Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Bonzi Class Action Suit Settled: No Foolin'!

Posted by timothy on from the not-even-a-slap-on-the-wrist dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to this article in the Toronto Star, a class action suit against Bonzi Software has reached a settlement. Bonzi will not pay damages but will be required to stop using fake user interface (FUI) style error messages to trick users into clicking on their banners. This is a big win for the community as it will help to improve the Internet's ailing perceived user experience. Most of you have seen Bonzi's banners, and probably most of you won't admit to having been fooled by them at some point. Well, imagine how many novice computer users were tricked into installing again, or paying for software they really did not need. Congratulations and thanks to Lukins & Annis for a job well done. Interestingly, bonzi.com has been returning connection refused all day. This is usually one of the net's busiest sites."

27 of 376 comments (clear)

  1. Ah... by Obiwan+Kenobi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Interestingly, bonzi.com has been returning connection refused all day. This is usually one of the net's busiest sites.

    Ah...a little thing called justice.

    1. Re:Ah... by danheskett · · Score: 5, Funny

      Haha.. that ad was always the funniest thing to me. "Your computer is 'broadcasting' an IP address".

      Sounds scary! "Broadcasting", "address", "IP" - sounds terrifying for a newbie.

      Funny how essential things like "routing information" can be turned into a scary thing to uninformed users. Funny meaning "sad".

    2. Re:Ah... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
      "Your computer is 'broadcasting' an IP address"

      Quick! Install the latest WinXP security patch!

    3. Re:Ah... by Frater+219 · · Score: 4, Funny
      Haha.. that ad was always the funniest thing to me. "Your computer is 'broadcasting' an IP address".

      The first time I saw that, I was reminded of a schoolyard taunt: "Your epidermis is showing!"

      (To make this funny, you have to consider that not every kid knew what his epidermis was, and that it wasn't dirty for [parts of] it to be showing ...)

    4. Re:Ah... by canajin56 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Another good one is to say "Your computer is insecure. Any website you browse can access your files." and then right below it, put a frame with a url of something like "file:///%userprofile%/My%20Documents" or "file:///~" or whatever, depending on the OS and browser reported.

      --
      ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI
    5. Re:Ah... by ENOENT · · Score: 5, Funny
      The first time I saw that, I was reminded of a schoolyard taunt: "Your epidermis is showing!"

      So, I take it that you didn't go to a girls' school in Saudi Arabia?

      --
      That's "Mr. Soulless Automaton" to you, Bub.
    6. Re:Ah... by Cruciform · · Score: 4, Funny

      Hey, it worked.
      500,000 people just stopped broadcasting! :)

  2. Good job! by aeinome · · Score: 4, Funny

    I agree, m4d props to L&A for showing them up. I've never actually clicked on one of them (I swear) but my friend, who uses the same computer, does so numerously. I pretty much have to uninstall Gator and such on a daily basis.

    --
    When you don't have a leg to stand on, don't even get up.
  3. Ya, I was fooled... by oscast · · Score: 5, Funny

    I thought my OS X aqua icons turned into these nasty, square-shaped, clunky, windows-esch styled buttons.

  4. Cavaliers by Jack+Comics · · Score: 5, Funny

    Bonzi doesn't have to pay any money? I guess Perfect Tommy and the rest of the Hong Kong Cavaliers managed to save the day after all!

    Bad joke, I know but it had to be said, err... written. :)

    --
    "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
    1. Re:Cavaliers by iamsure · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Because bonzi doesnt have to pay any money?"

      Of course not - they hit the monkey, and won the cash!

      --
      GPL'd web-based tradewars themed space game
  5. Your Computer is Being Controlled by a Moron by dbravender · · Score: 4, Funny

    Your operating system sucks. Click here to install Linux now! [Ok]

  6. Re:SYSTEM WARNING! by Jack+Comics · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... Your system apparently is also in need of a decent spellchecker. Please go here for more information.

    --
    "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
  7. Geek version.... by bobm17ch · · Score: 5, Funny



    WARNING Linux user! You have some Micro$oft webpages in your browser's cache! We can help you remove them safely!

    Open up a shell and type: apt-get install hitthemonkey

    K THX!

    --
    \\ Mitch
  8. Re:Good job! New Friend by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 4, Funny
    I've never actually clicked on one of them (I swear) but my friend, who uses the same computer, does so numerously.

    Now there's a definition of "friend" of which I was previous unacquainted with.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  9. Re:Bonzi buddy! by malia8888 · · Score: 5, Funny

    just as their system grinds to a halt with a big purple ape [bonzi.com] on the screen jumping out at you,

    The true victim in this lawsuit is the purple ape. He has been neutered and sent to a zoo;)

    --
    Harpo Tunnel Syndrome--my wrist feels funny.
  10. Re:style sheets to block annoying ads by jdreed1024 · · Score: 4, Funny
    nope -- I don't see any of them anymore thanks to the userContent.css style sheet.

    Well, that's all well and good, but your computer is broadcasting an IP address which can be used by hackers, and now you can't even be warned of this fact. Thanks to Bonzi, I found out about this years ago, and my net experience has been much safer since I installed their software. *phew*

    --
    There is no sig, there is only Zuul.
  11. Re:Bonzi buddy! by Schezar · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh gods.

    People at my (former) office would huddle around the monitor and watch the little bastard perform. Never believed me when I told them what it was, and yet constantly complained that their PCs were too slow.

    Of course, now I work for IBM (work.. Yet I'm somehow posting on /. at 2:30pm), and I've no doubt that if anyone were caught with Bonzi installed on their machine, they would be laughed out of the department.

    --
    GeekNights!
    Late Night Radio for Geeks!
  12. I like this one: by butane_bob2003 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Your computer is transmitting an IP address!

    Helpful warning, kind of one the same lines as:

    Your epidermis is showing!

    --


    TallGreen CMS hosting
  13. KeWl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    so any word on when I get my money for shocking that bouncing monkey thing!

  14. Re:Bonzi buddy! by TopShelf · · Score: 5, Funny

    If there was any justice, it would be the developers who got neutered...

    --
    Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
  15. Re:wow, how is this good? by linuxChique · · Score: 4, Funny

    Who wants to volunteer to write one of those FUI ads to install Linux on all those poor fools' Windoze machines?

    --
    the penguin will eat you.
  16. My Imagination? by ShwAsasin · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm happy those bogus errors will finally be put to an end, atleast from Bonzi. I'm rather disturbed that the firm that won this lawsuit is called Annis. Am I to believe that all lawyers are assholes, or just in that one practice?

  17. Re:Big win? by notque · · Score: 5, Funny

    A big win? What are you smoking? Bonzai duped countless users for years and completely got away with it. They didn't have to pay anything. A big win would be if they got slapped with such a huge fine.

    No, A big win would be if they got slapped with a large trout.

    --
    http://use.perl.org
  18. yep... by maxpublic · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...it's good to see the monkey being spanked.

    Max

    --
    My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
  19. Re:wow, how is this good? by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Who wants to volunteer to write one of those FUI ads to install Linux on all those poor fools' Windoze machines?"

    Ah yes, that way millions of people could say "WTF? Why don't any of my games work?!"

  20. Oh now thats Cruel by Loosewire · · Score: 4, Funny

    Interestingly, bonzi.com has been returning connection refused all day. This is usually one of the net's busiest sites."
    So what do people do when they read this, they click it to see if its true - that was just a ploy to get us to slashdot the site wasnt it ;-)

    --
    Slashdot - The one stop shop for procrastination