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What the hell is OpenCandy?

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cmpm:
After further review. And, Please correct me if I'm wrong.

The program, OC, is being installed with other programs without an opt out of OC option. It reads the registry for recommendations as well as the current install.

No identifiable info of the user is sent to OC's servers.
Is what I've seen so far from reports on the web.

Still, the situation of OC being bundled with a program is a problem when the user is not informed before the install.

Granted it seems harmless, opinions vary on that though.
Perhaps disclosing this extra program being installed, before the actual installing of the program, would help it's progress and trustworthiness.

The OC website explains how but not who is using OC.
From searching the web, there are 3 or 4 programs that I could find using OC in their installers.

The one I tried did not disclose OC in the install till it was already installed-

cmpm:
Maybe this is the way of future installs, but it should be disclosed that OC is part of this program before downloading it. IMHO.

btw-

http://www.doubletwist.com/dt/Home/Index.dt

seems like a cool program

And I have found I already have OC on my computer.
From mediacoder and xulplayer. After searching my files.

Carol Haynes:
If OpenCandy is a purely OPT-IN system as stated above then surely the installation of OC should also be OPT-IN and not uninstall after silent infiltration?

This may not be malware as such but the fact it is being installed silently with other apps makes it an unwelcome intrusion in my opinion - and it it is sending any information back to OC without expressly telling the user that it is doing that then it is (at least as far as I am concerned) spyware.

mouser:
question: is OpenCandy actually installing some standalone thing in your system -- or is it just a dll/library that is part of the installer and only runs during installation and uninstallation?

if its just a dll that comes with the installer.. then complaining about it being installed "silently" is a lot like complaining that the installer helper files are being installed "silently" when you install a program.. i mean if they are part of the installer then it's not really normal to be telling the user about it..  again this only holds if the OC stuff does not run except during install/uninstall, in which case i really don't see the problem.

now sending information over the internet without telling user is a different matter -- i do think user should be told about this. i don't know that it has to be opt-in, but an option to opt-out would be nice, and a little note to user about what info is being sent.

mouser:
This is about the time when andrew is probably regretting he ever joined in this discussion, since answering the posts in this thread has become a full time job for him  :huh:

If it's any comfort -- i do think the thread is an overall positive thing for OC -- in letting you explain the workings of it to people who might be initially skeptical.  Not everyone will like it, but at least this thread will be a place they can find out more and see both sides discussed reasonably.

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