Hey Tom,
I DID respond. Someone asked if I thought I could figure out the remote and I said I do software development. All I want are the tools to make the thing work: the MX Editor with update capabilities. I need the update portion becuase of firmware upgrades by URC.

The reason I have not weighed in on this thus far is becuase some people are offering answers great answers but many are offering religious-like sentiment on both sides of the equation.

BTW, the analogy of buying a Ford truck is a poor one. A more accurate analogy is buying a TV, VCR, a Game Boy or an Xbox. I would never have thought to check warranty issues with these products and never have. We are dealing with a consumer electronic product, not a cypher box that will devulge national security secrets.

As I said in the original post, I appreciate URC's position but I just don't understand it. They have a revenue opportunity for those of us who got screwed by buying their product from an alternate source...something I did UNKNOWINGLY. I think as a business they should do a fee-for-serivce secnario 'a la' the open source sofware business but they choose not to. That is their prerogative.

So the bottom line is this:
If I can not get a copy of the MX EDITOR with update capabilities my only recourse is to sell the MX-3000 on ebay and wait for the Logitech Harmony 1000 to be released on October 6th. I rarely buy 1st generation electronic products but I believe Logitech 'GETS IT" as a consmer electonics provider whereas URC is acting like a company with a limited vision. And. as I said in my original post, they are protecting their channel partners, but I believe that in the consumer electronics market, it all about selling units and lots of them. And winning hearts and minds is also a plus.