{"id":9321,"date":"2015-04-03T07:51:51","date_gmt":"2015-04-03T11:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/?p=9321"},"modified":"2015-04-03T07:51:51","modified_gmt":"2015-04-03T11:51:51","slug":"download-com-cnet-must-think-youre-stupid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/download-com-cnet-must-think-youre-stupid\/","title":{"rendered":"Download.com (CNet) Must Think You’re Stupid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Download.com (CNet) Must Think You’re Stupid<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Many of you already know about the game that CNet\/Download.com plays with downloads. If you don’t know, let us tell you how this company, owned by CBS by-the-way, tries to make money from legitimate freeware. The take an otherwise decent freeware program, take the install it and wrap it in a CNet\/Download.com bundle, and distribute it from CNet\/Download.com.<\/p>\n

I guess they think it’s not bad enough out there already with all the malware-laden freeware, they have to add to it – taking many of the few remaining good, clean freeware and wrapping it up in their own malware bundle They must think we’re all stupid.<\/p>\n

It takes a lot of gall to wreck good freeware this way in the first place, but apparently they saved a big reserve of gall, because now they’ve really outdone themselves…. Read about their latest ploy -in their own words:<\/p>\n

“Hello CNET TechTracker Users!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Cloudeight
\nWe’re excited to introduce you to the latest version of our software update service, now called the Download App. This is the newest evolution of the CNET service previously known as TechTracker.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Download App is a free application from Download.com that helps keep the software on your Windows computer up-to-date, as well as clean up the junk that accumulates in your system over time. The Download App scans your computer and notifies you when updates are available for the software you have installed, just like TechTracker. As you know, software updates contain new features and patches that make your computer more secure. You can also use the Download App to remove unwanted software from your computer using the Uninstall feature. Using the software catalog that powers Download.com, the Download App provides secure, spyware-free software updates, and makes it easy to keep track of all your software updates in one place. With the new Utilities features, you can scan your computer for junk files that might be slowing your computer down and get rid of them with a few clicks.<\/p>\n

We’ve been working hard on this new version, and we’ve got plans for new features and improvements in 2014 that you won’t want to miss.”<\/p>\n

This takes nerve the size of Everest; it takes the cake. It claims to “scan your computer for junk files that might be slowing your computer down”; junk files have little to do with slowing a newer computer down, but malware, junkware, and crapware like Download.com (CNet) tries to goad you into installing sure will “slow your computer down”.<\/p>\n

Tech Tracker was a piece of junk to begin with, now their modernizing Tech Tracker and calling it the Download App. New and improved…. we’re certain of that. It’s a new and improved way for CNet\/Download.com to earn more money by tricking the unwary computer user into installing junk that no one wants – like home page hijackers, search engine hijackers, and other malware toolbars and programs and PUPs that no one would intentionally install unless they had been out drinking all night and got home in the morning and decided to have a download frolic just for fun to see how fast they could ruin their computer.<\/p>\n

It’s a shame when big companies who once had the respect of the Internet community, turn into money-grubbing, malware installation stations. CNET\/Download.com should be ashamed of themselves, but they’re not. As long as they trick enough people into installing the garbage they bundle with otherwise legitimate freeware, so it shows up well in the old bottom line, they don’t give darn about respect or principles.<\/p>\n

Over 5, 400,000 people have downloaded this program, Most all the other programs on CNet offer viewable user reviews and ratings, but not the good old Download App, it rated two our of five stars (not good) but you can’t see the user reviews because CNet\/Download.com won’t show you. But they’ll let you read user reviews of almost every other program available for download.<\/p>\n

Download App? Really. Download Crap is what it should be called.<\/p>\n

(Note: CNet\/Download.com have added an option for software developers to opt-out of CNet\/Download.com’s junkware installer wrapper, and you’ll find that many of the developers have opted out. But downloading from CNet\/Download.com continues to be a crap shoot for users. We highly recommend you don’t download from CNet\/Download.com)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Download.com (CNet) Must Think You’re Stupid Many of you already know about the game that CNet\/Download.com plays with downloads. If you don’t know, let us tell you how this company, owned by CBS by-the-way, tries to make money from legitimate freeware. The take an otherwise decent freeware program, take the install it and wrap it in a CNet\/Download.com\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1655,1433],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9321"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9321"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9322,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9321\/revisions\/9322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}