David Watanabe writes excellent software that is stable, intuitive, and a joy to use. Acquisition quickly became the definitive p2p file sharing client for OS X, and inspired Acqlite, which is nearly as good and free. There is little doubt that Xtorrent will soon be the definitive Bittorrent client for OS X.

The problem is the developer. He specializes in software explicitly designed to facilitate software and music piracy, and charges exorbitant shareware fees. Not only does he charge for his pirate-ware, he also uses some of the most ironclad anti-piracy schemes in existence to protect it. There is something singularly hypocritical about Watanabe's entire endeavor.

Worse yet, Watanabe offers what is easily the most rude, arrogant, and conceited software support I have ever experienced in my life. I have had the misfortune of dealing with his odious personality with time and again, in relation to his software and other matters.

Are these justifiable reasons to avoid a developer's products? I don't know. There are many satisfied users of Acquisition who don't seem to mind paying through the nose for an app that's superb where its competitors are only good. I will never purchase another Watanabe product as long as I live. It's your call - you get brilliant software, but at the cost of feeding a contemptible personality.