Originally Posted by
sbm12
Indeed. It also doesn't make it a legitimate use of the 3rd party data sources.
As for the interpreteration of the word "exclusive," well, that's a new one to me. I guess when trying to promote one's product it makes sense to use language to your own favor. But that doesn't mean the word actually has that definition.
I agree that the tool does change the interface for browsing the websites and in some cases it is easier. I also think that setting up a few bookmarks on my computer is a much more cost-effective approach to parsing the same information. Or using one of the other - and free - tools that expose the same data.
I'm not sure how this isn't "legitimate" - unless it violates the T&C's of those sites. Screen-scraping is a pretty well established web technique used for literally thousands of useful services.
I'm with you on the exclusivity, however. If screen-scraping is all they're doing it isn't exclusive. It may be unique, if no other product is doing it, but it isn't exclusive.
That said, though, it is useful and cost-effective (as a personal opinion) if you place any significant value on your own time. The reason I asked my question earlier in the thread is that I was tired of doing the USAirways/ANA shuffle to look for award inventory - it's cumbersome and slow, even if it id free. I place enough value on my time that if I could cut the search time in half it'd be worth WAY more than the single-digit dollars they're asking.
Now my biggest problem is that I'm a Mac guy.
/A