Slashdot Mirror
Going From Gator to Claria
Ant writes "Wired News has an article on the famous spyware company that went from Gator to Claria. From the article: 'Three years ago the company was considered a parasite and a scourge. Today it's a rising star -- selling virtually the same product. How a pop-up pariah won the adware wars.'" The name change happened about two years ago, and a lot has changed since then.
Steps to regaining legitimacy:
Personally, I still despise Gator...uh...Claria, and all it stands for. The legitimization of spyware...uh...adware just leads to it being even more prevalent, and for every 'legitimate' adware app, there's a score of spyware apps out there that don't bother to play by the rules. Things would be much easier if all spyware could be treated like the infectious waste it is, but of course economics dictates that will never happen.
From TFA:
In other news, cats are in favor of open birdcages.
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
I still don't trust 'em. It's a little like the Mafia deciding to go straight.
"Earlier this year, The New York Times reported that Microsoft came close to acquiring Claria"
Wow! These Microsoft guys are running out of ideas how to piss their users. Hopefully Gator's experience will do a vast contribution in that area.
(Only joking)
Three years ago the company was considered a parasite and a scourge
Some would also say they were mangy dogs and landlubbers as well...
Arr!
As any self-respecting Slashdotter will tell you:
Print is dead.*
* They reserve the right to add the word "silly" to the end of their statement.
-William Brendel
Luckily I know of some free apps you can download that will make your online viewing of Wired even more fulfilling! Don't delay, download today!!!!
I Am My Own Worst Enemy
CEO Scott VanDeVelde doesn't deny this. "I don't feel like there's a need to wipe the slate clean," he says. "Our technologies are dead center of where the market is going." The spyware wars are over - and spyware has won."
Why does this quote sound oddly familiar?
Agent Smith: We're willing to wipe the slate clean, give you a fresh start. All that we're asking in return is your cooperation in bringing a known terrorist to justice.
Neo: Yeah. Well, that sounds like a pretty good deal. But I think I may have a better one. How about, I give you the finger [Neo flips off Agent Smith]
Neo:
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
[bunnies for Allah]
Is there any chance I can get that on a T-shirt?
So, they're the Scientology of spyware, then?
Big! Strong! Wow! Tada-O!
Little known fact*: When the Greeks invaded Troy, they first attempted to sneak past the Trojans in a large wooden alligator. The subsequent bad PR that resulted when said alligator erupted into a flurry of Greek soldiers led the Greeks to later rebrand their distribution model under the guise of a much friendlier-looking horse. The resulting slaughter was much the same, but had a much better marketing campaign. Years later Gator followed the same pattern, only replacing the large wooden animals with spyware, and the murderous Greek soldiers with pop-up ads. The Greek implementation is arguably less irritating. *Fact may or may not be complete and utter bullshit.
Pirana's are honest creatures. They never have claimed they just want to give you a massage.
"It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
Claria is spyware!
I said it again, where's the lawsuit?
-bZj
.sig
Spyware must have corrupted your HUMOR.DLL.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
I tried to goto claria.com from work.
Our webwasher message said i was denied for trying to access a site in the category: Computer Crime
I think the difference is that I go to Google where Claira comes to you. Kind of like in Soviet Russia!
Of course everyone knows that prostitution is illegal... I would never suggest that our company get into that sort of business.
However...
I have heard that there is a growing market for "Personal Entertainment Practitioners" who make house calls. Perhaps there is a place for our company in the lucrative field of Realtime Adult Entertainment Facilitating.
Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
You see, they say that their products are entirely spyware-free. Wait... does that mean that their products do not have any other spyware and their product does not have any spyware attached -- the whole program is just spyware, nothing else..
Oh come now, it's totally straight forward.
Their products are entirely Spyware and you get them for free.
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
Romeo and Juliet. Act ii. Sc. 2. 6
cf "A rose is a rose is a rose" by Gertrude Stein.
Also, I am beginning to think that Tourette's is not caused by genetics, but one gets it by being exposed to the internet.
So, get the fucking quotes right next time, dickhead.
"Kill All Christians And Jews" didn't go over so well with the focus groups, which wanted more positive, upbeat, modern image for their terrorist organization of choice. The runner up, "We Might Be Psychopathic Murderers But At Least We're Not George W Bush" tested very well in Europe, but unfortunately ran into problems with French laws limiting the number of English words which can be used in an organization's name, and also EU regulations governing public depictions of the mentally different.
Help poke pirates in the eyepatch, arr.