While I agree that this spoofing is potentially problematic, I do think there is a reason they're doing it. Obviously their intention is to increase their users' security, by including the LinkScanner option, and perhaps spoofing IE is just a means to that end. Assuming this to be true, ultimately the aim of this extra measure is with good intent (better security = good).
Besides, as many people have pointed out (including me, in another reply), you can omit these features during installation by some command line usage. Additionally, I might point out that the TweakGuides Tweaking Companion http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html offers additional hints at backing down some of AVG 8.0's resource hogging aspects that other commenters have complained about.
Regarding installing AVG withOUT certain elements, I strongly suggest the "The TweakGuides Tweaking Companion." It explains exactly how to do that very thing (pg. 106-107, I think).
It's a terrific source of information, and is available for free at: http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html
Thank you!! I was going to write something very much like this.
Having earned two degrees in science, one a M.S. which largely dealt with material physics, I can say that all materials flow, given enough time. In fact, the term 'rheology' (the study of properties and deformation of materials) comes from the Greek verb rheo, meaning "flow." There's even a Plato quote in there: "All things flow." That being said, the ability of glass to flow is NOT what makes it special.
Instead, it is that glass does not posses a crystalline structure, rather, it is an amorphous material. The chemical constituents that make up glass have not combined to form an orderly and repetetive atomic structure of regular, well defined chemical composition. This (at least in part) is what lends glass its special properties.
I too had a public school teacher that tried passing on that same misconception, and yes, it is a shameful thing that it continues to get passed along, even by such "reputable" sites as livescience.
If you're using Windows, and curious about Opera, I'd suggest either OperaUSB ( http://www.opera-usb.com/ ) or Portable Opera ( http://www.kejut.com/operaportable ). Both are portable versions of Opera, and as portable software they leave no trace on the host system, something that can be very convenient for testing a piece of software.
Furthermore, I don't know what you're talking about with Gmail problem, either Opera rendering issues OR Firefox 'clear private data' issues. I've used both Opera and Firefox for years, on at least 3 different PCs that I've owned, and I've never had any such issue whatsoever! I'm not sure what in the world you're talking about, and certainly not with any new versions!
I might suggest that for this, and all similar problems, you check out: http://www.osalt.com/
It's a website with Open Source alternatives to common software. Great stuff.
Slashdot Mirror
You may wish to check out this page about "Education & Science over at OSalt.com.
It lists science-related open source software, including some previously commented on examples, such as: Octave, Sage, or Scilab.
Enjoy, and good luck!
While I agree that this spoofing is potentially problematic, I do think there is a reason they're doing it. Obviously their intention is to increase their users' security, by including the LinkScanner option, and perhaps spoofing IE is just a means to that end. Assuming this to be true, ultimately the aim of this extra measure is with good intent (better security = good). Besides, as many people have pointed out (including me, in another reply), you can omit these features during installation by some command line usage. Additionally, I might point out that the TweakGuides Tweaking Companion http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html offers additional hints at backing down some of AVG 8.0's resource hogging aspects that other commenters have complained about.
Regarding installing AVG withOUT certain elements, I strongly suggest the "The TweakGuides Tweaking Companion." It explains exactly how to do that very thing (pg. 106-107, I think). It's a terrific source of information, and is available for free at: http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html
Thank you!! I was going to write something very much like this. Having earned two degrees in science, one a M.S. which largely dealt with material physics, I can say that all materials flow, given enough time. In fact, the term 'rheology' (the study of properties and deformation of materials) comes from the Greek verb rheo, meaning "flow." There's even a Plato quote in there: "All things flow." That being said, the ability of glass to flow is NOT what makes it special. Instead, it is that glass does not posses a crystalline structure, rather, it is an amorphous material. The chemical constituents that make up glass have not combined to form an orderly and repetetive atomic structure of regular, well defined chemical composition. This (at least in part) is what lends glass its special properties. I too had a public school teacher that tried passing on that same misconception, and yes, it is a shameful thing that it continues to get passed along, even by such "reputable" sites as livescience.
If you're using Windows, and curious about Opera, I'd suggest either OperaUSB ( http://www.opera-usb.com/ ) or Portable Opera ( http://www.kejut.com/operaportable ). Both are portable versions of Opera, and as portable software they leave no trace on the host system, something that can be very convenient for testing a piece of software. Furthermore, I don't know what you're talking about with Gmail problem, either Opera rendering issues OR Firefox 'clear private data' issues. I've used both Opera and Firefox for years, on at least 3 different PCs that I've owned, and I've never had any such issue whatsoever! I'm not sure what in the world you're talking about, and certainly not with any new versions!
I might suggest that for this, and all similar problems, you check out: http://www.osalt.com/ It's a website with Open Source alternatives to common software. Great stuff.