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Comment by hobs | Hacker News Reader

Yes, I read every contract I sign my name to, or prevent myself from taking that action. I didnt start doing this until I was probably about 16 or 17 and realized the terms that people were tying themselves to, and often that said terms were legally binding.

I have had employers and peers ridicule me when I take my time to always read everything in the contract, and I simply dont care, I will continue to do it anyway.

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Honest question, how do you get anything else done? I'm in the coffee shop for my morning hacker news dose, and I've already interacted with 2-3 contracts in the form of EULAs in the 20 minutes I've been here.

If I took the time to read and comprehend each of those (while looking for changes in one I've read before, after all there's usually a "terms may change without prior notice" clause), I wouldn't have done anything else this morning.

Trying not to be hyperbolic since some people apparently didnt like my earlier comments, but it doesnt take that long to read most contracts unless they are purposefully misleading.

Most EULAs have very little original content and dont require deep analysis.

Considering those 2-3 things you signed up for or agreed to meant, even insignificantly, that you have given away something of your rights, I think it absolutely behooves anyone to spend the time to decide if those random websites are worth it if they make you agree to a EULA that is pages and pages long.

The point about terms may change without prior notice is fair, I still struggle to regularly read the various changes to the TOS for things as simple as my credit card (which have way WAY shittier contracts to read compared to a EULA). Wile I have seen some services which could provide a diff and notify you on changes, I have decided it is better to not use abusive services instead of play a game of cat and mouse with them.

Me too, especially when the presentation of the contract indicates that the other party desires information asymmetry (e.g. they look impatient and try to rush you, or they have a huge contract in a tiny scrolling window on their site). You have to be ready to walk away from the deal too, or why bother?

Still, I see some totally one-sided (and what I believe to be unenforceable) terms sometimes and I may sign anyway. For the other party to actually get what they want requires a lot more work than just getting my signature, and I'm firmly in the "Fucking sue me" camp. Classic blog post from Pud that everyone worried about contracts should read: http://pud.com/post/10103947044/fucking-sue-me

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