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Beware of download sites
CWuestefeld:
Sorry if the title was offensive. What I really meant to say was the aggregation portals (like download.com cited in the article, but also even sourceforge recently). But even so, it is applicable, unfortunately, to many small developers themselves.
Curt:
DC should become a freeware download site :mrgreen:
-rgdot (January 12, 2015, 11:20 AM)
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+1 ;)
crabby3:
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)
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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)
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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)
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;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)
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I agree..this has to be one of the more horrific titles that appeared on DC.
-Stephen66515 (January 12, 2015, 11:33 AM)
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Me being part of the 80% of the 'normal users' ... isn't it better to be safe than sorry? Don't believe anything you read and half of what you see. I heard this long before the Internet earned my mistrust. Why would any semi-informed non-geek take a chance with their machine? They wouldn't. When IE9 or MBAM or... warns to stay away... i do. Mousers view is my view. Go to the source; the author of the software. (Just beware be aware of what you click at the authors site as well). ;D
Hans L:
CWuestefeld, I really enjoyed your report of your travails (self-inflicted, but still :-). Funny and informative.
I clicked on something by mistake the other week, and spent the better part of two days to route a browser hijacker, using AdwCleander, Malwarebytes, Hitman and JRT. They did the job, but what an ordeal.
Since it is the first time it has ever happened to me (I have probably forgotten one or two), I can vouch for being careful. You get what you pay for!
Hans L
TaoPhoenix:
Accounting "used to" have a word for this, until a string of scandals almost trashed the reputation of accounting!
:o
It was called "attestation". Done "properly" (and you shouldn't even have to need the finger quotes, it should be obvious!), some third party that you actually do trust, certifies something on a sliding scale of fairness. Lately nasty people are hijacking the attestation concept, but just suppose Mouser decides to open a new side business, if something was Mouser-approved, you'd be pretty sure it was safe.
What doesn't exist yet is a site as big as Download.com that has "alternative revenue streams" so it can afford to snub the bundle-ware.
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