A Revolution is the Solution
i see what you mean leaves a strange taste in the mouth dont it,
plus that hair on the back of the neck thing its not that they are targeting just teens, its the younger ones who are more lilkely to DL the software and you just have guess on whats bundled with it :-(
And i did a crappy picture too!!
Let me tackle each of the points from Ben’s post:
1. DollIdol is a child’s site – This is patently false. DollIdol.com is not targeted at kids, period. Suggesting that a site is targeted at children because it has animated characters is a bit naïve.
2. Off-screen footer without a scroll bar – When you have a screen resolution of 800x600, there are a lot of things you’re going to have to move around to see properly. According to OneStat, only 18% of browsers use 800x600. Judging our business practices on an ancient screen resolution shows desperation.
3. Lack of disclosure that 180's ads are shown in pop-ups and lack of disclosure of privacy consequences – We will be changing the language in our plain-language disclosure to better address the types of ads we serve as part of our effort to become TRUSTe compliant. Keep in mind that while TRUSTe is a proposed standard, and one we support, it is not yet a standard despite what Mr. Edelman suggests. As far as privacy concerns, I’m not sure what they are. Mr. Edelman and others like to make a big deal out of this, but despite what he says, 180solutions does NOT “track what web sites users visit and…send this information to 180's main servers.” This is patently false. We do something very different. We parse the URL string for keywords which match keywords that reside on the user’s computer as part of the search assistant software they chose to download of their own free will and choice. When a match is found, the software sends a request to our servers to send an advertisement that matches that keyword. It’s that simple. That’s it. There is no PII collected.
4. License agreement shown in a window that discourages careful review – This is a matter of opinion. All caps type is very common. Look at Google, AOL, DivX, Yahoo! and countless others. And while you’re looking at AOL, try downloading their Toolbar and tell me if that constitutes proper notice. There is no EULA to be found. As far as the cut and paste feature, this is an oversight on our part that I will work with our product team to see if we can change this. I should add that a printable version of our EULA is accessible via the Zango icon in the system tray.
5. Use of misleading button labels to encourage installation – Another false statement that insults the intelligence of the increasingly savvy computer user. The user is presented with two options: Cancel or Finish. It’s very clear that by clicking finish you are installing our software and to suggest otherwise is to rewind 20 years to an age where computers were a new thing to most people and everyone used 800x600 screen resolutions.
6. Hiding standard Windows buttons that allow users to cancel installation – There are countless examples of reputable installation screens that do not have the “x” in the upper right hand corner. I get one from my Palm software every time I reboot my computer. There is no trickery here unless you believe today’s average computer us
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6. Hiding standard Windows buttons that allow users to cancel installation – There are countless examples of reputable installation screens that do not have the “x” in the upper right hand corner. I get one from my Palm software every time I reboot my computer. There is no trickery here unless you believe today’s average computer user doesn’t understand the word ‘cancel.’ I for one have enormous confidence that even my computer illiterate mother understands what cancel means.
7. Use of prompts to discourage removal with false warnings about risks to other software – Yes. Like virtually every other software company on the planet, we do discourage uninstallation of our software but we do it without trickery and without fearmongering. The use of prompts to discourage removal are an industry standard and fully compliant with the pending TRUSTe certification standards. The ‘warning’ we provide is absolutely true and is a service to our customers to remind them that, depending on what they’ve downloaded, they may lose access to those other related pieces of software should they uninstall our search assistant. To not provide this ‘warning’ would itself be deceitful to consumers. There are numerous applications offered on the Zango network that will not function if our search assistant software is removed. Virtually every downloadable application on www.zango.com fits into this category. It would be irresponsible, and against industry standard to not let people know that uninstalling a required component will impact their access to related applications or files.
I hope these explanations help provide a more balanced view of what it is we are doing.
My $2.00 on a few of your points, good sir...
2. 800X600 is NOT obsolete, and probably won't be until screen prices drop enough (which they aren't, not for the next year or so). It is the OPTIMUM resolution for 15" CRT screens of all kinds (1024X768 on them has limited refresh and may cause headaches/eyestrain). These screens are typically what the budget users buy and use, and sell like hotcakes (any user who can afford a 17" would go for an LCD anyway; 17" CRTs are HEAVY). Yes, LCDs do not have this refresh issue, but you should compare prices and think of what the average, non-savvy user would purchase ($99+ for 15" CRTs vs $300+ for 15" LCDs). USING POLLS ALONE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE MARKET RESEARCH.
PS: I don't see why it's difficult to code for 800X600, that's plenty of space even for webmasters. Do you really have that much clutter on your GUI? It's just a simple message box, you know...
5. The 'Finish' keyword is used AFTER AN APPLICATION IS INSTALLED, when prompting for the user to restart the PC or run said program. This is true for all legit installed applications, and is the accepted standard (Office does it, OpenOffice does it, Photoshop does it, Games do that, Antivirus suites do that...etc). When you put the 'finish' keyword on a button you are implying that THE PRODUCT HAS BEEN INSTALLED, and Canceling does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Semantics are important!
Interesting comments Sean. I've taken the liberty of responding -- but on my own site, where I can add section headings, packet logs, hyperlinks, and images to the extent they're helpful to understanding this situation. See my response.
I totally agree Sean. 180 has the best software out there!!!
NOT!!
I remove this crap daily on several HJT forums from so many "Infected" victims it isn't funny any more. I'm not as forgiving as Ben and his great breakdowns of your install practices...but My Dad taught me an old saying when I was very young.
"Don't Pi$$ down my back and tell me it's raining!"
You guys over at 180 are nothing by liers and spyware peddlers. Your days coming when you and your business practices will be held accountable for all your "Devious" installs and "Deceptive" tactics for getting your crapware installed.
You can battle back and forth with those of us that know how you operate...but you ask the average user that has your "Crap" installed..and I'm sure they will have more "Choice" words then what I have posted here. You guys always say...."Hey some people like our software". You show me 100 users that do. I'll show you 100,000 that don't.
Ben's pointed out time and time again how you could improve your business model...but you continue to "Peddle" your crap to outside vendors. Yea..it's always the Vendor/Affiliate at fault...never us.
Why?? $$$$$$$
Ask the people that bring me their pc's to be cleaned of spyware and other malicious code how much they like it. I am probably the least expensive option in my state, but the cost adds up quickly. How many other techs like myself are charging good people to remove your software? How many dollars (or pounds, euros, yen, shiny beads, whatever) are wasted on maintenance that should be totally unecessary except for the fact that some idiot convinced someone even slower than him that computer users would love to have what little control over their computers ripped out from under them so that you can your fellow peddlers can serve up ads promoting fake security software, false system warnings, and the latest naughty nuns videos?
Oh, and to respond to your claim that users like your software: I say they tolerate it only because they like the application it came bundled with.
Hopefully, your claim that today's users are more savvy is correct. I really do - becuase that means they will turn their browsers away from spyware-riddled downloads and instead put their faith into the Open Source community where it belongs. Once the revenue stream dries up, you'll have to do something ... productive.
Hopefully, your claim that today's users are more savvy is correct. I really do - becuase that means they will turn their browsers away from spyware-riddled downloads and instead put their faith into the Open Source community where it belongs. Once the revenue stream dries up, you'll have to do something ... productive.
Commenting by HaloScan
