Been thinking about this after rewriting a ToS parser in Rust (zero-cost abstractions, memory safety guaranteed, unlike the Go version I had to maintain previously). Do any of you actually read the terms before buying a $2/year VPS? I suspect it's 95% no. The ToS is usually written in C++ equivalent: undefined behavior everywhere, and the provider can terminate at will with no memory safety for your data.
Poll: Do you read the ToS before buying?
I skim for the termination clause at most
Best practices from my time as a Hetzner customer:
- Review termination clauses
- Note prohibited content policies
- Verify refund windows
- Check IP justification requirements
Their standard ToS is available at hetzner.com/legal. They maintain plain-English summaries for all policy documents.
I read it because IIS enjoyers get targeted by weird clauses. Had a provider ban "remote desktop services" in section 14.3 which basically meant any Windows Server install with AD. Active Directory is the reason I use Windows. now I ctrl+f for "microsoft," "remote," and "windows" before buying. Saved me twice.
I ctrl+f for "vietnam" and "asia" lol
swimming upstream since 2019 🐟
95% seems high
Same, I got burned by a "no IRC" clause once
Vive la résistance... électrique