Spb rips off SBSH, again...

[wbgordy]

Can they be serious 8O (http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/diary/?en)? An almost exact clone of PocketBreeze. How sad and shameful. Boycott'em!

[KTamas]

This software is a SHAME. The have copied PocketBreeze, got out a LOTS of functions, renamed it, and here comes SPB Diary. No matter how nice the SPB P+ indicators looks, i've just un-installed it.

[Birdiestyle]

Looks like a good product to me. Boycott them.. LOL... C'mon...!!!

PocketBreeze is a great product, but hardly revolutionary. They basically copied other plugins that came before them(including one of mine) and evolved it into the level of product that is now. The tab idea they claim is "their" idea was used in other Plugins as well, including SPBs, and in all the big PIMs to date including AF, PI, and UP, not too mention most of the rest of PBs functionality. All of these PIM products are essentially rip-offs of programs from the Palm world and before... Who Cares.....

So naturally with PB's success someone will create a similar product to compete, I definitely have considered it as well.... Its good to see such a professional software house take up the reigns, and with this competition it should inspire SBSH to go even further with their product.. They appear to still be way ahead....!!

[socrates63]

Looks like a good product to me. Boycott them.. LOL... C'mon...!!!
Agreed! Competition is good.

I love Spb's programs but I'm sticking with PB.

[Zidane]

Having similar applications is one thing. It's been proven in court that that's all well and good. It's not illegal nor wrong to display the same data in a similar way IF there are few ways to display the information (i.e. Excel vs. Lotus 123). However, it is wrong (and has been sustained in court) that to copy one's user interface so blatantly is wrong. In the above case cited, the court stated that if Microsoft had copied Lotus's menu interface, then Lotus would have won the case.

For example, take a look at any other today plugin. Yes, they all show the same data, but they each show it in a unique way. You can see that they made their products different in one way or another, each having their own look and feel. Since this is the case, US copyright law is upheld.

However, Spb's product is way too close to PocketBreeze and this is where the problem lies. This goes beyond differentiating their product. This actually is some areas is a pixel-by-pixel copy. In fact, unlike the other today plugins, you almost can't tell the difference between the two applications. That's what's got everyone so upset. If I were to look at PIToday, PocketBreeze, Agenda+, etc., I can see noticable differences both in the representation and in the way they behave. Now, I haven't tried Spb's program, but in the look and feel department, this is too close to PocketBreeze. In the US, this would get them into some serious hot water.

[Birdiestyle]

Sorry again I just don't see it.. The layouts while similar are somewhat different. Yes, its probably obvious that they used SBSH's ideas in how they did certain things, maybe even a little too closely. Though like I said, some things in SBSH's software you can point right to where they copied the idea from. Ill have to try them both I guess instead of relying on screenshots..... From the screenshots on both sites they look very distinguishable.... I may be wrong..... and will gladly admit it if I am.

Though it does seem a bit jaded like its being influenced totally by some of the SBSH junkies out there, and fueled by some of SBSH's opinions, like the fact that they went and got a rather laughable "Patent Pending" on using Tabs on a Today based PIM.

Is there another place where this discussion is also going on?

[Jon Westfall]

It does look pretty similar, however I'd argue that any company who blatently tries to steal a product usually would undercut the other product price wise as to further attract customers who would otherwise buy from the the first guy (i.e. tilting a 50/50 split toward you). Since both products are priced the same, obviously SPB felt that their product was unique enough to make it on its own. I haven't tried the SpB product yet, but plan to. Anyone use both products and can speak with facts regarding the similarities / differences?

[jpf]

You might as well complain about AF and PI.

[juni]

Competition is good and I am sure both are unique in their own way. Having dealt with both companies I've never gotten the impression that either one is unhonorable in any way.

[LightMan]

However, Spb's product is way too close to PocketBreeze and this is where the problem lies. This goes beyond differentiating their product. This actually is some areas is a pixel-by-pixel copy. In fact, unlike the other today plugins, you almost can't tell the difference between the two applications. That's what's got everyone so upset. If I were to look at PIToday, PocketBreeze, Agenda+, etc., I can see noticable differences both in the representation and in the way they behave. Now, I haven't tried Spb's program, but in the look and feel department, this is too close to PocketBreeze. In the US, this would get them into some serious hot water.

I agree with Zidane. I've dealt with SPB in the past several times and I never got the idea that they weren't honourable, but SPB Diary has just too many similarities with Pocket Breeze and the fact that they moved the icons to the left instead of top hardly seems as a way of justifying a different and competing product. I mean: horizontal timelines, leading rectangles, the scrolling mechanism, the order in which things are shown, etc, etc. I've tried Diary and in my opinion it is basically a copy.
Knowing SPB, I'm a bit disappointed to see this, since I really feel that they have enough quality to pick some good ideas from other products (which is something everyone does) but also add some of their own, making the product different and moving up a level so that it can be an alternative and not simply a clone. Most unfortunate.

[jeisner]

As a long time pocketbreeze/contactbreeze user I may be biased I guess. But it does look WAY too similar to me...

[dommasters]

I've put a poll here:
Is SPB Diary a rip off of Pocket Breeze ?

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=39642

[alex_kac]

You might as well complain about AF and PI.

We did - 3 years ago, but not anymore. PI came first. AF 4.0 came out right before PI 3.0 came out and it was an almost exact bit for bit copy of PI 2.6. Since then though, the two have diverged nicely and now we have two camps - one who thinks that PI's interface is nicer than AF and one who thinks the AF interface is nicer :)