| RawAlex |
05-01-2007 02:54 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by WiredGuy
(Post 12337279)
I haven't defended bit torrents or spyware. Adware, yes, because its legal and has a lot of misconception about it. I don't see anything wrong with software being distributed freely which is supported by advertising. Lots of people put adware and spyware in the same category and it simply isn't true.
WG
|
okay, let me give you an example. I needed to download a utility that I will use exactly once in my life (a file conversion from a weird older format). I looked around, found a free software download site, and downloaded a utlity (pretty small, probably a 5k program, nothing serious). I couldn't figure out why the download was so fucking huge.
Go to run the install, and it wants to install something called (I think) U Want Search. Read the fine print, and it is a program like seekmo or zango that will popup windows when you surf. I declined the install, but even as I did, it set off norton and windows defender... the fucker tried to install even when I said no.
It didn't install, but it managed to fuck up all the favorites, home page, search pages, and kill all my saved passwords out of firefox, and fuck it up so it wouldn't restart. I had to install a new copy.
I don't have a problem with advertising supported software (I run ICQ 5.1 with the ads on the bottom of the page, example). As long as I am using their software, I am subject to their ads. But "popup generators" that are not part of the original software I download are a pain in the ass and far extend past the limits of the software I chose to download. You use a utility once, but you pay for it every minute you are online forever? What a fucking unfair trade.
No wonder companies like Zango average out 100% turnover every 4 or 5 months. Nobody in their right mind would want that shit on their systems. |
