Microsoft Gives MVP Award to Adware Pusher

An anonymous reader writes "Ed Bott reports that Microsoft has given an MVP (Most Valuable Professional Award) to an individual known for peddling Adware via his Messenger Plus program." From the article: "So how did a guy whose primary business involves installing adware become an MVP? That's what Christopher Boyd, a Microsoft Security MVP better known as Paperghost wants to know. Boyd isn't the only MVP who has a history with Patchou. Sandi Hardmeier, a current MVP in the Internet Explorer category who specializes in the fight against malware, has written three long, angry pages about the messy adware that 'sponsors' Patchou's product."

"Windows' Adware Infatuation"

[DECS]

RoughlyDrafted Magazine described Three Reasons Why Microsoft Can't Ship [roughlydrafted.com], and number three is "Windows' Adware Infatuation."

A compairson of how Microsoft, Yahoo and Google are fighting to shove ads at users, and why adware strategies are eating away at Microsoft's ability to support and extend their desktop and remain competitive.

"Microsoft's insatiable greed has resulted in a poorly designed software platform, rushed to market in order to kill emerging competition. Architectural flaws have resulted in a security crisis for users, which has resulted in an unsupportable mess for Microsoft. Rather than working pointedly to solve their flaws and the resulting platform crisis, Microsoft as a company has chased after adware revenue, and has exposed users to further grief by being part of the adware problem rather than its solution."

It's not that incredibly bad.

[kc32]

To be fair, Messenger Plus is a pretty cool program.

Not to mention the adware IS optional when you install it.

*sigh* did anyone actually look at the program?

[Com2Kid]

It is quite useful, and I have used it in the past.

Upon install, it ASKS YOU if you want the advertisements installed.

You also have the option to purchase the program. Given how much arse it kicks, I think that this is a fair trade.

The author has changed sponser programs numerous times in an attempt to find one who doesn't lie about their sponsorship program. You can all guess how well that has gone over.

The irony of this all IS this though:

Messenger Plus got started as a way to remove the banner ad from MSN Messenger.

MS contacted him and asked him not to do that any more.

It doesn't do that any more.

It now ships with additional banners though.

Thus making the entire program useless! :-p

If you check out the Messenger Plus website, it gives a link to www.mess.be [www.mess.be] which does all what Messenger Plus used to do, but for free, and then some more as well.

Taken out of context.

[Sphonix]

Patchou has done a lot of good for MSN messenger. I am guessing because most people in the US use AIM they would not really know about Plus. The adware is an OPTIONAL INSTALL and it very clearly shown as that on installation (the installer even defaults to not install it, so the user must choose to) and gives the option to uninstall it once installed. You do not need to install the "Sponser Program" to use Plus. Patchou's only means of income is the sponser program, and he spends a lot of time making plus a great program. I would recommend it to anyone using MSN Messenger or Messenger Live. My friend, Chestah, who is one of the few beta testers for Patchou thinks of him in a high light. He is not a scum bag looking to make large profits, mearly support the large amount of time he spends to create a FREE program for the public to benefit from. He has even had competitions to give away free prizes to his Beta testers and the general public (Chestah won 200 dollars for a google plugin). I am very glad that he has won this prize as he deserves it. It is great to see him get the recognition he deserves.

Adware makes you evil?

[arrenlex]

I've used Messenger Plus! for a very long time. The adware is clearly warned, you are given a very clear prompt whether to install or not install it, and it uninstalls cleanly, AFAIK. The guy has to get a return from his product, doesn't he? And Messnger Plus! itself, which I've been using since its early days, is a brilliant and very functional addition to MSN Messenger and I loathe using MSN without it. Sure, he might bundle Adware, but I don't think Microsoft gave him the award because of the adware, but because of the dedication and ingenuity he put forth in developing such a simple, powerful MSN addon back when Microsoft knew nothing about him, working from reverse-engineering the source and a general will to help make a good chat program better. I haven't been following MSN Plus! closely since I've moved to Linux, although it's still there in my Windows partition, but it is (or was the last time I checked) a great program with fantastic functionality, the adware portion of which is clearly marked and very easy to avoid installing, and the reasons for it as very understandable.

Re:*sigh* did anyone actually look at the program?

[Anonymous Coward]

Upon install, it ASKS YOU if you want the advertisements installed.

Not entirely [wikipedia.org] true:

When the sponsor software was bundled with Messenger Plus!, it caused a lot of controversy, many people complained that the option to install the software was purposely made to look like a standard EULA, and was designed to trick people into clicking it without understanding what they were doing. Since then, the agreement windows has changed substantially to ensure the user is fully aware they are installing extra adware in addition to Messenger Plus! and that it is optional.

On a side note, I would like to find the people who say "Yes please I would like you to install spyware on my computer."

The History

[Anonymous Coward]

I know a lot of people are saying that this isn't so bad since Messenger Plus clearly explains what the adware does and asks you whether or not you want to install it. Please remember that this only happened after thousands of complaints were made-- the software once automatically installed a myriad of spyware with no way to disable or remove it, and took measures to prevent you from uninstalling the bundled advertising junk (specifically a variant of the malware called Lop, which created randomly named *.job files and required 3rd-party spyware removers to get rid of.) Patchou repeatedly lied about the actions of his software and only changed to better practices when basically forced to do so. And if you ever run into Patchou on IRC, you will see how big of an ass he is.

Re:Was worried there for a moment...

[penix1]

From TFA:

Patchou said on 1 October 2004 that "if no one installs the sponsor with the new agreement window, I'll change it back, sorry".

and also from TFA:

Update: Heh...wouldn't you know it, but Microsoft's own scanner detects Patchou's program via Virustotal (click to enlarge).

Nails, meet coffin. The Undertakers of Stupidity will be along to throw you in a ditch shortly.

The guy is scum pure and simple.

B.

Re:Astroturf?

[BasilBrush]

Mod parent up. There are several usernames spelling sponsor as "sponser", all are claiming the adware is fine and sparkly, and one of those accoutns was set up today. Microsoft MVP Adware Author = Shill.

Re:Was worried there for a moment...

[ThePengwin]

Here is some nice evidence [photobucket.com] A Photo of the 3.62 MSG Sponsor install screen. Notice the red box.

Re:They call adware a "sponsor program"

[kirun]

Opera, by all accounts, was a model of how to make an advertising-supported application. It offered the choice of generic banner ads or targetted text ads, a premium upgrade to remove the ads, and that's it. No popups, no hijacking, no sneakyness.

According to the linked sites (I'm not about to install this to check), this product has generously offered such delights as lop.com , dropped links to adultfriendfinder on the desktop, run those fraudulent system update ads (you know, the ones that say their scan detected you need to buy their useless software), installed rootkits, attacked the hosts.txt file, etc. The usual money-grabbing activities that ruin a PC. This is not in the same league as just showing a few ads at the top of the screen.

Re:Was worried there for a moment...

[Guspaz]

And notice also that in the text above it says "The sponsor is adware". It can't be clearer. It up and TELLS you it's adware in exactly those words, and gives the option to not install it.