Slashdot Mirror
Browser Becomes Billboard
MikeKD writes "Citing a desire to 'enhance the user experience', United Virtualities is 'preparing to introduce a product [called Ooqa Ooqa] that will allow advertisers to automatically change the appearance of Web browsers, usurping some of the functions built into popular browsers...', according to an MSNBC article--and all this supposedly without downloading any additional software. UV says a lot of sweet things about being able to turn it off and allowing the web sites to customize the degree of intrusion (from reverting to normal form when leaving to retaining the rebrand even after leaving), but does anyone think advertisers will restrain themselves? Not I." Friends don't let friends use browsers susceptible to this.
What it does is bad enough, but what it's called is even worse. I think some of these dot com companies might do a little better if they didn't spend all the VC money on crack for the marketing department.. :)
-s
Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
wouldn't this be similar to say you're watching friends and while you're watching someone enters your house and paints your television pink, puts a sign on top of your tv that says buy tampax, and replaces your remote with a tampax branded remote?
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Is this going to affect my Bonzi Buddy??!!
I just __CAN'T__ wait to see the latest pr0n ads..
Wonder what we'll be clicking on to close the windows?
Gives a whole new meaning to 'pop-ups'.
this sounds like a really enchanting way to 'enhance the user experience.' I didn't know that viral marketing schemes were the ideal projection of usability.
maybe the next thing they'll be working on is a keyboard that grabs the money right out of our pockets...
or circle browser ... or browser that looks like a ship... or a sheep...
will you marry me?
United Virtualities calls the product "Ooqa Ooqa," the nickname of one of the cofounder's daughters. The firm's signature product is the "shoshkeles," named after another daughter of a co-founder.
Hello! What planet is this cofounder-dude from? I heard his dog is called "Melissa" and his goldfish is called "Mary-Anne".
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|o| Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters - Galeon
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How long until slashdot does this. Although they'd probably at least give us options of how stupid they make our browser look. Like maybe a poll:
How do you want your browser to look this week?
1: Linux themed
2: Flashing slashot (looks like vegas strip club)
3: Cowboyneal
*shudder*
can't sleep slashdot will eat me
Come on, all these nifty programs that MS produces with their scripting and activeX controls would not be possible if it were not for the likes of AMD, Intel, and nVidia.
It's inappropriate to criticize Microsoft for doing stuff like this though. That would be like criticizing bacteria for causing illness. It's just the nature of software companies in an "ecosystem" that if they have an opportunity to do something that obnoxious, they'll do it. The problem is in hardware that gives too much power to the OS being used, and the real culprit is Intel.
Some names are just too stupid to be believed.
If linux was called GNU/Ooqa Ooqa instead of GNU/linux I would never have used it.
Honest. It truly leaves me speechless how mindless brand names are getting. Ooqa bloody Ooqa? WTF?
Did some marketing drone actually get paid for belching this one up?
Blearf. Blearf, I say.
;)
Just kidding... couldn't resist.
"There is no Death. Only a change of worlds."
If you check your Milton, you'll find that Satan had a daughter named Sin, and he banged her, and they had a son called Death. Taking this metaphor a little further, Business had a daughter named Greed, and together, they begat a brood called "Pervasive Idiocy", "Pointy-Haired Boss", "Dot-Com", and "RIAA". Nothing to see here, move along.
Give a monkey a brain and he'll swear he's the center of the universe.