I’ve started to quite dig Canon’s photography products. However, their software support is atrocious. For example: I own a copy of Canon PhotoStitch, their panoramic photo generator, but I’m not allowed to use it.

I don’t take panoramas often at home, so I don’t have it installed. Now that I’m on vacation taking panoramas like crazy I need it — and it’s not available for free download. It’s just available free, on disc, with your purchase of a camera. Free, on disc, but on the other side of the planet.

This has got to be a common use-case: being caught on vacation without software. I’m forced to wonder if they’re trying to extort another $20 from me or if they’re just incompetent. Poor form.

I’ve been forced — by the company — to switch to open source. They must be quite confident in PhotoStitch — they’re driving their users into the open arms of development communes, confident we’ll come running back.

We’ll see how wise that turns out to be.