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What Happens When You Install the Top Download.com Apps

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

#371

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If they somehow came up with the money to buy an iPhone -- $500+ unlocked, or $100+/month on a multi-year contract Looks like you need the reality check I was talking about. I can find you $40 smartphones in countries that aren't the one you're in. And by the way, $40 can still be a huge investment for such people (just like $500 is to a lot of people in the US). Edit: Those downvotes-without-explanation are really…

> "Looks like you need the reality check" Please stop being rude. EDIT: saying things like "If you think I'm wrong, you very well may need a reality check yourself" makes it seem like you're not open to dialogue. It comes off as rude, arrogant, and accusatory. That probably contributes to the downvotes. > "I can find you $40 smartphones" I can find plenty of $40 smartphones at Wal-Mart and Kroger. But this thread isn…

> makes it seem like you're not open to dialogue.

Complaining about downvotes without replies makes it seem like I'm not open to dialogue? I think it makes some people in here seem like they live in a bubble, to each their own huh?

> But this thread isn't about $40 smartphones

Actually, it is; GGP said he "knows people too cheap to pay $1 for apps" and that is completely valid for Android as well. The rest of your post's premise is wrong on that basis. I'm not claiming iphones are popular amongst that sector of the population. But even if I did, as someone else said below, actual pirated/resold iphones do cost around 30-40 USD making them just as accessible.

Edit: And I don't mean to be rude, it just disgusts me how some people here are so full of money it doesn't even register that for some, $1 is a big deal.

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

#372
post #80
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.

I nearly choked when Steve Jobs described iTunes for Windows as "a glass of water for someone in hell". More like "a bucket of lava for someone somewhere reasonable".

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

#373
post #83
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.

Scoop looks really awesome. Will definitively keep an eye on it.

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

#374

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not an unpopular opinion -- I know a fair number of Mac users and I don't think I know any of them who are devoted fans of Apple's application (rather than system) software. I've been using Macs more or less full time since 1999; over those 15 years some of their applications have been pretty good, subjectively speaking, but in general Apple is pretty frustrating in this regard. They'll come up with a neat app…

> I don't think I know any of them who are devoted fans of Apple's application (rather than system) software. I fail to see the difference between OSX and Windows then. Legacy Win32 APIs probably are still there, somewhere, but they've built a fairly solid system on top of that. PowerShell is one major argument in favour of Windows platform: it really makes resource management and scripting ( and remote administratio…

That's really subjective, but for me I suppose it's two things.

First, I'm probably not alone on HN in reading that last sentence of yours that begins "Other than..." as being roughly equivalent to "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the show?" OS X doesn't just have "some degree of POSIX-compliance"; it's Unix, full stop. If you are that "specific kind of user," this isn't optional.

Second, as squishy as this sounds, I simply like the OS X user experience more than Windows or any Linux/FreeBSD desktop environment that I've tried. The Mac gets the GUI right in subtle ways that are hard to describe but that I always notice when I'm using other systems. And this isn't due to lack of personal exposure; I'm, well, old by today's computing standards, and I've used the original MacOS for years, FreeBSD for several years (including professionally) and many versions of Linux, from the SLS days up through Ubuntu 12. (Actually, I'm running Ubuntu 14.10 and Arch Linux on two different servers, but they're GUI-free.) And I wouldn't trade OS X for any of them.

I know for some people, being able to tile terminal windows into a 3x3 grid without ever touching a mouse is their UX nirvana, but I am not one of those people, and I don't think I'm less productive for it. The fastest way to get a window the size and place I want it is often with a mouse. The fastest way to copy and move files is often with drag and drop. I know (some) people insist that I must be slowed down by constantly using mouse-driven software and switching between a tabbed terminal, a GUI text editor and a visual diff tool -- all with (gasp) overlapping windows! -- but I'm not. Really. And there are a fair number of Mac-only programs that I prefer to their Linux or Windows counterparts, if I can even find such counterparts. (Keynote, OmniOutliner, Soulver, ReadKit and xScope all come to mind.)

And, last but not least, it's nice -- at least for me -- to have a full Unix system that also has a lot of commercial software support. I don't run much Microsoft or Adobe software, but I'm glad I have the option. The applications I mentioned in parentheses there are all commercial, and as cliché as it may be to claim that commercial software generally has a better UX than free software -- and even more obnoxious, that Mac software tends to have a better UX than Windows -- it often matches my experience.

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

#375
post #242
post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with using cleaning tools like the ones you mention is that I'm always left wondering, "What did I miss?" when they've finished. Since it's a long process that's always potentially incomplete, I abandoned that approach years ago. The first thing I ask a client is "What data do you want to keep?" Then I scan the drive offline (mostly for my own curiosity, but also to get an idea of what I'm dealing with),…

Agree. The moment you infected - you never know which closet the garbage hides the copy of itself in. Burn everything and build afresh. Hopefully lesson learned.

I would, and do, take the further step and repartition & reformat in DOS to eliminate rootkits. Have seen them carryover through new installs before, even after reformatting; TDSS I believe it was, but not 100%.

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

#376
post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always considered the assertion that quality content is only created if there is financial reward to be a flagrant lie. Expectations of ads fully supporting websites are relatively new even to the world wide web, let alone the internet. 10 years ago, you might at best hope that your ads would offset a bit of the websites hosting costs. The really good content is put up by people who are in it because they care a…

I think there are probably far more people who will create crap content for financial reward than there are people who will create quality content for donations.

and in that case the higher the barriers that are placed between them and the user, the better. vive le ad blockers.

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

#377
post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree with this procedure. 1) Rebooting the computer can spread the infection. You should try to clean it with 0 reboots. Ignore safemode. Kill adwcleaner with taskmanager. 2)ComboxFix is unnecessary. Malwarebytes/ESET work most of the time, and if not there are about 3 other scans to use. Anyone who wants to buy a new laptop for speed purposes should be talked into trying an SSD first. A cheap laptop comes with…

>Kill adwcleaner with taskmanager. AdwCleaner requires a restart to finish up, as I understand it. If you know differently, I'm genuinely interested. >ComboxFix is unnecessary. Respectfully, I disagree. It's caught things that the others have missed. Anecdotal evidence, sure, but in my experience it's proven useful. Most of the time new laptops are not for speed purposes - there is a misconception that a new laptop i…

"TV-advertised laptops for 200-250GBP are very appealing for my client demographic. It irks me, sure, but then sometimes people have to learn by doing. The tide is very slowly turning."

At least 'formerly-known-as netbooks' aren't selling for twice that, anymore. Although, they are still excruciatingly painful to work on if you're used to anything faster...like an x86 Celeron.

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

#378
post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chrome?

From what? It automatically sets itself as default?

Yup. Chrome is offered as opt-out bundleware with quite a few Windows apps and Google pays the publishers for this. This is how quite a few regular users switched to Chrome. Even just updating Java in Windows it'll try and sneak a copy of Chrome in with the update.

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

#379
post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Kill adwcleaner with taskmanager. AdwCleaner requires a restart to finish up, as I understand it. If you know differently, I'm genuinely interested. >ComboxFix is unnecessary. Respectfully, I disagree. It's caught things that the others have missed. Anecdotal evidence, sure, but in my experience it's proven useful. Most of the time new laptops are not for speed purposes - there is a misconception that a new laptop i…

> It's caught things that the others have missed. What other things? Did you run FSecure, Panda, ESET, Emsisoft, Avira, Avast, Herdprotect? It might be useful, but it is dangerous. It should be an absolute last ditch effort, not standard procedure. >AdwCleaner requires a restart to finish up, as I understand it. Try running it twice in a row without a restart. Try running it before and after a malwarebytes scan, with…

> What other things? Did you run FSecure, Panda, ESET, Emsisoft, Avira, Avast, Herdprotect? It might be useful, but it is dangerous. It should be an absolute last ditch effort, not standard procedure.

I should clarify. I am predominantly dealing with annoyances, adware and unwanted applications – not viruses or malware, in the main. It's junk, not malicious or infecting - at least in the vast majority of cases.

Removing the non-viral noise makes the process of cleaning up anything else far easier. Number of rootkits encountered in 3+ years of domestic and small business technical support: zero. Number of file infecting viruses encountered in the same period: 2. Number of ransomware (Trojan horse, worm at a push) infestations: dozens. Number of adware and miscellaneous browser infestations dealt with: hundreds.

>Try running it twice in a row without a restart. Try running it before and after a malwarebytes scan, without a restart. Does it find things?

That's a really interesting question, and not one I can answer right now. I do intend to try this in a VM a la the OP link. I will endeavour to find out and report back.

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

#380
Could remove all of this malware with Malwarebytes Anti Malware. Buz still had zo reset the proxy settings, because they had been changed. The change was also removed but i had to unclick a checkbox so it doesn't use a proxy anymore. It is so frustrating. I don't know if Windows can sustain it's software model like this. It is just unbearable. Ninite and chocolatey would be great solutions i think.
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