SuperAntiSpyware: One minor annoyance

I am presently using the free version for periodic scans. Overall, I think the developers have done a very nice job. I like the program a lot.

It bothers me a little that they won't let you turn off the splash screen in the free version. Unless you buy a license for the full version, you must waych that annoying splash screen every time you start the program. I think it is better to try and attract customers to your paid product by adding value to the product, not by annoying them into buying the product.

Still, a great product overall. This is just one annoyance that detracts slightly from the experience.

 

I also hate splashs screens with any program. I dont think they are necessary. Like you said developers need them to advertise/attract you to buy the program. I used SuperAntispyware free for long time and the splash screen didnt bother me because it is a excellent program. I liked so much that i bought a licence...it wasnt beacuse i wanted to get rid of the splash screen

 

While it is best that Nick(SUPERAntiSpy) comments officially....I'll assume their position remains as stated in the past when this comment\question comes up.

 

if you think thats annoying try mcafee enterprise AV or f-secure home versions you pay for them but they still have a splash screen you cant disable
lodore

 

Spash Screens have been around since 98 programs and likely before and i find them the same as other users but also realize their neccessity as giving credit to the developers "free" offer to users. Like mentioned though some "paid" programs do the same so there ya' go. As long as the program does what it claims for you just live with the momentary view i guess.

 

Yeah, I understand, it is a reality of the software world today (and the world in general). It seems as though you can't turn around today without someone wanting something from you (trying to sell you something, asking for a donation, begging you to volunteer your time, sending you spam emails, telemarketers interupting dinner, spam faxes and now splash screens and nag screens). Advertising has just gotten to be obnoxious.

All that said, I still enjoy using the program and appreciate the excellent product and service that this company has offered for free. I have even thought about upgrading DESPITE being annoyed by the splash screen.

 

I too find the splash screen annoying, and really it's unnecessary. I know what program I've just double clicked on and also that it's a free version, for crying out loud. And what kind of publicity does it generate when I'm the only one seeing it?

On the other hand, I do appreciate its having been provided for free, and it does consume some of the company's resources to offer updates to who knows how many users running the free version. Some other antimalware vendors are not so generous.

Right now I am comfortable with Spy Sweeper, which I am paying for. I might change to the paid version of SAS if I become unhappy with SS, but I can't see paying for both.

 

It's called branding In your case, maybe only you see the splash screen - but we have millions of users, that see what other users are running and pass along the word and go try it themselves.

As for the resources consumed, you would be surprised at what resources it takes to create and maintain an application such as SUPERAntiSpyware - we have a full time staff for development and for definition creation and spyware research - we use TERABYTES of bandwidth a month just serving the definition updates - all that costs money. We have several dedicated servers just to handle the web traffic and updates.

 

Hi, folks: From the perspective of business, that approach is logical and making a lot of sense. We, as users of Nick's product, have to posess,sometimes, the concept of "Be given and to give". We are so luckily given a top rated free AS, at least we need to give something back to him. A split second and minimal RAM/CPU consumtion on our PC is probably a good way to say THANK YOU.

 

So when my 6 year old keeps pestering her younger brother, I should tell her to stop branding her brother?

Seriously though, and this is real consumer feedback. It is almost insulting to me as a potential customer for your company to tell me that they will let me turn off the splash screen if I buy a license. It's like you are saying: "We know it's annoying, we know it bothers you, just pay us and we'll let you get rid of that problem". Please don't try to pester me into buying your product. Rather, attract me to buy it. You've already got me at your doorstep. I made it to your website and downloaded your product. Add value to your product with additional features for my money and I might buy. I am considering buying it now because:

1. I like the product and
2. I think I want the real time protection and autoupdates.

The whole "pay me to not see the splash screen" is just annoying. I'm in sales too and from my viewpoint, I never want to iritate my customers or my prospects.

 

I really like your logic here

You are not a customer until you haver purchased the software.Until such point intime should it happen or not you are getting free use of a quality software as long as you chose to use it or not.

Stop whinging and nit picking at what is an excellent free tool,if you had paid for the software and could not disable the SS then i would understand the gripe but nonsensical to refer to yourself as a customer when you have paid nothing to Nick

 

Can you please point out to me where I referred to myself as a customer? I called myself a potential customer. I also referred to my post as consumer feedback (consumer as in someone that has tried the product). And just because a product is free, doesn't mean that the company that provides that product isn't interested in feedback.

 

ejr has a point, SSM Free is one of best security software available and it's got an option to turn off the splash screen... the green/blue icon in my system tray is enough to remind me that I'm protected by SSM...

 

There are a lot of annoyances present in a lot of programs. But each developer decides how their programs start up when it is invoked by a PC. For example, Windows 98 has that ANNOYING rock music startup when the PC is booted up (No, I am not a fan). I am sure that I can disable it if I wanted to tinker around with the PC system files. SAS just like Antivir, has that pop up screen when you start it. Since I did not write any of these softwares, I don't think I have any right to complain about it. The best ideal condition is if malware did not exist so my hard drive could be more spacious.

 

I'm not sure I get the logic here.

Again, if I just double clicked on the SAS icon on my desktop, I know very well which application has just popped up and that it's the free version, and isn't information identifying SAS on the main screen more than once anyway? Not one person, never mind millions, is watching over my shoulder to see what I'm doing - hopefully anyway.

Permitting the disabling of the splash screen on a computer does not effectively deprive SAS of any free advertising in consideration for their allowing users to run SAS free of charge. I doubt very many sales have been achieved by someone who happens to be walking by a computer just when the splash screen comes up and decides to try it out for themselves. You'll never convince me that the splash screen is an effective sales tool.

I don't need any more 'branding' of SAS on my computer, and the splash screen does nothing to enhance my experience with SAS. To the contrary. A better sales technique is to provide an overall positive user experience that can be communicated to other potential users. This thread overall is not the best publicity for SAS, as it demonstrates that there are some users who have expressed a 'minor annoyance' with the application.

And lest I appear ungrateful, I will repeat from an earlier post that I do appreciate that SAS, a quality AS application, is offered in a free version, as it costs money to maintain it. Not much in life is truly free, but that's not to say that SAS free cannot be improved with no real cost to the company.

 

dcdc,

I believe vendor's policy should not be a topic for open discussion. You agree or don't agree, and that is all. There are plenty of payware which splashes without an option to disable it...

 

Fine. I believe vendor's policy is an appropriate topic for open discussion if a poster chooses to discuss it in a reasonable manner.

 

Does it really matter? You payed nothing for it, and people work to deliver that. So you got a slash screen, for how many seconds?
Deal with it, or uninstall it.

I'm not atacking anyone, even the OP said it was an annoyance. Accept it

 

Does it? You're posting on it as well.

As noted, I am not the OP and would not have started this particular thread myself, but if I express my opinion, which is as valid as anyone else's, and someone wishes to post to disagree with me, I feel I have a right to reply.

Accept it.

 

Splash screens will continue to be around, i guess, but you never know sometimes, right? I think the biggest annoyance that everyone shares is that programs that do use them to advertise their "free" version or just for showing purposes (some do), use almost the same old fashions of Windows 98/Me proggys. I'm speaking of those plain box forms with the company's artistic logo and program colors. Perhaps if some of them exhibited a fade in or other different affect? Maybe they would be more acceptable, maybe never, i dunno. I do know some programs use a splash screen with a fade-in approach or make use of XP alpha-transparency.

A thought.

 

That's got to be the understatement of the Century. Damn Capitalist conspiracy. SuperAntiSpyware should be ashamed of themselves.

IMO, SuperAntiSpyware should drop the splash screen, get rid of the free version and offer a 30 day trail. After all, why advertise with an annoying splash screen and nag someone when there is nothing in return except bothering people.

 

So what I am hearing here is that the members of the group would rather have us pull the free version from the market and only offer a paid version with short trial period? We can certainly do that, but I don't think the millions using the free edition would appreciate that......

The splash screen does nothing to "force" anything upon the user - it is there for 4 seconds, and you can click it and make it go away - it ONLY shows when the product starts, so unless you are starting the product 100x a day, only 4 seconds of your life is being wasted seeing the SUPERAntiSpyware splash screen......surely that is a fair trade for a top quality anti-spyware application that you are getting for free.....what else in the world do you get for free that actually works?

 

No, SUPERAntiSpy, don't take that literally, I believe Jaws was somewhat sarcastic in that statement. But, if users hate your splash so much, I don't see other option than making the software a strict payware, and thus without it.

 

Nah Nick, don't let splash screen gripe change your distribution methods.

Heck, i think anyway they are just trying to bring some attention for you to customize it a bit differently for them, they/we all know what a SUPER! product SAS truly is in either form!

Give it some spin or flyaway or something, maybe flash effects. (I have to pitch my point in here since i got about every base in XP covered short of ResHacking the Menu's and all that fun enjoyed on 98 Customization visual affects fanboy here.

 

LOL!!!

Sarcasm at it's finest.

I'm not so sure that others will pick up on that, though, Jaws...they may actually take you seriously instead...