Shocking news about UtterAccess owner (3 Viewers)

BlueSpruce

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Interesting. Google Gemini confirms that Jack D Leach was the most recent owner of the UA web site and was listed as its administrator. Your news certainly offers a plausible answer to the "why is UA shut down" question. Thanks for the "heads up" on that one.
 
Interesting. Google Gemini confirms that Jack D Leach was the most recent owner of the UA web site and was listed as its administrator. Your news certainly offers a plausible answer to the "why is UA shut down" question. Thanks for the "heads up" on that one.
I'm shocked! Ten years ago, I worked with Jack to market a Machine Shop app he developed with Access and I didn't get any bad vibes about his character. He is innocent until proven guilty, but it seems the Feds have overwhelming evidence against him. Could that be reason why the UA site didn't receive any updates for years?
 
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@BlueSpruce - you ask a valid question about the UA site shutdown, but one that probably cannot be answered in any practical sense. "Distracted" is "distracted" whatever the actual reason that led to neglect.

Over 20 years ago a friend of mine got fired for visiting web sites with extreme NSFW content, very adult-oriented stuff, and his wife divorced him for it. He was not involved with child porn, but he WAS using his employer's computer equipment in an unapproved manner for sex-related posts. This WAS grounds for firing, and even so, he was lucky that the employer didn't also press criminal charges for theft of computer services.

In subsequent discussion, my other friends and I speculated that he got what he needed from the web because he wasn't getting what he needed elsewhere. Read that as you like, but I didn't like his wife because of attitude. In the final analysis, we do what we do because we want it or need it and sometimes don't have a ready source to satisfy that need. Addictive behavior - whether drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, food, or high-speed driving - can provide such a pull on your life that you seem to be out of control trying to get to your vice.
 
@BlueSpruce - you ask a valid question about the UA site shutdown, but one that probably cannot be answered in any practical sense. "Distracted" is "distracted" whatever the actual reason that led to neglect.

Over 20 years ago a friend of mine got fired for visiting web sites with extreme NSFW content, very adult-oriented stuff, and his wife divorced him for it. He was not involved with child porn, but he WAS using his employer's computer equipment in an unapproved manner for sex-related posts. This WAS grounds for firing, and even so, he was lucky that the employer didn't also press criminal charges for theft of computer services.

In subsequent discussion, my other friends and I speculated that he got what he needed from the web because he wasn't getting what he needed elsewhere. Read that as you like, but I didn't like his wife because of attitude. In the final analysis, we do what we do because we want it or need it and sometimes don't have a ready source to satisfy that need. Addictive behavior - whether drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, food, or high-speed driving - can provide such a pull on your life that you seem to be out of control trying to get to your vice.
I still can't believe Jack did what the Feds allege because he's intellectually gifted and never gave any indications he was into anything inmoral. His wife, if he's still married to her, is a prominent Physician. I am truly saddened by this news 😢

Jack wrote the Bible on optimizing Access performance with remote databases. I still have that paper and he's considered one of the top Access developers.

I do remember Jack telling me his great grandpa was a gatsby era gangster. Maybe he inherited some bad genes?
 
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I'm somewhat surprised we didn't get a "This domain has been seized.." type message from UA. I'm sure someone was tasked with looking at every upload to UA.
 
... I'm sure someone was tasked with looking at every upload to UA.
That would take forever, UA had over 4.5M posts! I'm sure the Feds looked at what Jack did from the time he took over UA ownership from George Hubbell.
 
@BlueSpruce - you ask a valid question about the UA site shutdown, but one that probably cannot be answered in any practical sense. "Distracted" is "distracted" whatever the actual reason that led to neglect.

Over 20 years ago a friend of mine got fired for visiting web sites with extreme NSFW content, very adult-oriented stuff, and his wife divorced him for it. He was not involved with child porn, but he WAS using his employer's computer equipment in an unapproved manner for sex-related posts. This WAS grounds for firing, and even so, he was lucky that the employer didn't also press criminal charges for theft of computer services.

In subsequent discussion, my other friends and I speculated that he got what he needed from the web because he wasn't getting what he needed elsewhere. Read that as you like, but I didn't like his wife because of attitude. In the final analysis, we do what we do because we want it or need it and sometimes don't have a ready source to satisfy that need. Addictive behavior - whether drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, food, or high-speed driving - can provide such a pull on your life that you seem to be out of control trying to get to your vice.

Very truly said. I currently write letters to an incarcerated individual who did a couple bad things with a consenting 16 yr old boy - after living a lifetime (literally, his whole life was full-time this) of service and charity to help families in need. I tend to NOT write people off for the one bad thing they did if their life was chock-full of good stuff too. In Jack's case I'll make an exception, though, as my memory of him was being an a-hole to others, though I'm sure he did something good too.
 
Very truly said. I currently write letters to an incarcerated individual who did a couple bad things with a consenting 16 yr old boy - after living a lifetime (literally, his whole life was full-time this) of service and charity to help families in need. I tend to NOT write people off for the one bad thing they did if their life was chock-full of good stuff too. In Jack's case I'll make an exception, though, as my memory of him was being an a-hole to others, though I'm sure he did something good too.
IIRC, not long after Jack upgraded UA to version 4, he moved from NY to FL, halted his Access MVP contributions, totally disconnected from posting anything on UA, and did not fix several things in the site that weren't working right. It looks like somewhere along that timeframe he snapped. I never had any complaints about him when we collaborated 10 years ago in marketing his Access apps and services. Nothing surprises me anymore, but this news was shocking!
 
In this day and age, you fully know someone only when you have access to their computer. Most people anyway.
 
Shocking doesn't even begin to cover it. I'd met Jack as an MVP and we collaborated on a small project. Very sad.
 
In this day and age, you fully know someone only when you have access to their computer. Most people anyway.
They'd think I didn't have much of a life. Bridge and Access and Access and Bridge. But both are actually very engaging so I don't have much time for other stuff.
 

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