Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion
What the hell is OpenCandy?
40hz:
If you haven't seen the YouTube video I put up yesterday, it's available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wr5DIbOAaA
-drapps (May 15, 2009, 03:09 PM)
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I watched it and, quite frankly, I didn't like it. To my mind, it felt a bit like when a sales clerk attempts to do an "up sell" on me while I'm trying to check out.
Just my 2¢
I also asked four other people to watch it, and made it a point to say nothing other than: What do you think about this service? All four said it wasn't something they much cared for. One of them went so far as to say she though it 'presumptions.'
Just their 2¢
Between them and me you now have a dime's worth of customer input! ;D :Thmbsup:
cmpm:
The concept seems to be usable, but it's implementation will be dicey.
@drapps said
What happens when a developer wants to participate (as a publisher or advertiser) in the OpenCandy network
-I check the Hosts file providers to see if a potential developer that wants to participate in OpenCandy is on those lists.
-I check McAfee SiteAdvisor and WoT.
-I check the potential publisher’s and advertiser’s installers using Virus Total.
-I check antispyware forums to see if user’s have any issues with the software.
-I look at the company’s business practices in general.
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Adding using/testing the program would be essential.
Or have them tested independently by a number of resources.
I currently have 20 feeds for software.
They all test and run the software themselves and give a review.
I'd be willing to bet each one would give these-
(the awesome apps out there that are still largely undiscovered and thus don't have the download volume it takes to be included on "Top 50" lists)
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a chance and test and run. As well as a post on their blogs if they are truly good apps, not even awesome.
DC sets here with open forums for such developers with applications to be discovered. DonationCoder is the most popular site according to a recent article. If exposure is needed there are a few ways to do it here as well as the feeds.
Recommendations based on what I already use......
or based on what someone wants me to use.
Either way, what I use is being monitored for sales.
Let's get it straight, there's a difference between discussing programs and selling them.
I'm not against sales, but the purpose is clear.
And some good programs can be found in this manner.
I don't believe it's spyware or adware but a way to sell.
From the publisher side (those who recommend) a few apps you can check out are MediaCoder, MediaInfo and Startup Manager to see the (high) quality of software they are recommending.
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What publisher is recommending these programs for instance?
drapps:
@cmpm
Adding using/testing the program would be essential.
Or have them tested independently by a number of resources.
I currently have 20 feeds for software.
They all test and run the software themselves and give a review.
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Yes, that's part of the approval process... In addition to the testing I've done (over the past 9+ years) and continue to do to this day, I (we) also rely heavily on third party reviews. My top/favorite download/review sites are Betanews, Majorgeeks, Filehippo, GivewayoftheDay, Elite Freeware, DonationCoder, Confessions of a Freeware Junkie, Freeware Genius, MSFN, NeoWin, Snapfiles, Download.com and Softpedia... I've been frequenting those sites for years to discover software and read reviews to try to find the "diamonds in the rough". I also frequent developers' forums, security forums, user help forums, etc... :)
@cmpm Recommendations based on what I already use......
or based on what someone wants me to use.
Either way, what I use is being monitored for sales.
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Open source and freeware publishers recommending other freeware or open source software has nothing to do with sales. In that case, they do it because they love an app and believe their users could benefit or derive value from using it as well. :)
I don't believe it's spyware or adware...
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:up:
... but a way to sell.
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Yes, for commercial software developers, using OpenCandy is a way to increase their distribution in an effort to acquire more paying customers. :)
@drapps From the publisher side (those who recommend) a few apps you can check out are MediaCoder, MediaInfo and Startup Manager to see the (high) quality of software they are recommending.
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@cmpm What publisher is recommending these programs for instance?
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In the case of those programs (MediaCoder, MediaInfo and Startup Manager) they cross-recommend each other (with the exception that MediaCoder doesn't recommend Startup Manager via OpenCandy).
Thanks. :)
Dr. Apps
Software Community Guru
OpenCandy
http://twitter.com/drapps
cmpm:
Open source and freeware publishers recommending other freeware or open source software has nothing to do with sales.
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I did not limit the publishers to open source and freeware. Has OC? Open source is one thing and freeware is another. And donations accepted on both.
To which I am not opposed to. Obviously, I'm here, though I haven't donated much.
It is a centralizing of product distribution.
Nothing new, there are distribution sites all over the net.
Why is it sounding different?
Downloads kept track of by a third party-OC.
Recommending more products-based on info gathered from my software
You would be in my computer, to a degree.
Like Google in everything I say on the net.
Doesn't take much to profile a person.
Venture Capital & Capitalism (GASP!)
We are in business to help developers get more visibility and make money, if they chose to do so. It's a key part of enabling our vision of helping developers innovate and create better, more competitive products. By doing so, consumers benefit by having better products available to them. That's our vision. We limit our ability to help developers accomplish this if we can't help them gain visibility and/or make money.
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Info is not safe, so someone will pick up on a program I use.
Yeah, I'm sure there are ways to use it in a way I would be bothered by, if not infringed upon. How many publishers' privacy agreements look like gmail's?
Google claims that privacy crap too.
Sent an email to my friends new address.
His email is- me at *****. Not gmail.
Now I get spam from someone named "me".
Tons of it goes in the spam folder on auto.
Never had spam from "me" until I emailed him ONCE.
Index my words on the net, but no indexing of my software on my computer.
superboyac:
I have to add one observation here. I agree with mouser that there is technically nothing wrong with what OC is doing. But I also understand what kartal is saying, and I do have one foot partially in his camp. That is, I'm not as committed as he is to the idea, but I lean that way more so than the way of OC.
Now, Dr. Apps is saying all the right things regarding OpenCandy to satisfy the suspicions of the predominantly ad-unfriendly atmosphere here. But I'd like to point out that you end each post with:
Dr. Apps
Software Community Guru
OpenCandy
http://twitter.com/drapps
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Big deal, right? Well, this kind of mimics the situation we are discussing. Why do you put this at the end of each post? This forum already allows for a signature field. The signature field can be turned off in each person's user options. So, by you not putting it in the signature, but in the actual post, you are bypassing the intent of that feature of this site. Sure, you are not doing anything wrong, but your intent is clearly subversive. This is the same kind of annoyance that we as users feel with things like OC for installing programs. Yes, technically there's nothing wrong with it, but it's annoying. Clever, is the most positive word I can use for it. My opinion is that the amount of "good" that comes from OC is pretty minimal.
But again, I want to emphasize that it's not an issue I would really take sides about. I would more likely just roll my eyes to OC and think "Cmon, man, you know what you're doing. Maybe you have to do it, we all have to do things we don't absolutely love sometimes to get through life, but don't pretend like it's this great thing."
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