What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps • Hacker News Board

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#251

Post by king_jester » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 4:16 PM UTC

locusm wrote: post #83

Renaud wrote: post #14

Instead of dowloading from Sourceforge (loaded with ads and its own devious 'installer'), CNET, Download, etc, there are no-crapware alternatives that offer more management tools as well (remembering your list of apps across machines, automated updates, discoverability): Ninite: nice, simple, installer: just select apps and let the installer do it all for you. AllMyApps: all the apps, no crapware (at least for now).…

Add http://scoop.sh/ to that list.

As a scoop user it should be noted that scoop is much more oriented towards developers. Scoop runs in the Powershell environment and tends to mostly offer posix tools or SDKs as available packages, although git repositories can be added to scoop to provide more packages (there aren't that many of these right now).

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#252

Post by username223 » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 4:16 PM UTC

unreal37 wrote: post #212

username223 wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

pg "investigated" that crapware company a couple of years ago [1], but they still apparently exist, and continue to collect MAC addresses. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5062133

What was the result of that investigation? Can't find any info in the original thread.

I don't know, but I'm guessing that the comment solved the PR problem, so there was no need to do any investigation, or to act on the results of one.

EDIT: pg's response was basically "suck it": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5092711

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#253

Post by GFischer » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 4:19 PM UTC

thegeomaster wrote: post #24

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Back in the day I was an intern at an elementary school, and the computers there had a piece of software installed that basically disallowed any change (unless entering a password by an administrator like myself), and if a change did happen it was undone at a reboot. I'm not sure how it worked or even how it's called, but that's another option. I'm sure it didn't keep browser history either though, although I'm sure…

Are you possibly talking about DeepFreeze[1]? My school had it too, IIRC. [1]: http://www.faronics.com/en-uk/products/deep-freeze/enterpris...

Deep Freeze was a huge help at my school as well.

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#254

Post by Karunamon » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 4:26 PM UTC

matrixagent wrote: post #144

coob wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Piracy is rampant on jailbroken iOS devices.

Indeed. I only learned recently just how rampant – not even half of the copies of a "App Store best of the year" game were bought. ( https://twitter.com/ustwogames/status/552136427904184320 ) I wouldn't even have imagined so many people would even jailbreak their phones anymore.

Those numbers are somewhat sketchy if I recall right. Apple doesn't allow app authors to have access to an unchanging ID of a device, so if they're doing something like

(number of changeable UIDs that touched our server) - (app store sales) = copies we should have been paid for

..then there's a huge problem with their methodology. It would fail on the basic use case of one user with one app store account installing the app on more than one device (especially with kid friendly games like this), or re installs after a device wipe, or reinstalls after a user with a busted phone gets a new one, and so on.

As usual, bad statistics being used in defense of the piracy bogeyman. The number of people who jailbreak their phones is a tiny minority of iOS users, and the number of people who do so to pirate is an even tinier minority of that.

Even as someone that has no moral issues with downloading apps for free, I can tell you that it's not worth it on iOS. The contrast between the "it just works"-ness of the app store, and the hoops you need to jump through to get free apps is jarring.

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#255

Post by alextgordon » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 4:26 PM UTC

robobro wrote: post #86

Free software vendors make so much more money by bundling other software than they do by selling subscriptions that it’s pretty much the only business plan that anybody can consider using. At least Avast is bundling something good, so we can’t really argue with it. Because when the product is free the real product is YOU. His use of the term "free software" kinda bugs me here. Yes, "freeware" are harmful, but just be…

Most people versed in the English language will think "free software" means "freeware", because the other meaning is approximately as comprehensible as "educated toasters". Software can't have freedom. People have freedom.

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#256

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 4:27 PM UTC

3minus1 wrote: post #146

gleenn wrote: post #135

The article, while informative, feels like a subtle Avast advertisement. It's mentioned 16 times in the damn article, and the author even vindicates it for not preventing problems and also compares it to AVG saying its better.

it's almost like he's covertly bundling it into his article

[deleted]

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#257

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 4:29 PM UTC

serf wrote: post #26

psykovsky wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the #1 reason ALL the computers in my house aren't windows but Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is bundled with crap-ware , too; it's just more subtle. https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ubuntu-spyware.html http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/09/ubuntu-bakes-amazon-...

[deleted]

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#258

Post by jrockway » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 4:31 PM UTC

pjc50 wrote: post #80

iSnow wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironic, considering that Apple did exactly the same, when you installed QuickTime on Windows. They tried to trick you into installing iTunes and Safari and set them as default apps. Also, it stinks that Apple has nailed iOS that shut that even as a knowledgeable user you are not able to bypass it. They did not yet dare to do the same on Mac OS, but who knows when that comes.

Apple are quite happy to trash another company's OS. The Windows iTunes experience was terrible : it ate resources, was opaque in operation, didn't always sync properly and could occasionally wipe your devices. It used to be required for OS updates. The "nailing shut" is an increasing problem for anyone that believes in a free market in software. Which isn't helped by all these sites shipping value-negative software.

iTunes for Windows seems fine to me. It syncs my iPhone OK, and doesn't otherwise annoy me.

It's nice that I don't have to buy into their cloud or OS to use their phone.

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#259

Post by cdr » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 4:31 PM UTC

unreal37 wrote: post #243

cdr wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dunno, there's a few contenders. Scribd was pretty bad. RapGenius was pretty bad in terms of the people. Edit: Oh, and Quora, even if that wasn't much more than YC lending its name.

What was wrong with RapGenius? I actually like them. Simple idea executed well. I still use Genius regularly.

The other commenter covered the blackhat SEO / Google smackdown. As far as the people:

http://valleywag.gawker.com/rap-genius-cofounder-resigns-ove...

Re: What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

#260

Post by swies » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 4:36 PM UTC

e40 wrote: post #207

petecooper wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Addendum: I save a ninite.com installer to their desktops, renaming it to `Run this every Wednesday`. If they see any `You need to update Flash Player` dialogues, I advise them to close them and only run the desktop icon - this in and of itself saves most people from reinfection. Edit: typo and formatting.

I cannot say enough about ninite. They are brilliant. I moved to the Mac a year ago, and I miss it dearly. I wish they had a Mac version. It's so convenient. And safe. And easy. I paid them for something just because I wanted them to be successful. Single best product I used on Windows!

That's so nice to hear. Thank you!

I'd love to make a Mac version someday, but the problems are so much worse on Windows so we're focusing there.