• (cs)

    I'm sure the license is perfectly acceptable. Why should there be a problem with agreeing to it before finding out what it entails?

    Addendum (2007-12-18 09:24): Still, you gotta hand it to them for letting you hack on their vacuum cleaner robot. Think of the possibilities!

  • Crash Magnet (unregistered) in reply to gabba

    Was there a disk or something? Or was the entire contents of the bubble wrap the EULA warning?

    Crash Magnet

  • John Goewert (unregistered)

    Yeah.. I hate agreeing to stuff I can't read yet.

    At least they gave a link to it at the bottom of the sticker. http://irobot.com/hacker -> http://www.irobot.com/images/consumer/hacker/Roomba_1_Year_Warranty.pdf

    I knew a lot of people were modifying them (tons of posts on makezine.com) and irobot now has a Roomba specifically for programming, but I didn't realize it was an active encouragement. Sweet.

  • Rooser (unregistered)

    I'm also confused by the first one. Are you trying to show that the EULA was inside the package, so by the time you read the thing telling you not to open it, it's already been opened?

  • VI (unregistered) in reply to gabba

    I'm sure the license is perfectly acceptable. Why should there be a problem with agreeing to it before finding out what it entails?

    Can you really be sure without reading it? Will you take the $1 coupon or what's behind the MYSTERY DOOR?!?!

    Still, you gotta hand it to them for letting you hack on their vacuum cleaner robot. Think of the possibilities!

    Skynet?

  • (cs)

    Surely you can read the EULA thru the bubblewrap.

    I would have added a tickbox on the sticker "[ ] I agree to the enclosed EULA".

  • Rene (unregistered) in reply to Rooser

    No, as in, that sticker is on the outside of the package, but the actual agreement is inside ; so you're not supposed to open the package unless you agree to it, but you can't get to the agreement to decide if you accept it without opening the package.

  • Chris (unregistered) in reply to gabba

    The point is the EULA is ENCLOSED and the statement says not to OPEN the package if you don't agree with the EULA.

  • Andrew Cook (unregistered)

    Fortunately, although it's blurry, the photograph shows the sticker with the "http://www.irobot.com/hacker/" URL, which links to the EULA above the fold.

    Ahh, yes, the dangers of marketing mutilating tech specs with copy, then the rag authors mutilating the mutilated tech spec and copy. Sony's specs state that the camera is 30GB.

  • necktologist (unregistered)

    Yay! This kind of stupidity has been used in past court cases to declare entire EULAs null and void.

    If only every stupid EULA was packaged this way, they'd all be unenforcable.

  • mean dad (unregistered)

    Roomba Basic 10 detect child 20 taunt child 30 chase child 40 if detect mother or detect lowbattery 50 abort 60 else 70 goto 20 80 end

  • mindless_drone (unregistered)

    Still, you gotta hand it to them for letting you hack on their vacuum cleaner robot. Think of the possibilities!

    Jump forward 500 hundred years:

    "your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> ..."

  • (cs)

    730 GB for $500? I've been looking for an external hard drive/camera.

  • Richard Gaywood (unregistered)

    What's up with the asshat-advertiser thing? Googling the string brings it up on a couple of random sites that don't seem to have anything to do with each other: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=asshat-advertiser

  • edcode (unregistered) in reply to mindless_drone
    mindless_drone:
    >> Still, you gotta hand it to them for letting you hack on their vacuum cleaner robot. Think of the possibilities!

    Jump forward 500 hundred years:

    "your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> ..."

    No WTF. Just great humour!

  • (cs) in reply to mindless_drone
    mindless_drone:
    >> Still, you gotta hand it to them for letting you hack on their vacuum cleaner robot. Think of the possibilities!

    Jump forward 500 hundred years:

    "your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> ..."

    For those not getting it, watch this clip - it shows up around the 5:00 mark.

  • (cs) in reply to Richard Gaywood
    Richard Gaywood:
    What's up with the asshat-advertiser thing? Googling the string brings it up on a couple of random sites that don't seem to have anything to do with each other: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=asshat-advertiser

    They are all the same in that the "asshat-advertiser" is a query-string parameter that appears to be completely ignored. You could put "gumby-is-a-jerk" there and it would provide the same result.

    The same sites are also in the AltaVista and Yahoo directories with the same query string, which suggests it is not a random occurrence. How it came to be that way, who knows? Not me...

  • (cs) in reply to gabba
    gabba:
    Think of the possibilities!
    http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=704?
  • Nutmeg Programmer (unregistered)

    Apparently 30G (the small print) is correct.

  • (cs)

    It says "Please" so they can send it onwards to somebody else if you don't agree. It doesn't state that by opening the package, you're agreeing to the EULA.

    Not much of a WTF.

  • (cs) in reply to wacco

    About the license: http://www.wellingtongrey.net/miscellanea/archive/2007-12-04--DMCA/2007-12-04-on-the-digital-millenium-copyright-act.html

    About the vacuum: http://www.wellingtongrey.net/miscellanea/archive/2007-01-08%20--%20roomba.html

  • z (unregistered) in reply to mean dad

    goto 20? wtf

  • (cs) in reply to Coditor
    Coditor:
    Surely you can read the EULA thru the bubblewrap.

    I would have added a tickbox on the sticker "[ ] I agree to the enclosed EULA".

    Nah, you use two of the bubble-wrap bubbles as radio buttons to indicate yes/no and pop the appropriate one!
  • (cs) in reply to random_garbage
  • gr (unregistered) in reply to gabba

    Uh, the EULA isn't inside the package either. It's at the url that's clearly visible through the packaging. I don't understand what the problem here is.

  • (cs)

    I would say you have a case with the Camera ad for false advertising. But I am sure the bottom of the page contains a disclaimer. Not like the one I saw once: "We are not responsible for tipographical errors"

  • Botia (unregistered)

    I bet you looked up the camcorder to find out how much disk space it really had!

    Everyone knows that 720GB and 730GB is a marketing term for 30GB, which is a marketing term for about 28GB.

  • pdboddy (unregistered) in reply to Coditor

    I don't know about you, but most stuff I send wrapped in bubblewrap is placed inside a box. So, it's hard to agree to a EULA that states do not open the package... when you have to open the package. :P

  • Quicksilver (unregistered)

    Nothing better could happen to you.

    An EULA that can't be read before you buy is not binding in any way.. at least not here. (Germany)

    So the real wtf is sending an EULA with an already bought article ...

  • ~ (unregistered)

    I've seen the EULA one before with Simply Accounting updates. Quite amusing.

  • (cs) in reply to GalacticCowboy
    GalacticCowboy:
    Richard Gaywood:
    What's up with the asshat-advertiser thing? Googling the string brings it up on a couple of random sites that don't seem to have anything to do with each other: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=asshat-advertiser

    They are all the same in that the "asshat-advertiser" is a query-string parameter that appears to be completely ignored. You could put "gumby-is-a-jerk" there and it would provide the same result.

    The same sites are also in the AltaVista and Yahoo directories with the same query string, which suggests it is not a random occurrence. How it came to be that way, who knows? Not me...

    Ok ok, I'll stop doing this. Just don't go searching for buttmunching Bureaucrats.

  • (cs)
    For more information, visit www.irobot.com/hacker

    Are they implying something about the average joe who is interested in "... giving Roomba new functionality ..." or is this just an example of a misused buzzword?

  • Yorch (unregistered)

    It's not the only EULA that prevents you from reading it before accepting it, several software packages also have that stupid thing... ¿and what about Vista? its EULA includes a link that can (and will) change whenever MS feels like it

  • (cs) in reply to DaveK
    DaveK:
    Coditor:
    Surely you can read the EULA thru the bubblewrap.

    I would have added a tickbox on the sticker "[ ] I agree to the enclosed EULA".

    Nah, you use two of the bubble-wrap bubbles as radio buttons to indicate yes/no and pop the appropriate one!
    DOH I popped them both
  • mErP (unregistered)

    You know, it is still better than the shrink wrap outer packaging that indicates (clearly) that the warranty is void if the seal is broken.

  • PeriSoft (unregistered) in reply to mean dad
    mean dad:
    Roomba Basic 10 detect child 20 taunt child 30 chase child 40 if detect mother or detect lowbattery 50 abort 60 else 70 goto 20 80 end

    Maybe someone else pointed this out, but this won't work - if the roomba detects, taunts, begins to chase the child, but fails to detect the mother or a low battery situation, it will immediately go back to taunting the child. So the chasing, taunting, and detecting of mother or low battery will repeat until low battery or mother detect, thus meaning that, depending on the method of chasing and taunting, the child will likely be able to retreat to safety, leaving the roomba with nothing to chase and nobody to taunt until its batteries run out or the mother shows up - thus breaking the loop and allowing the roomba to go detect the child again.

    You've gotta be careful with this stuff.

  • Pete (unregistered) in reply to Rene
    Rene:
    No, as in, that sticker is on the outside of the package, but the actual agreement is inside ; so you're not supposed to open the package unless you agree to it, but you can't get to the agreement to decide if you accept it without opening the package.

    The sticker says for more information, visit their website. Presumably where there'll be a copy of the EULA for the item there. Cheap and nasty, yes. A valid WTF, no.

    And that '7' typo in front of the 30G in the body of that digicam ad... Sheesh. Looks like this site is scraping wood from the bottom of that WTF barrel again.

  • Mark (unregistered)

    I just bought that same camcorder the other day for only 350$ at meijer.

  • Slash (unregistered) in reply to Siloria
    Siloria:
    For more information, visit www.irobot.com/hacker

    Are they implying something about the average joe who is interested in "... giving Roomba new functionality ..." or is this just an example of a misused buzzword?

    Nope, thats an example of the 'buzzword' being used correctly.

  • Zygo (unregistered) in reply to PeriSoft
    PeriSoft:
    So the chasing, taunting, and detecting of mother or low battery will repeat until low battery or mother detect, thus meaning that, depending on the method of chasing and taunting, the child will likely be able to retreat to safety, leaving the roomba with nothing to chase and nobody to taunt until its batteries run out or the mother shows up.

    Apply this patch:

    25 if not detect child "Oh. Oh, I see. Running away, eh? You yellow bastard! Come back here and take what's coming to you. I'll bite your legs off!"

  • (cs)

    It's an upgrade kit for the vaccuum, it means that the kit is subject to the EULA that was enclosed with the original product, which presumably you've already opened and/or doesn't have the restriction that you have to agree to it before opening. Not a problem, just unclear editing to fit it onto the sticker.

  • (cs) in reply to Nutmeg Programmer
    Nutmeg Programmer:
    Apparently 30G (the small print) is correct.

    Really? You think? Are you sure the camera doesn't come with a 700GB+ drive?

  • (cs) in reply to mean dad

    http://quiznos.com/delivery/?asshat-advertiser

    ^ still active ^

  • gotl (unregistered)

    Why don't you just program the roomba to read you the EULA from inside the package? Problem solved.

  • Rance Mohanitz (unregistered) in reply to edcode

    Gotta love (or hate) Idiocracy!

  • Rance Mohanitz (unregistered) in reply to mindless_drone
    mindless_drone:
    >> Still, you gotta hand it to them for letting you hack on their vacuum cleaner robot. Think of the possibilities!

    Jump forward 500 hundred years:

    "your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> your floor is now clean <bump> ..."

    Gotta love Idiocracy!

  • Waldo (unregistered)

    "(hilighted for clarity)"

    hmm....

  • Vertigo (unregistered) in reply to Richard Gaywood
    Richard Gaywood:
    What's up with the asshat-advertiser thing? Googling the string brings it up on a couple of random sites that don't seem to have anything to do with each other: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=asshat-advertiser
    congrats, your post is at the top of google for that query now!
  • Corvec (unregistered)

    If you read the text right under that, it pretty clearly says that there's more information at www.irobot.com/hacker There is a link to an EULA from that site. I should hope that anyone affected by their EULA would have internet access.

  • David (unregistered)

    These things are completely stupid and unnecessary. For all he knows the license might require him to remove the first party software from the vacuum and add his own. Forcing someone to agree to something that they don't even know what is is stupid. However, there is a simple fix. Steam from heated water + bad sticker = One EULA sticker. Now mail them a letter containing a absurd license and put this sticker on the letter.

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