Nagware

Nagware is a cancerous scourge of the Internet. There is no justification to infest users with Nagware panels that pop up every time we use a program. It is an intolerable practice and if they have some doubtful right to infest us with this abominable feature, then we have the right to defeat it.

These parasitic panels usually prompt updates or upgrades and are an infernal nuisance. The Internet is full of appeals for help in getting rid of this disgusting practice, but as yet nobody has provided the answer. I appeal to hackers the World over - please help us !

I have surfed the net for hours looking for some hacker, geek or sympathetic genius that provides a tweak solution to this revolting practice, but have not yet found such a considerate soul. I can browse up the details of making a pipe bomb to kill hundreds of people, but can I find details of killing Nag panels - NO !

At present I have three of these obnoxious panels pop up, I have found the solution to one of them, the others I have not.

I am well aware that this Forum administration may not allow our articulate members to provide an answer to this plague for some completely misplaced ethical reasons, but ask our members for comments on this disgraceful practice and if possible an Internet link that may help resolve it.

John Bull

 

One answer is to slow down and do your research when you're looking for freeware alternatives. Most sites where you can download freeware will have a ratings/review section, check what others are saying about the product you're about to install....and you can be steered to a better free alternative which is not naggy. Pretty easy actually.

 

I really do appreciate your reply Stone-puss, but my opinion is that if these morons implant Nagware on our systems, then we have an equal right to tweak it. All is fair in love and war. They have their business to promote and we have our systems to protect from unwanted junk. Nagware is the same as junk mail thrust through your letter box. You either send it back or put it in the trash bin.

As a Forum we must never forget where our priorities lay. They are not in the interests of program vendors, they are in the interests of US ! Our efforts must be to make our users life on the Internet as trouble-free as possible and if it means adversely tweaking some program that violates personal operations by imposing a Nag panel, then that can only be a beneficial factor of user knowledge in getting rid of a particular nasty aspect of selling practice.

John B

 

Not quite. Junk mail arrives whether you like it or not - the only person who chooses to put nagware on their machine is the end user. You, in other words.

 

I don't disagree with your first line..."but my opinion is that if these morons implant Nagware on our systems, then we have an equal right to tweak it. "

Google will show you many answers on how to disable the ads..and the developers have usually found ways to nix what you did in the next program update. It gets tiring, especially if you help out other PC users by using that product on their PC...and then they're faced with the nags too at every program update which re-enabled what you disabled (lets take AntiVir as an example..and the avnotify trick)

My answer...vote by..."not using it, select another nag-free program". If you don't want to contribute to their money making affiliate ad links..don't use it.

But I disagree with your next line..."Nagware is the same as junk mail thrust through your letter box. You either send it back or put it in the trash bin."....and I agree with noblelords reply.."Not quite. Junk mail arrives whether you like it or not - the only person who chooses to put nagware on their machine is the end user. You, in other words." It's true. You installed the nagware...as far as I know, nobody held a gun to your head forcing you to install it on your system. Slow down, do your research first...find out about a product before installing it, the information is out there for you. If you somehow missed that information and installed the product and now you find it too obnoxious, exercise your right to head to the add/remove programs panel on your computer and uninstall it (hopefully you have this right and nobody is holding a gun to your head preventing you from doing this)...and exercise your right to go find an alternative.

Similar to free products which include what I call "Me-Too-Ware"...when you go install Foxit Reader or Java or Flash...you get those endless rotations of other ad-promo ware like various toolbars or mccrapee security scan. Educated/smart/experienced PC users will exercise their right to "opt out" of those during the install by removing the check in the checkbox for it...thus maintaining a cleaner PC and a web browser with good viewing size real estate. The people who just happily rush through clicking next..next...they're ones that end up with a cluttered PC and a browser with not much remaining browser view real estate because they have 13 toolbars installed in their browser. Which one are you?