Although we never got that press release we wanted from D-Link addressing accusations that
it was engaging in so-called "NTP vandalism," the company has apparently seen the error of its ways and
been shamed into come to a settlement with the Danish admin whose time server its routers were programmed -- without permission -- to regularly query. In the absence of any government-sponsored options, Poul Henning-Kamp had set up his own NTP server (with donated bandwidth) so that 2,000-odd Danish server administrators could reliably sync their clocks, but because D-Link began coding the server's address into all of their hardware, Henning-Kamp's traffic skyrocketed and his ISP threatened to hit him with a multi-thousand-dollar bill. After writing an open letter exposing D-Link's misdeeds, Henning-Kamp finally heard back from the company that had previously been ignoring him, and the two parties apparently agreed that products already on the market can continue to query the server (which means some sort of payment was probably made), but that D-Link will remove its address from hardware manufactured in the future. Lesson learned: if you've got a problem with a big, faceless corporation, instead of wasting your time in fruitless attempts to contact their lawyers and executives, just make a big public stink until someone pays you to shut up.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeff @ May 11th 2006 4:53PM
Wow, way to make him out to be some jackass with his hand out, waiting to be bribed.
If memory serves, he just wanted them to stop using his bandwidth and publicized his problem when dealing discretely with DLink got him nowhere.
Between Boingboing and Engadget, I KNOW I'm going to hear a baseless, snarky comment about something each day. Although BB ends up throwing "alarmist" in there, too.
Pete @ May 11th 2006 5:05PM
Why are there typos in the motto?
Chad Ryan @ May 11th 2006 5:11PM
Pays him to shut up? What the hell!?! D-Link lawyers already tried to bribe him but he refused to be bought. Payment made, if any, was for damage already caused. Get it right next time Engadget..
Joat @ May 11th 2006 5:20PM
Whay can't a company as big as D-Link implement it's own NTP server? You can't tel me that they are so strapped that they can take care of it themselves.
WilliamBlake @ May 11th 2006 5:38PM
uat thoes
Building Networks for PEOPEL
meen ?
tekdroid @ May 11th 2006 6:18PM
Why are there typos in the motto?
----
Taiwanglish is amazing. I have a D-Link DSL-504G router whose box reads "broandband modem" in huge letters. I also have an external HD case that has "Portbale Hard Disk" printed on the metal face.
It seems spelling doesn't prevent a huge company from maintaining market share. ;)
pableu @ May 11th 2006 6:37PM
D-Links typos are just amazing sometimes. I found a funny one when I bought a bluetooth-stick some time ago: http://pableu.net/archive/wireless_rage.jpg
Karl Viklund @ May 11th 2006 10:09PM
The real problem was that the adress to the NTP-server was hard-coded into the firmware.
Michael @ May 11th 2006 10:38PM
NTP = network time protocol, not the patent scumbags.
I figure Engadget was making a (really bad) funny.
Jono Cono @ May 11th 2006 11:37PM
That's the truth for sure, when you're going up against big corporations the best way is to make it a public fight. Corporations care about their image more than anything, start dragging them through the mud and they'll let go quickly enough!
John Smith @ May 12th 2006 6:32AM
@8 ^
Gee! ya think?
Khaytsus @ May 12th 2006 4:43PM
#7/pableu,
I'm not sure what's funny about that picture.. The 33 feet? That's the range of a class 2 Bluetooth device. 10m.
Class 1 they claim 100m.
Saskboy @ May 13th 2006 1:36PM
The thing about big corporations is that they rarely take the complaints of a single person seriously, until the media gets involved.
GreatProprietor @ May 15th 2006 4:22AM
@12
Did ya really not see it in the picture... I wish my RAGE could project 33 feet. Sadly I keep my RAGE pent up inside. Someday I will set my RAGE free, but it still won't reach 33 feet.
Are ya catchin on yet Khaytsus? Christ...