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Download.com Now Wraps Downloads In Bloatware
MrSeb writes "At Download.com, page designs have been repeatedly tweaked over the years to push its updater software (now called TechTracker), TrialPay offers, and the site's mailing list. Bothersome, perhaps, but certainly not inexcusable. They've got to make money off the site somehow, after all, and banner ads don't always do the job. Now, things have taken a turn for the worse: Cnet has begun wrapping downloads in its own proprietary installer. Not only will this cause the reputation of free, legitimate software to be tarred by Cnet's bloatware toolbars, homepage changes, and new default search engines — but Cnet is even claiming that their installer wrapping is 'for the users.'"
c|net is long gone, they are now CBS Interactive.
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
Well, Google does it with their toolbar for IE, Google Desktop Search and Chrome. I think most slashdotters think Google as somewhat reputable company.
Your best bet is Major Geeks. I have found the selection at the Major to be incredible, both of the latest and older stuff, and they don't try to push the crapola like CNET does now.
Heck i'm surprised it took /. this long to run a tory about it, as I've been warning folks to stay away from CNET for a few weeks now. if I'd have known it had been run I'd have put it up awhile back but I just figured somebody else had done it and I didn't want to dupe.
But if you want the "basics" your best bet is Ninite which always has the latest CCleaner, flash, Java, klite, etc and NO TOOLBARS in software like CCleaner, all automated and easy peasy, and for the more offbeat stuff you can't beat the Major. those are my two "go to" sites now that CNET has become just another adware spammer.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.