PDF XChangeViewer with Tracker ASK Toolbar

Been trying to d/l the latest msi x64 build but all I get is this:

�Ɔ&L�tx�������dr�t�R0�3�'�]c�Z��0@T p���rY��o��@�Ka/d쩉��T7'}Kb����n�al�b��F

 

Try right click, "save as".

 

So after nearly a week agonising over finding a PDF reader without search Toolbar added to the browser I finally downloaded/intstalled the latest version of PDF-XChange version: 2.0 (Build 54.0) (MSI MSI Installer (64 bit) | 21 MB).

Well not sure I like what I see with all those web search capability built into the PDF reader but since I have been using their version 1.0 (without search capabilities) for sometimes now I thought I would give it a try while keep an eye on it.

Yes, I switched off all the search providers. So let's see ...

 

foxit 4.0 msi has not toolbar and is free now.

 

what security apps than can be used to block Ask during PDFX-Change installation or upgrading ?

I found Ask in registry even you unticked

 

I block Ask during Burnaware Free installation with Avira Firewall.

 

agreed about foxit. its totally free now version 4 and as long as you download the msi installer there is no ask toolbar anywhere. and i just turn off the search in fox it.

 

I'm talking about PDFX-change viewer installation/upgrading that force user to run AskInstallchecker.exe in the background.

Could OA block this ? I read previous post about SSM,what is it ? It looks can do that.

 

Read post #39

 

Some interesting comments on PDF-XChange Viewer vs. Foxit here:

http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1041#comments

 

Hi all,

an interesting conversation here. I'd like to commenbt on a few points if I may.

The Ask Toolbar was added as a means of helping keep the software free. Tracker Software is a small company without the resources of some of our competitors and ongoing development is an expensive prospect. Given that I'd like to point out the following decisions made around the Ask Toolbar

• Only the exe installer has the Ask installer, and only the stand alone "Free" Viewer.
  
• The msi installers do not include the Ask installer and we do not intend changing that. Note however that the Live Update functionality is absent from msi installed instances. We may add this to the msi installers in future versions but as present msi installed PDF-XChange Viewer users will need to get new versions/updates by downloading from the website.
  
• If you have a license for the Viewer on your system the installer by default will leave the ask tool bar unchecked.
  
• There was an error in the installer logic whereby even unchecking the Ask agreement your home page was reset. This has been corrected and will function as expected in build 55 and ion. This means that if you decline to accept the Ask License terms then nothing is installed.
  I am particularly interested/concerned to hear that even when unchecked there are 2 Ask registry keys set. I will be investigating this. We strongly believe that "no means no..." If anyone can confirm in a manner that can be reproduced that there are Ask Toolbar related registry setting made with build 55 or later (55 is due out near the end of July 2010) please do let us at Tracker Software know about it either by email to support@tracker-software.com or by posting on our forum at http://tracker-software.com/forum3 and we will injvestigate it.
• Unfortunately because of the way the Ask installer works blocking the call out during installation can hang the process and cause the installation to fail. It is a much better idea to simply opt out in the installer.

I do appreciate that the Ask Toolbar is not very popular with some discerning users but justify this with the aforementioned need to fund ongoing development of the product. We do all our coding in-house and do not ride on the back of other's technology. PDF-XChange is 100% our product. While this gives us advantages like invulnerability to so many of the security issues our competitors suffer it does mean that although we keep them in a dark cave, we have to feed our dev team occasionally... some of them even have children...

Seriously though, We are actively listening to your concerns and will endeavour to strike the best balance between conflicting needs.

Paul O'Rorke
Support Manager North America
Tracker Software Products.

 

Paul: I have typed, re-typed and re-typed this reply. Most of it due to anger and frustration. But I finally realized that my thoughts won't make a bit of difference.

We have been here before... When several of us asked over at the Tracker forum for the Ask Toolbar to be withdrawn, we were told to be patient, live with it for a while, see how it goes and try to understand your perspective.

Well, I have done that and I don't feel any different. The Ask Toolbar installer as currently deployed is wrong and unwanted. It should either be removed or unchecked by default. Anything less is a disservice to your current and potential users.

Isn't there any other way to generate some income that is much less invasive/intrusive?? Related ads from reputable companies on the download page?? Or make it like Avast (free) does with Google Chrome. The user must make a conscious choice before the installer continues. No surprise Chrome installation because if it's there, you had to click to install it. (And BTW, why not use Chrome instead of Ask? Not ideal but IMO, much better!)

 

Hi Han,

thanks for the response. I can understand your frustration, and I do appreciate that you have responded in a very reasonable fashion. I certainly do not want to see you angry, it seems that I have achieved the exact opposite of what I set out to do here. :-( Know then that what you say does make a difference, even if not immediately obvious.

I would like to tell you that we will set the Toolbar Screen as opt in (unchecked by default) but unfortunately because of the agreement we signed with Ask.com and cannot make that change at present.

We had hoped that the decision to only add the Ask Toolbar into the free stand alone .exe installer would make it less intrusive to our users. It certainly has not satisfied everyone. To satisfy everyone is an unreasonable expectation. You do have as pointed out elsewhere in this thread the option to use the msi installer or portable version and avoid the Ask Installer altogether.

It has not yet been 6 months since the first build with the Ask installer was released and we have not yet made any final decisions. We asked you you be patient and would ask you to be so a little longer as change may happen yet.

sincerely


Paul O’Rorke

Tracker Software Products
paul.ororke@docu-track.com

 

I can't believe this thread is still going since February. Don't check the radio button. Go to your registry cleaner and delete the harmless file.

 

Ok, fair enough if it's still on the table. Guess I can't/shouldn't ask for more.

IMO, you have the best PDF Reader currently available. It's innovative, easy to use and, LOL, most of the time you listen very closely to your users. All many of us ask is you consider some other way to generate some income that causes less heartburn...

 

What is it about the Ask toolbar that has it being bundled with so many products? Apparently the revenue generating must be higher than whatever comes with the toolbars of yahoo, bing or google- or whatever else there are. But Ask seems to be the flavor of the day.

 

I really don't know what the fuss is about. I've had this software for a long time on all of my systems, and I've un-checked the install option for Ask and NEVER had it secretly show up. Even if there was a registry entry someplace, that DOESN'T mean the thing is hiding in the background phoning home or anything else. It's likely just a junk entry, something a LOT of programs are guilty of leaving behind when they install/uninstall. If the toolbar isn't being seen, and there aren't any folders appearing, Ask isn't around, plain and simple. If it were secretly installing itself and running, someone somewhere would have already hollered about it (legitimately with proof) in this forum or others.

Obviously Ask is doing something right if vendors are dealing with them and not Google or Yahoo, there must be more money being offered. But really, just as it was with Google and Yahoo, who cares if the option is given to keep these things from installing? Is it preferable they put these things in their products? No. But, if you want free software, and you'd like the developer to be able to have some food on their table, something has to give. Tracker can start charging for all of their products, but then some would find fault with that too. Not to mention it would be one less alternative to Adobe for these people. I hate to break this to people, but there is no "perfect solution" in this world, where there is give, there will always be take.

 

I don't understand this either. Unchecking a box isn't particularly difficult. Maybe someone's writing a thesis on making mountains out of molehills.

 

+1

 

I don't understand it either.
It's not like we are forced to install the ask toolbar, to change the default homepage and the default search engine. And it's not like it is hidden, in a mysterious submenu of the installer.
And I could understand the argument that user's usually click next, next, finish.... but only for those that cannot understand english or the other languages of the installer. Users that understand what is written and are happy clickers have no excuse and probably do not mind having 3,4,.. extra toolbars.

As for the registry key(s?) is created when Ask online checker run before the real installation starts and is harmeless.

And personally don't consider Ask worst than Google, Bing, Yahoo, Lycos, etc. All of them track our searches and deliver customised content depending on our ip, the OS and the browser language.

Keeping the ask toolbar helps the developers and this helps the endusers to have a great "little" app for free.

Really, how difficult is it to click 2-3 times to uncheck those boxes?

Panagiotis

 

anyway to disable the preview when looking at pdf files the one where it shows the preview on the side... just curious

 

I just turn off the search providers that's all. Works fine for me so far after two days installation with nothing being intrusive. For me as long as I can avoid Adobe that is good enough.

Now that Shockwave/Flash have been dominated/monopolised by Adobe it looks like I will be without them for a while and will just have to search for alternative ...

 

@zfactor,

At the toolbar (top), try EDIT>>PREFERENCES>>Page Display. At the top of that box, you'll see "Initial View" and then, a bit lower, there's a dropdown box beneath "Default View". Mine is set to Automatic but there are several settings, including one to view the page only.

 

im talking about the preview before the page is open the one that opens next to the windows when you select open file for some reason the wife doesnt lke the preview thing.. see pic below: