Why does crapware still exist?

[Golden]

Summary: If you followed security experts' advice and manually updated Java this week to fix a critical vulnerability, you might have gotten more than you asked for. Oracle probably makes tens of millions of dollars a year from crapware, and big venture capitalists see it as a growth business.

Read more here:
Why does crapware still exist? Follow the Silicon Valley money trail | ZDNet

 

[Solarstarshines]

Summary: If you followed security experts' advice and manually updated Java this week to fix a critical vulnerability, you might have gotten more than you asked for. Oracle probably makes tens of millions of dollars a year from crapware, and big venture capitalists see it as a growth business.

Read more here:
Why does crapware still exist? Follow the Silicon Valley money trail | ZDNet

Well this has been going on for a while now that is why I tell people to pay attention to the install process seems like everything has a hidden extra and you have to hit decline like 4 times to get to the real product

This comes at no surprise because the average user just clicks yes to everything and a the student of the game actually thinks outside of the box when it comes to these situations

Doesn't take much to just look at what is going on but we live in a world where people forget others are trying to take from them on a daily basis and i know we use our bank accounts etc on here and it's damn scary that still people turn a blind eye to these kinds of things that are really harmful

 

[alphanumeric]

I used to worry about that stuff, but as soon as I get my share of the money from this guy in Africa I'll be set for life and never have to worry about it again.

 

[FuturDreamz]

The thing is java used to be quite good, and many large programs are built on it. I remember neooffice for mac was built on it, and blackberry Desktop manager is built on java.

The ironic thing was one of the reasons why java got so popular is because it was supposed to be secure.

 

[x BlueRobot]

I am always careful with deselecting any check boxes, for the every reason of crapware being installed, although most of the time it is easy to remove, it's still much easier just to take a few extra seconds to read the check box description.

You always need to be careful, especially when your installing a free version of a program, for example Malwarebytes or SuperAntiSpyware, the 'free trail' is enabled by default, which then means you are forced into purchasing the full paid version of the program at the end of the trail.

 

[COMPUTIAC]

I used to worry about that stuff, but as soon as I get my share of the money from this guy in Africa I'll be set for life and never have to worry about it again.

I hope you are not referring to the nice man who promised to help me get my forgotten uncles, who recently died, secret bank account. He said he would only keep 65% of the 10 mil.
I told him it was worth it !

 

[Urthboundmisfit]

Cuz Micro$oft integrates it into it's OS by default?

Internet Explorer - Microsoft Windows

 

[alphanumeric]

I used to worry about that stuff, but as soon as I get my share of the money from this guy in Africa I'll be set for life and never have to worry about it again.

I hope you are not referring to the nice man who promised to help me get my forgotten uncles, who recently died, secret bank account. He said he would only keep 65% of the 10 mil.
I told him it was worth it !

Shush, it's supposed to be a secret.

 

[COMPUTIAC]

Oh sorry !
I don't know what I'm sorry about, you never heard nothin' from my big trap.

Come to think of it, my uncle once lived in Nigeria !
Huh, coincidence ?

 

[LittleJay]

Why does crapware still exist?

Maybe its to help keep all of us alert and on our toes?

 

[King Arthur]

Why does crapware still exist?

Maybe its to help keep all of us alert and on our toes?

Because if (almost) everyone didn't have a bajillion toolbars on their IE and kept a gazillion viruses as pets in their computers, we computer techs, engineers, and enthusiasts would be out of a job. (*´Д｀)

 

[indianacarnie]

:roflmao:

 

[Fantail]

Crapware - HA!
My first thought was 8's metro.

 

[Urthboundmisfit]

Crapware - HA!
My first thought was 8's metro.

Great minds think alike, mine was Innernetz Ex-PLODE-r

 

[Pauly]

I like the offer of the "opt in" software, when was the last time you saw an empty checkbox in an installer, not for a long time i can remember :mad2:

 

[Borg 386]

I am always careful with deselecting any check boxes, for the every reason of crapware being installed, although most of the time it is easy to remove, it's still much easier just to take a few extra seconds to read the check box description.

You always need to be careful, especially when your installing a free version of a program, for example Malwarebytes or SuperAntiSpyware, the 'free trail' is enabled by default, which then means you are forced into purchasing the full paid version of the program at the end of the trail.

Yepperz, absolutely true. When I was fixing the laptop for the lady at the Chinese restaurant, I pointed this out to her & she said "I always wondered how all the stuff got into my system." I showed her a couple programs that offered "extras" & how to deselect the check boxes.

You have to be extra careful nowadays since there are some programs out there that will just force you to install something, without any say in the matter. I've run across a couple of these & as good as the program may sound to the people that want to install them, I tell people best not to install it since you don't know what other surprises you're going to get.

As long as they can make $$$$ out of adding extras to programs & PC's, you're going to have to be careful.

BTW...that was a fun laptop to fix...I couldn't take it home to work on it, since everything was in Chinese....LOL. But hey, I got a free lunch

 

[gregrocker]

They've gotten sneakier with the crapware which pays for freeware. You now have to read the License Agreement to see what its trying to sneak in, too.

CNET ruined their reputation adding a buggy crapware downloader package to many of their downloads.

These are there because freeware authors get a commission from each sale of crapware they force you to sample.

And today's retail consumer PC is loaded with enough trial crapware to make up the profit margin for many of them, while driving down the retail price. So you get the best value and have your revenge buying a $250 PC then Clean Reinstalling Factory OEM Windows 7.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there .

watch out for these very common other scams: These are all based on typical users not knowing either the law or their consumer rights plus they assume most people don't read "small print" carefully and don't realize what the "default" agreement contains.

1) FREE DOWNLOAD -- often means the DOWNLOAD is free but the PRODUCT ISN'T.

2) SNEAKERWARE (or SUCKERWARE) sites like DriverMax -- where they advertise they have a huge amount of drivers and can find them for you with programs like DriverMax etc -- then to access the part of the site where they say the driver exists you have to "PAY" to access that part of the site -- even more insidious since things like Drivers etc are essentially Public Domain software available from Manufactuers sites etc.

3) TRIAL or DEMO software where the features you want are invariably the "PRO" (I.e Pay Versions).

4) DECENT LOOKING TIME LIMITED FULL TRIALS where they will debit your payment card IF YOU DON'T CANCEL --if you must use these types of sites use a "Pre pay" credit / debit card that only has a small amount of money left so they can't collect if you accidentally forget to cancel -- and remember most Debt Collection agencies have EVEN LESS legal rights to your money than your late Grandma's dead cat. They can attempt to cajole, threaten etc etc -- but just tell them the proverbial "Go and make a sexual move with a Duck.

Really decent time limited full demos will not ask for a credit / debit card when you want to trial their software -- the Software itself should be good enough to make you want to purchase it without going in via back door methods.

I'm not against people making money or advertising on the Web -- but do it HONESTLY and not like the above examples even if the above methods are technically not illegal per se.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[alphanumeric]

Crapware - HA!
My first thought was 8's metro.

Funny you should say that. Lucrative Windows crapware market is exactly why we need app stores | PCWorld

 

[bigmck]

What I have noticed more of recently is that when you go to a reputable site to download, like The Official ImgBurn Website the first button you see which appears to be the download is a crapware button, not the download that you went to the site for. It has become hard to find the download button.