Being in an industry that is entrenched in Windows based software means that I am constantly looking for a solution that is both robust and not terrible looking. We chose Yardi’s Genesis software for our property management needs because it was the only offering that offered everything we needed and did so without cutting corners.

Unfortunately Yardi is stuck in the dark ages of local servers and Windows 95 — seriously — and makes Excel look like cutting edge UI design.

This means that I routinely search around the web to see if other software offerings have caught up, or surpassed what we use. Usually I end the day having tried a few other pieces of software and finding nothing remotely close.

Today I needed some work-order software that was web-based, and I ran into something I see often: “request a demo” links.

Could there be anything more hostile towards new users than refusing to give pricing, screenshots, videos, or access to a demo site?

I came up with a new rule today: If your site won’t give me pricing and a view of your product without me having to give you my contact info — in other words if you are saying “fuck you” to me — then, well, fuck you too.