The opinionated ramblings and muses of a weary web victim.

Seems all new uploads there are being 'gift wrapped' with a proprietary installer...complete with toolbars etc that one 'must' opt out of if all you want is the proggy you were hoping to get.

Time perhaps to find a new source of your proggy downloads....

I'd checked out that flash cookie proggy and it had been wrapped....pain and a half.

More on the 'scam' here...

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/93504-download-com-wraps-downloads-in-bloatware-lies-about-motivations 


Comments (Page 3)
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on Aug 23, 2011

Sometimes better here..

http://snapfiles.com/

on Aug 23, 2011

remember when stylexp idiots site started doing shit like this? Hell, they would have failed on their own soon enough but this really sped up the demise.

Ahhh the great memories . That was a true cause for celebration.

on Aug 23, 2011

Just D/L'd & fired up Comodo Dragon, surfed here & got this:

It may not be safe to exchange information with this site

on Aug 23, 2011

Island Dog
We're looking into it.

And so should you.... what they're doing is abominable.

on Aug 23, 2011

remember when stylexp idiots site started doing shit like this?

Yup, it was when I began looking elsewhere for themes... hence new customization software because theirs went guts up a theme with that wrapping crap was applied.

That's how I ended up here....

That was a true cause for celebration.

.... and the place hasn't been the same since.

on Aug 23, 2011

I know for a fact that they're keeping an eye on user's and developers reactions, and I think it's slowly sinking in that they've made a huge mistake with this one (nobody is above it, although they should have known better in the first place)... lets see how it turns out.

on Aug 24, 2011

Try freewarefiles.com. It's simple and well-organized, has nothing but freeware, no extras, tests every file, and warns you if the author has bundled a toolbar with their program. Microsoft uploads their freeware there, for instance, as well as nirsoft and all the major anti-virus companies.

http://www.freewarefiles.com/

on Aug 24, 2011

remember when stylexp idiots site started doing shit like this?

The owner of TGTSoft and StyleXP never packaged his products with bloatware or anything else like that Phoon. The people who purchased the ThemeXP web site from him started the packaging (which was his site similar to WC for supporting his product line).  Unfortunately, it is still being done even today. 

on Aug 24, 2011

danilloOc
Really sad. Go BetaNews/FileForum go!
yup,yup..my main site or straight to the dev homepage

on Aug 24, 2011

willistuder
Try freewarefiles.com. It's simple and well-organized, has nothing but freeware, no extras, tests every file, and warns you if the author has bundled a toolbar with their program. Microsoft uploads their freeware there, for instance, as well as nirsoft and all the major anti-virus companies.

http://www.freewarefiles.com/

John, thanks for giving a perfect example of ethical conduct by a software distribution website. 

Mores the pity that c|net chose to behave differently.

on Aug 24, 2011

WebGizmos
I love the smell of tar and feathers in the morning!
  

 

 

on Aug 24, 2011

I say c ya c-net.  I went there to upgrade my browser, and was given the option of a bundle, or nada.  i did not look very hard for opt out thnigys.  I saw the  bundle and said, woah... if its a bundle, I don't want it.

 

on Aug 25, 2011

LightStar
The owner of TGTSoft and StyleXP never packaged his products with bloatware or anything else like that Phoon. The people who purchased the ThemeXP web site from him started the packaging

I wasn't aware that somebody else was doing this bundling thing on ThemeXP... still, it was a pain in the bum and there were some packaged themes which crashed StyleXP and sometimes brought the whole system down... eg, BSOD.  I know it wasn't the proogie itself as I'd used it without issue, but new themes were always going to be an issue and that's why I ended up with ODNT [before TGTSoft went guts up] to take away the Fisher Price look of XP.  Eeeew, that was awful... given what WB can do.

BTW, Tom, I had most of your MSStyles until just recently.... no point keeping them now the proggie is dead, though I did convert them [for personal use] using Skinstudio.  However, I see that you have been updating them to WB's yourself and, as you do, I've deleted them because your WB's are obviously gonna be superior to my feeble attempt at conversion.  Keep up the good work. matey. you've done some real pearlers.

 

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