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Beware of download sites
CWuestefeld:
How-To Geek has an interesting cautionary tale.
We installed the top 10 apps from Download.com, and you’ll never believe what happened! Well… I guess maybe you might have a good guess. Awful things. Awful things are what happens. Join us for the fun!
We’ve been railing against freeware download recommendations for years, and recently we taught you how to test any software safely using a virtual machine. So we thought, why not have some fun and see what really happens if you download software like a regular clueless user might?
For the purpose of this experiment, we’re going to just click through all regular installation screens with the default options using a fresh virtual machine. And we’re going to install ten applications from the most popular downloads list. And we’re going to assume the persona of a regular non-geek user.
--- End quote ---
Why do nice things always have to go to crap?
EDIT: changed title of thread to not cast aspersions on all freeware
mouser:
RE: Beware of Freeware downloads
The title of this post is exactly what freeware authors fear -- that our software will get a bad reputation because of some bad sites.
The lesson is not to beware freeware -- it's to beware these third party download sites.
ALWAYS go to the source, the author of the software, to find the download. NEVER trust a third party source unless it is directly linked from the author's web page.
wraith808:
RE: Beware of Freeware downloads
The title of this post is exactly what freeware authors fear -- that our software will get a bad reputation because of some bad sites.
The lesson is not to beware freeware -- it's to beware these third party download sites.
ALWAYS go to the source, the author of the software, to find the download. NEVER trust a third party source unless it is directly linked from the author's web page.
-mouser (January 12, 2015, 11:00 AM)
--- End quote ---
The problem with this for the average user is Chrome. Not sure if FF/IE do this also, i.e. this file is not one that (we think is) downloaded commonly, so you shouldn't download it.
*sigh*
rgdot:
DC should become a freeware download site :mrgreen:
KynloStephen66515:
RE: Beware of Freeware downloads
The title of this post is exactly what freeware authors fear -- that our software will get a bad reputation because of some bad sites.
The lesson is not to beware freeware -- it's to beware these third party download sites.
ALWAYS go to the source, the author of the software, to find the download. NEVER trust a third party source unless it is directly linked from the author's web page.
-mouser (January 12, 2015, 11:00 AM)
--- End quote ---
The problem with this for the average user is Chrome. Not sure if FF/IE do this also, i.e. this file is not one that (we think is) downloaded commonly, so you shouldn't download it.
*sigh*
-wraith808 (January 12, 2015, 11:14 AM)
--- End quote ---
Seen that so many times on both Chrome and FF...if a download hasn't has many hits, then they are labelled as "Dodgy as fuck" by the browser which will turn 80% of normal users away because they don't understand.
DC should become a freeware download site :mrgreen:
-rgdot (January 12, 2015, 11:20 AM)
--- End quote ---
;D
RE: Beware of Freeware downloads
The title of this post is exactly what freeware authors fear -- that our software will get a bad reputation because of some bad sites.
The lesson is not to beware freeware -- it's to beware these third party download sites.
ALWAYS go to the source, the author of the software, to find the download. NEVER trust a third party source unless it is directly linked from the author's web page.
-mouser (January 12, 2015, 11:00 AM)
--- End quote ---
I agree..this has to be one of the more horrific titles that appeared on DC.
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