot CD) made the same comments, would you have replied as you did?
D) Perhaps _most_ importantly, instead of grandstanding with "if I were to lower myself I'd reply" (you did reply), don't waste keystrokes, just reply. Where was I wrong? What did you feel was incorrect in either of my two comments? Why not respond to my comments? Would that not benefit all involved?
E) You were the first to say my reply was below the belt, no one else. And perhaps you should re-read your first reply before you state "keeping our comments professional is surely the ….".
F) We don't have rival products. THE FARMER'S BOOT CD is a very different animal. I've never felt there was anything in common other than a boot Linux environment and most of my users agree.
Cheers!
farmerdude
Well Famerdude, that was a helpful reply to WARDY, really moves the topic forward!
JAMIE -
(Continuing to reply to those in this thread, just catching up)
Again, my first post has no ill will. It appears if you have a product and say anything about another product it's ill will. That is very unfortunate. Hyper-sensitivity is a bad thing.
And I did try to steer Jonathan into pinging me direct, because I knew there would be a chance that someone might get sand in their drawers and it would spin out of control (as it has in the past, and apparently, the present and unfortunately the future?). Nothing to hide, just that what Jonathan was asking was different from the original post and I felt it had nothing to do with the original post so I'd take it offline.
Also, I don't think developers are treated harshly here or anywhere else. You might amend that to say anyone who posts may be treated harshly at any given time. 😉 But from a developer perspective, no, I think it's fair game for all involved.
You've included a PDF about the old version of THE FARMER'S BOOT CD on your site and in your newsletter previously. I don't know that this teeny topic requires another one. The FBCD is what it is and that info is available over at the web site. I have no desire to market it on your forum or anywhere else.
I hope as a moderator your pucker factor is easing )
Cheers!
farmerdude
Hello BJ
Grazie for the insightful post. Those points sound somewhat familiar ) And yes, BJ has nailed down why I was steering Jonathan to contact me directly no sales pitch, no sandbox bully, and no desire to point out flaws.
Wicked sense of humor, eh? Hmm … I seem to recall some conversation over dim sum in Hong Kong … 😉
Good to hear from you, and again, thank you for posting why I like to keep it offline. Perhaps in the future I can get you to write my replies? )
Cheers!
farmerdude
nickfx,
Well, I don't know "Famerdude" but yes, I do earn a living. )
Two things. One, as for moving this topic forward - I'm only catching up on replies in this thread. Am I not allowed to reply? And once I've replied, I'm done. Stick a fork in me.
And two, there is no marketing spin. I don't advertise in trade rags, create videos and post on YOUTUBE, write PR statements, nor do I say I'm a "world leader" and the like. The FBCD is just there. Folks stumble upon it, others seek it out. Please don't include me in words about marketing spins.
Cheers!
farmerdude
You seem to forget Jamie first stated your comments seemed "below the belt".
Yes, there were many views of this topic prior to my reply. How you can claim this as evidence everyone else took your comments for what they were, is odd.
I didn't take your post personally. I simply found it unnecessary and felt compelled to reply. I refer to the first point - below the belt. I am not the only person who saw it that way. If it wasn't meant that way, I can be the first to apologise for my comment regarding "lowering myself to your level".
Would I have replied to anyone else in the same way? Yes. Afterall, yesterday evening, you made _NO_ reference to the grammatical errors, or this being what tickled your sense of humour.
As for me being the first to respond, I simply believe most people would much rather not get involved.
Moving on to the substantive topic at hand…
I like Jamie's suggestion - can we get some interviews and maybe a whitepaper discussing the various forensic live boot CD options?
And it'd be nice if it were not exclusive to Helix3 or FBCD, since there are other options out there as well.
can we get some interviews and maybe a whitepaper discussing the various forensic live boot CD options?
I can certainly try to arrange some interviews. As far as a whitepaper is concerned if anyone's interested in putting something together drop me a line with a proposal and I'll see what I can do with regard to remuneration.
Jamie