This is a late post, but I kind of find it funny that people are just now figuring this out. Right after RCK announced his Clarity Suite on InfoWorld years ago, I checked out Devil Mountain right away as it sounded like the CSA product. I simply tracked down the WHOIS on the Devil Mountain DNS entry and found that it traced back to RCK's house outside Tampa.
On the second point, anyone who thinks InfoWorld, ComputerWorld or Network World has any kind of special journalistic integrity has been keeping their head in the sand or just uninformed.
Gibson pushing SpinRite in his IW columns for years, Johna Johnson pushing Nemertes in NW. How did you think you got these issues for free? Did you think that ads paid for everything? IDG's free rags are free because they print semi-ad press releases, allow "editors" that own and maintain ongoing firms.
Why RCK went to great lengths to conceal himself is unknown, but I can say it had nothing to do with any desire for some higher journalistic purpose. The Clarity Suite does expose some MS shortcomings and RCK has found his niche in exposing them. However he is no more the leach than the Windows Secrets man Livingston. He used his "Secrets" column to solicit enough free material from people to write two books and fund a website. Bet you can't find many columns where he didn't give a copy away, a little promotion i would say.
Christine Comaford probably beat them all, but perhaps these research writers can check her out on their own.
In summary, RCK is just one of many in the IT space who have to go to odd measures to maintain visibility for some balm they are selling. Been happening for years, someone just woke up!
The best of ZDNet, delivered
ZDNet Newsletters
Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox
