Well it's an interesting read, but I did not agree with their advice to not install free software. All of the unwanted extra software installed could have been avoided by unchecking any options to install extra software when installing these free downloads. I completely disagree with the following statement: It would have been a much better article IMO if they had explained how to avoid getting extra garbage installed when you install software, rather than saying don't install free software.
He sure rips on Avast. But I agree, I consider bundled software to be malware, and often - it behaves like malware. I wish every AV company would be proactive, and block them.
I agree wholeheartedly that the state of Windows freeware is miserable, but can also be read as which really rankles me. Payware is often outrageously priced, and being able to do stuff online without fear of being spied upon by crooks should not be a financial privilege. People deserve better than this. Edit: more on topic though, he's basically right. Many times I've had to stop family members from clicking fake "Download now!" ads for instance. A lot of the freeware sites seem keyed to bamboozle inexperienced users.
Well, can't say I didn't see this coming. The inconsistent quality of HTG articles... was that always an issue?
It's fine to highlight the problems with crapware and remind users to be careful with their downloads. I don't agree with how the conclusion was worded though. Not all freeware programs are bundled with crapware and not all "free" means "you are the product". That's just plain FUD.
I'm sure the article was written with the best intentions in mind, but the author seems to be pretty clueless. For example he references another article on the HTG website about driver update software. He did not write the article itself. But in the comments section, someone recommends IObit's Driver Booster and says he has not experienced anyone problems with it. His reply is If he took just a few minutes to actually try the software he would see that it does work as claimed and update outdated drivers. After reading his comment, it is hard to take anything he writes seriously.
I actually like Driver Booster. It does find system drivers to update, and doesn't seem to cause any issues. I've used it quite often to find obscure drivers.
It is excellent. The database of drivers has expanded massively since it was first released, and I also can't think of any instances where is has found incompatible driver updates. The automated silent install of the updates is nice too.
Quite shocking really... One has to pay attention when installing anything nowadays... I always remember back in 2004-05, it felt so rewarding to download anything under the sun believing that your OS was getting more sophisticated and complete, but nowadays the amount of crapware and/or outright malware is just ridiculous. I understand why so many machines are infected... freeware is the best way to mass infect the gullible users: Just KMPlayer and YAC we are talking about 1 million user in 1 week... Staggering...
@Osaban As far as I can recall, I don't think YAC comes with any extras. CNET only offer the original installer, not one of their own with extras. I actually just downloaded YAC from download.com to check, but the installer would not run, and neither would the previous installer I'd download either (although it did when I downloaded it last month). It appears that installer for KMPlayer also includes no extras, but in this case CNET has their own installer which does want to install extra software, but as always their is a direct download link to download the original installer.
@ roger m Look probably the article is exaggerating some issues, but I have noticed that more often than not many programs including Avira (which I have been using for a long time) have tried in the past to bundle quite a number of controversial programs with their free version. I've never been concerned as I tend to opt for the paid versions in most cases (I only use CCleaner, VLC Media Player, and ImgBurn as free applications). I don't test as many programs as in the past, but when I do, I take my time when installing...
@Osaban Many (if not most) of the downloads on download.com) link not to the original installer but to CNET's own downloader, which will download and launch the software's original installer and will also install unwanted extra software by default, unless you specifically uncheck the option to install the extras. So many people are going to end up of unwanted software installed, even when the software's own installer comes with no extras. In such cases, there is a seperate download link to the original installer - but I'm sure the majority of people aren't aware of this. So, the chances of getting unwanted extras installed when you download software from download.com is very high, unless you actually pay close attention when installing downloads from there. So, the article is correct in that regard anyway.
I try to stay away from download.com as much as possible, I don't like sites that do not always offer direct downloads.
..and howtogeek has posted more on this subject http://www.howtogeek.com/207692/yes...oad-site-is-serving-crapware-heres-the-proof/
What I don't like is "downloaders", I like to use standalone installers. Even Google Chrome can't be downloaded directly. I don't mind the special offers which can be rejected during install. I also think that SnapFiles handles it quite well, by showing a clear warning.
It's sickening that some believe that everything has to have a price tag attached to it. Some corporations are so stuck on that idea, they refer to Open Source as Socialist software, making free sound as negative as possible. Except for Windows itself (which was on the PCs when I got them used, never paid MS one single dime) my PCs thrive on freeware and Open Source. I'm no ones product. I'll agree that there's an awful lot of junk in the free software market with even more bundled to decent applications. What really bugs me is how they tell users to shut off their AVs and firewalls before installing. That is the last thing you want to do. Your system is at its most vulnerable state when you're modifying it. Make a backup image before you start and keep all of your defenses active. On more than one occasion, SSM has blocked and alerted me to crapware that was bundled with software I wanted to try. It allowed me to separate them. If the software didn't meet my needs or had too many undesired behaviors, the system backup allowed me to put things back exactly as they were. There's good stuff available for free. Some of it is better than the payware. You just have to be careful and prepared as you may get more than you bargain for.
