Link: Grumbletext Frontpage
As John suggested, I had a look at Grumbletext this afternoon and found out that it’s been hacked! What a shame 😐
Here’s Adrian’s explanation —
Unfortunately, as Grumbletext is a hobby and not something I make any money on, I have a day job like everyone else and I work ridiculous hours so one way or another I don’t have a current backup of the database. I have one but it’s not that recent so I’d like to give the saddo a chance to restore the database if he feels like it – he should have plenty of time available to do so, since he evidently has little in the way of contact with other humans, and seems to think it’s amusing to destroy a public service website, but there are some strange old people in this world, and maybe he didn’t take a copy, in which case a couple of months of your and my hard work has gone down the drain. I apologise to you, the viewers and users of the forum that I didn’t take a backup of the forum everyday, but I’m overworked and I’m afraid that’s the way it is.
I really do hope Adrian puts the old copy he’s got online — Grumbletext served a critical need. Every success Adrian.
With all due respect to the creator of GrumbleText, working “insane” hours isn’t really an excuse for not creating backups of your service. *Everyone* works insane hours, including people who work for large ISP’s like Earthlink, AOL, etc, and backups still get done. There are tools that you can use to do this automatically and you never even have to look back at them.
While I realize that GrumbleText was just a hobby, I think the cavalier attitude of “that’s just the way it is” a *very* poor attitude to have towards those GrumbleText served. Of course, that’s just my $0.02 cents.
There’s always http://www.07text0spam.com for reporting your SMS scams and spams
@ Jennifer
Knowing Adrian as I do (I co-founded Grumbletext for SMS back in 2003), I’d cut him some slack. Yes, he messed up by not backing up properly – (sh)it happens nad I’m sure it was always on his ‘to do’ list. But it isn’t *his* fault he got hacked either. And he does have significant family and work commitments and I imagine the back-up bit always got pushed down the list. Remember he doesn’t need to run the website at all but he does because he wants to and he cares about it. And it isn’t a cavalier attitude – he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Grumbletext has done sterling work in the last few years and helped to make the mobile world a better place for consumers. It has cost Adrian both time and money to do so. And when we set it up, neither Adrian nor I were flush with cash or time but we both felt very strongly that we had to do something to combat junk SMS. So we did it. And I’m really proud to have played a small part in the world of Grumbletext.
If anyone can help him get the data back or have tips on how he should set up his online back up or whatever, then I’d get in touch with him and offer your support to get him and the Grumbletext service back on track.
Hit the baddies harder Send your complaints to the TV Press Put them up on notice boards in clubs and pubs go the whole hog. Don’t give in.
I am very upset that someone hacked the sight. This has been a life line to me, whilst trying to fight a debt company called CAPQUEST. I feel as though I have lost friends, due to dealing with them over the last year.
There are a lot of people out there who are being bullied for money that they do not owe and this company will not even send any form of proof that people do. They just threaten to send you to court.
My thanks to Grumblextext for being a life line, even though it is no longer there. I hope that it is able to be put back onto the website.
Thanks Adrian.
Adrian
I had a dodgy debt company trying that on with me and I too got the best way to respond off of Grumbletext. I can send you the wording that you need to formally send to capquest if you want? By law they have to reply to it (as long as it is sent recorded and with a £1 postal order for their response) with all the proof as original docs, and if they don’t respond in a month they are breaking the law. Thanks to grumbletext for helping me on that one, a great service!!!
steve