This letter is available online here.
2014-08-28
Re: Service Manual 3206193
Hello, My name is Tony Morris and I am a happy owner of a 2014 KTM 690 Enduro R motorcycle. I am so happy in fact, that I purchased the service manual for this motorcycle (part number 3206193), which arrived as a DVD. Great! I prefer electronic format because I can search it, I can back it up, I can carry it with me on my electronic device. It is so much better than a paper format.
However, upon arrival of the DVD, I noticed that it is Microsoft Windows .exe format. Now, I have not used Microsoft Windows (or Apple OSX) for several years, so I am well-accustomed to working around this ubiquitous silliness. I mean, it is entirely inappropriate to issue motorcycle service manuals as windows executable files, but it is also inappropriate to do many other things that lay-people do with documents.
So I figured I could just spend a little bit of effort to work around the issue.
To do this, I use virtualisation software to emulate Microsoft Windows. This is because installing Microsoft Windows on hardware proper is both impractical and unethical. I know, I know, millions of people do it around the world. This does not alter the matter of fact that I cannot do it due to the unacceptable practical expenses involved.
I have imaged the DVD into a .iso file, like any responsible person would do
(one who has an ounce of respect for their data), then inserted that image into
the virtualised CD disk drive which is then virtualising the Microsoft Windows 7
operating system.
I then attempted to load one of the Microsoft Windows executable files on the running windows operating system. This is when I was greeted with the following message:
The media could not be verified to be a valid original.
As a result, I am now, at this very moment, filled with rage. This is because I am being forced by KTM to incur an extraordinary expense to read my purchased manual. Not only this, I must also forgo all the conveniences mentioned earlier. This expense and inconvenience is no doubt imposed on me because of "copy protection."
It must be known that I find this practice highly offensive. The idea that I have paid money for what is a completely useless DVD is outrageous regardless of any justification you might dream up. By doing this, you have assumed that the vendor/consumer relationship is a cynical one. Well, that's fine, you don't have to trust me or like me, but you do have to give me what I paid for. This service manual is unusable for the purpose that it was intended and so is in violation of Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 [formerly Trade Practices Act 1974]).
If you are unclear what it means for a responsible person to be issued a service manual, then I will helpfully clarify. As a first step in learning this, I can assure you that a Microsoft Windows .exe format does not meet the necessary criteria.
It is entirely inappropriate and impractical to be distributing a service manual in this way. Please give me what I paid for.
Sincerely,
Tony Morris