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Post by Cherub (a.k.a. Steve L.) on Mar 28, 2015 13:42:27 GMT -6
linkCNET is a software download site that I once trusted, but which imho sold me out. I announced so today, for the umpteenth time. Just for the heck of it, I 'googled' to see if others shared my experience. By the way, for me the program that finally caused me to dismiss cnet forever was Malwarebyes. Download it from the source, malwarebytes.ORG
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Post by Cherub (a.k.a. Steve L.) on Mar 28, 2015 14:40:14 GMT -6
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Trudy
Full Member
Posts: 230
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Post by Trudy on Mar 30, 2015 11:24:57 GMT -6
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Post by grega on Mar 30, 2015 21:00:45 GMT -6
So . . . things haven't changed for the better - as the article states: " There are also no safe freeware download sites… because as you can clearly see in the screenshots in this article, it isn’t just CNET Downloads that is doing the bundling… it’s EVERYBODY."All-Righty then, zactly what are slugo-ites supposed to do to stay safe (& avoid major hassles)  Well, here are a couple thoughts: - Get software directly from a trusted developer (e.g., the company or foundation that produces the software. Like the "Mozilla Foundation")
- Get software from
Sourceforge website or the Git-Hub Repositories - Stand up for services and products that respect your freedom of choice. In the past 15 years of running my PC's I've installed over 10,000 programs easily . . . NOT one instance of spyware or crapware in all that time - seriously, not one. (btw I'm not including normal web analysis or browser add-ons - - those are actually unavoidable)
Also, avoid certain software. At the top of that list is Flash (if using the Chrome browser, you can actualy get by just fine without flash). Lastly, support companies that DO respect your rights (to own your own hardware and software) . . . |
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Post by Cherub (a.k.a. Steve L.) on Mar 30, 2015 21:56:16 GMT -6
If it's EVERBODY infecting us, what about Sourceforge? Who/what is Sourceforge? What's their revenue stream? Sourceforge loader concern |
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Post by grega on Mar 31, 2015 11:39:29 GMT -6
If it's EVERBODY infecting us, what about Sourceforge? Who/what is Sourceforge? What's their revenue stream? Sourceforge loader concernWell, . . interesting & dissapointing, . . . I stand corrected.  I did some further checking and the change in policy started last year after Dice Holdings acquired the parent company of Sourceforge. So, it's time to change that source (which I haven't used in a couple years) to an actual open-source site LaunchPad.Net. The good news is that at least 95% of the software I install comes from OFFICIAL REPOS (repositories) of Ubuntu's or a trusted PPA (Personal Package Archive) PPA Article Link. This is similar to the model Apple uses, and will become the norm even for Windows 10 and beyond, because of the security improvements and better tools than stand-alone installers that feature bundled apps.  |
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Post by Cherub (a.k.a. Steve L.) on Mar 31, 2015 15:02:34 GMT -6
Greg just provided a compelling reason to update to Win 10, safe software downloads! (And if you've got 7, 8, or 8.1, it'll be free). It appears that in the Windows world, even the sources we trusted in the past have sold out. The more trusted the name, the more it was valuable, I guess. Maybe we should monitor for software distribution site ownership changes?
Until Win10 is stable with a secure source, I'm going to get new Win programs only from the author.
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Post by grega on Mar 31, 2015 19:16:33 GMT -6
Hmm, Ok Steve, let's not jump off the deep-end just yet. I do expect Win 10 to be an improvement, from what the experts are writing. Will it provide a consumer experience that removes the burden and annoyances and RISKS of running a standard Windows system? Not likely UNLESS the user migrates from the client-server model to the distributed cloud-model (like Google Chromebooks have introduced). So, two or three short years down the road (or less), it wouldn't surprise me to see MS introduce an actual Chromebook of their own (using Bing, and the new improved Browser that'll replace Internet Explorer very shortly - - so the Win OS will NOT even be used or required on those devices.)  However . . there is a lot of resistance to change from the establishment around windows (as it may be their ox-cart that'll be GORED . . ) |
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Post by Cherub (a.k.a. Steve L.) on Mar 31, 2015 21:39:29 GMT -6
I'll happily admit that my experience with Android
on my Samsung tablets has made me less of a
Windows bigot. I 'know' that Google Playstore
isn't as safe as Apple's, but I hope it's better than
Windows lack of facility. I might be amenable to
slooow change.
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