Excuse me while I vent.

I spent nearly $200 on a Rosetta Stone program. Now I'm sure most of us and people who get computers in the future are setup where your OS is on a smaller SSD and you have a 2nd HDD for your programs and data. Well, if you plan on using Rosetta Stone, beware. It won't let you install on any other drive but c:. So, if your c: drive is an SSD and it is already close to capacity, you're out of luck. What really burns me up is how hard is it to program the installer so that it allows installation to another drive? The simplest silliest programs for kids to the more expensive $2000+ programs like AutoCAD let you do so. Rosetta Stone's reason?

"The program is designed to install to your main hard drive due to the potentially complex interactions between multiple learner accounts on the computer and their access rights, installed applications and installed languages. An option that might work for you is our TOTALe Online Subscription. This allows you to access the program from any computer with high speed internet access. With the TOTALe Online Subscription you do not have to install any CDs but just our speech component which only takes 10 MB of space. You get access to Rosetta Course, Rosetta Studio, Rosetta World for the duration of the subscription. You can also access our mobile applications available on iPod, iPhone, iPad, and select Android devices for the duration of your subscription. We hope we have answered all of your questions today. If you would like you can submit a ticket or chat with us live through the Support button at the top left hand side of this page and we will be happy to assist you further."

Well, that sounds like a load of bull, especially since someone pointed out:

"Dear Rosetta Stone and Miguel. Thanks for your standard canned response. Lucky for me I've been in the software industry for 22 years and I can officially tell you how full of baloney your response is. First off, I've run the program on a C drive beforehand, two of my children used it under the SAME Windows User Profile. You understand what that means correct? That your saved data for each user can be and is stored in the same directory for all users regardless of which user profile is logged into Windows. In fact your own application notes on how to backup user data points to only one directory to backup the course information for ALL USERS. That means that the program can be installed anywhere as long as it knows where the program data is and those are standard environment variables setup with every windows install. So let's be real here. All your installation engineers have to do is change the installshield package or whatever you use to allow the end user to point the install to another drive because there is nothing complex about the install or where and how user profiles are stored and saved."

Sounds more to me like Rosetta Stone is wanting to make money on perpetual subscription fees instead of the one-time fee of buying the software outright.

I don't understand why they can't see that people are moving to SSDs, which means smaller space except for the 2nd HDD. It never lists this as a requirement on the box or on their website. This will make them look pretty bad, and I wouldn't be surprised if they start to get lawsuits filed against them. I contacted them via online chat and all they said was that they will take note of it. The same thing they have been saying since at least 2012 when the above post was sent to them. On top of that all they can say in the chat session with me was "we are sorry for the inconvenience. Is there anything else I can help you with?" I almost laughed when they said they thought they helped me. Before I can respond, they cut me off and ended the chat session which REALLY burned me up.

So, anyone thinking of using this software, beware of this form of rip-off. I'm sure their program is good, and they know it hence why they get you like this, but what good is it if you can't even use it because you can't install it?

v6,
boNes

Bones, if you haven't done so already, post the same information on their social media channels. If you want to get their attention, letting others know about it on "their" sites is the most efficient way.

Oh, and every forum you frequent; be sure to kindly send them the links.

Jayhawk,

Those quotes were pulled off of their Facebook page, and I added my own grievances. Hey, if I'm wrong, I'll listen, but to me, it sounds very inane what they are doing.

How are you doing? We still think fondly about those pints we raised with you! And I still drink gluwhein at the Chicago Christkindlmarket out of that mug we got with you in Munich, haha!

v6,
boNes

Oh,and link, per Jayhawk



Link

v6,
boNes

You might want to consider looking at Duolingo. I believe it's mostly free, and from what I've heard, extremely good.

I'm fine so far (just struggling with the flu atm). Yep, that was a fun evening. You guys were lucky to experience snow during your visit. This Christmas it was sunny with temperatures around 59F on the 24th. We didn't drink Gl�hwein at the Christkindlmarkt, but cold beer.

In all my many years in the transportation business I have met dozens of people who have used rosetta stone, self included. It's a big number because RS can be had for pennies in countries where pirating is common. Language is a subject that interests me so I always ask Rosetta Stone fans, "Can you hold a conversation past ordering a beer"? So far, nobody has answered "yes". It's a giant waste of time.

IMHO, the only way to really learn a language is to immerse yourself in it by speaking it every day with native speakers. That usually entails living in the country that speaks the language you are trying to learn. For the most part, learning a language via books and a classroom doesn't work.

Not really. Even if you get the technical skills down you're missing half of the content, it's a soft skill that needs to be constantly trained to gain proficiency.

The books aren't a bad start though if you learn well that way.

I have tried their software before and it does really seem to work well, for beyond ordering a beer. I just wanted to buy a complete set of levels to really learn something further (ironically enough, it is my own "native" tongue that I don't know how to speak well, Tagalog, so I figured I'd learn this way and use like my mom or Ice (haha) for live practice). BUt anyway, just burns me up...

v6,
boNes

I rather learn the language hands on.

I learned to speak German by dating Aryan Blonde haired green/blue eyes German women when I was single.

We don't all have smoking European babes walking around to learn from

Nor can we all move to said country for a year.



The Jedi Master

Well, we all probably could but it'd be the same as leaving everything behind and moving to Ukraine as far as employment and languages are concerned.

Been here on and off for 10 years and still can not hold a conversation in Flemish, I can read it fine, I can understand a good bit of it spoken, but I can not pronounce the words to save my life

Oh and every one wants to practice their English with me, even the grand kids!

Called my daughter up at work one lunchtime, she had only just started the job a week previous, we spoke in English and her boss overheard her. A week later she got moved to a new office, promoted, and given a company car just because the boss heard her good English

LOL, that's the exact OPPOSITE of over here.



The Jedi Master

So Alicatt, do you have plans on learning Walloon as well?

Second Doulingo!