Go To Spam Blocking Home | Add to Favorites
Adware And The Case Against Bundled Software
Bundling software applications together is a practice much abused by purveyors of adware. The potential for sneaking unwanted software into a bundle of desirable software is obvious. The benefits of bundling software aren't so obvious. Isn't it time to consider dumping the practice of bundling software altogether?
Bundled Software: When Is It Not Adware?
If a user wants a piece of software, why can't he or she be allowed to install it separately? If the bundled software were essential to the functioning of the original software (excluding generic functions such as install, un-uninstall, and documentation), why wouldn't the developer build its functions directly into the original software?
Sure, sometimes there's a software application that clearly complements another application. But for users who do not want the complementary software, having it just means a bloated install file and a needlessly long installation process.
Does the chance that users will want the bundled software ever outweigh the risk of the bundled software being installed without the user noticing? In the case of adware, the technology community is increasingly willing to put the burden of proof on the adware bundlers:
* Cnet's download.com website recently removed any and all software that comes bundled with another piece of software that shows advertising, regardless of how well informed the user is of the bundled software.
* Affiliate networks such as Commission Junction and Kolimbo have either cautioned advertisers against accepting adware distributors into their affiliate programs or kicked them out altogether.
* Many technology law experts are saying that the click-wrap license agreements that supposedly legitimate adware are not proof of informed consent. Some experts even say that such agreements amount to unconscionable contracts: the burden imposed by adware is so great and the benefit offered so negligible.
Adware and Bundled Software: A Modest Proposal
If the spam arms race is any indication, we may soon face even more aggressive attempts to get adware on our computers. There will be even more tortured arguments that bundled adware is installed with users' informed consent. Why not head off any of those arguments right now? Let's push for an industry standard that reputable developers do not bundle software (with a few highly specific exceptions such as documentation, installation, and error reporting).
In the end, by getting rid of bundled software, what do we have to lose except adware?
About the author:
Read more of Joel Walsh's articles on spyware and adware: http://www.spyware-refuge.com
Source: Article Directory
The 10 Most Important Questions To Ask Your Web Host Now!
So, you’re looking to build a web site or so fed up with your current web host that you are desperate to transfer your site elsew...(related: Spam Blocking)
My Top 10 Favorite Internet Tools
- by Jim Edwards(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved http://www.thenetreporter.com-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-When you make your living on the Internet, you cansometimes forget that the tools and resources you take forgranted might rate an incredible discovery to someone whodoesn't already know they exist. Whether they help you save time, save money, or avoidfrustration, these tools and services rate my highestrecommendation for just plain making life easier, fasterand che...(related: Spam Blocking)
Busted: Anti Spam Forces Bankrupt Super-spammer Scott Richter
Microsoft scores one for the good guysScott Richter, the self-proclaimed “Spam King,” just can’t seem to get enough attention. Admittedly responsible for sending literally billions of Unsolicited Commercial Email messages...(related: Spam Blocking)
|
 |
|
|
Can You Survive In An Online World?
© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved http://www.thenetreporter.com-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Do you have the skills to make it in a computer driven, increasingly online world? Your immediate, knee-jerk reaction may be "Yes! Of course I have the skills. I know how to send and receive email and surf the web. I can even download and install files." Well, three or four years ago, email, Web surfing and downloading files qualified you as "electronically literate," but not any more! Computer and online su...(related: Spam Blocking) |  |
| Bt Internet Broadband
What Is BT Broadband? The figures on broadband use in the UK are impressive. There are 4 million people in the UK who use ADSL and there are also another 2 million using cable connection. This means that there are 6 million people in the UK who use an always-on typ...(related: Spam Blocking) | |
| Internet Safety
Parents are constantly struggling with ways to keep their children safe online. The Internet has a global reach and at this point no bounds, or limitations. Outside of installing filtering software children should be educated in order to protect themselves to this virtual monster. We've put together a col...(related: Spam Blocking) | |
| How Spammers Fool Whitelists - And How To Stop Them
Effectively stopping spam over the long-term requires much more than blocking individual IP addresses and creating rules based on keywords that spammers typically use. The increasing sophistication of spam tools coupled with the increasing number of spammers in the wild has created a hyper-evolution in the variety and volume of spam. The old ways of blocking the bad guys just don’t work anymore. Examining spam and spam-blocking technology can illuminate how this evolution is taking place and what can be done to combat spam and reclaim e-mail as the efficient, effective communication tool it was intended to be. One method used to combat spam is whitelisting. Whitelists are databases of trusted email sources. The list may contain specific email addresses, IP addre...(related: Spam Blocking) | |
| 9 Steps To Protect Your Ms Windows System From Viruses
Nowadays as the Internet and other networks are greatly developed computer viruses are distributed rapidly and intensively. Everyday several new viruses capable to damage considerably your computer system arise. Anti-virus specialists work hardly to make updates their software against new viruses as soon as possible. The viruses can get inside computer in different ways. That is why there is no simple method to protect system. Only series of measures can give you reliable protection fro...(related: Spam Blocking) | |
| The Money Keyword List - Superchrage Your Website’s Earning Power! - Part 1 Of 2
Many webmaster are making money or want to make money with Google AdSense. The problem is that some of them don’t know the keyw...(related: Spam Blocking) | |
| Internet News Services Explode Online
(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved http://www.thenetreporter.com-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-It seems no matter how much information comes availableonline, people thirst for more. To illustrate this point, just take a look at all theonline news services sprouting up on the web like gardenweeds. With the click of a mouse you can instantly searchthousands of news sources for specific and timelyinformation on virtually any topic you choose. Heck, if you're a real news junky, you can even get up-to-the-...(related: Spam Blocking) | |
| How To Avoid Getting Scammed
Listed below are some of the most popular and common scams: 1. Nigerian Letter Scam:This one's been around for many years but continues to flourish. Many of these e-mails claim to be from a person in Africa, usually Nigeria. The writer claims to have access to millions of dollars, either from a relative or from knowledge of an idle account. A percentage of this money is promised to the victim if they will allow the money to be processed through their personal bank account. The victim is instructed to keep their share and send the remaining money to the scammer.The check given to the victims is fraudulent. The victim is then liable to the bank for the check they wrote to the scammer.Here's what will happen when you give strangers you...(related: Spam Blocking) | |
| How To Avoid Spam Robots
© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved http://www.thenetreporter.com-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Despite the fact that Federal legislation (the CANSPAM act) made it illegal, harvesting email addresses from the web using automated robots remains alive and well.Spammers who need fresh email addresses release software spider programs that comb the Internet and suck email addresses off Web pages, guest books, and anywhere else you might post your email address.Once they get your email address, spammers will trade it around like 5th graders with a new pack of Pokemon cards at recess and you can expect the avalanche o...(related: Spam Blocking) | |
| Email Etiquette – More Than Just Manners
We all understand the importance of good “people skills” when it comes to our interpersonal communication – it helps us get the results we need. Our communication determines the opinion others have of us – knowledgeable or ignorant, pleasant or rude, professional or immature. Most of the time this is in face-to-face or telephone conversations where we have some control over the impression we make on others. When it comes to netiquette (Network Etiquette), it’s not as easy to control how others perceive us, and yet it’s even more important. Why? Because what you write and how you use email can affect whether your email gets delivered, read, or responded to – and what that response is! In addition, the...(related: Spam Blocking) | |
| | |
|
|