Microsoft Gives MVP Award to Adware Pusher 120
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."
Well it's Microsoft you know (Score:5, Funny)
Does windows count as adware? (n/t) (Score:1, Interesting)
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from what i've read (i'd already abandoned using the official clients before i moved to XP) the client for the msn messenger network that shipped with XP (known as "windows messenger") doesn't actually contain adve
He's part of the Microsoft ECOSYSTEM (Score:1, Funny)
Was worried there for a moment... (Score:1)
Re:Was worried there for a moment... (Score:4, Funny)
I think you got it backward: it's the profession that's despised here, not the person. I'm sure the guy is really nice after work and doesn't force his family to watch popups selling penis enlarger. When he's at work on the other hand, i.e. as a professional, I would like very much to corner him in a blind alley at night with something heavy and blunt.
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Re:Was worried there for a moment... (Score:4, Informative)
and also from TFA:
The guy is scum pure and simple.
B.
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The guy's been working full time on a free product, and STILL gives the option not to install it. I don't know about you, but I trust somebody like him a lot more than the people at Debian who want to rename Firefox because the icon is free
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*Sarcasm Detector Explodes*
This is a media flame story for sure. Hopefully people realize that this whole story is shit, for if they don't the media will destroy the internet, just like it did to TV.
I Miss TV, it used to be good.
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Man. Seriously. Whats become of this place....
I'm sorry, but I genuinely believe adware peddlers are crimnals. I really do. I've had to fix so many destroyed computers, seen careers ruined from data loss, and huge sums of money thrown away to these sorts of assholes, I can never sympathise.
A little mysterious option hidden somewhere on page 5 of a installer doesnt cut it. Most people dont understand what this all means, but they understand there computer has become unusable. Peopl
Re:Was worried there for a moment... (Score:4, Insightful)
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however if something you install pops up a window of advertising when i'm not trying to use your app, runs in the background slowing down my machine, possiblly messes with the TCP/IP stack and generally making a pita of itself all the time
Re:Was worried there for a moment... (Score:4, Funny)
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It's part of the new Microsoft... (Score:1, Offtopic)
So switch to something else (Score:5, Interesting)
Today, the choices are more and better than at any time since the personal computers were invented. Vista is the final nail in the coffin for me. I'm switching to the Mac. I've had them for years, but in my opinion, Apple has finally gotten the recipe correct. Powerful, beautiful OS, Great software, well priced hardware etc etc. Heck, you can even get MS Office for the Mac. I've been using some of the new Linux distros, Ubunto, Suse... these are all great systems that have lots of software and are more than just toys for tinkerers.
If people switch to Vista it's because we want to, and not because they have to. So for people complaining they have no choice, they're not being honest with themselves. The choices are there. If you put yourself into these handcuffs it's your own decision.
I've reached my limit with MS.
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Wow, if I held a 20-year grudge anytime a salesman told me something inaccurate, I wouldn't be able to buy anything.
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First of all my parents spent about a quarter of their earnings that year on that damn overpriced piece of shit. I was what 7 or 8 at the time. I can hold that grudge if I so choose. If more people held grudges for so long we might have companies that paid something more than lip service to the idea of serving their customer. When I get bent over I don't come back every 2-3 years and say please sir can I have some more.
Second, Apple still works with a proprietary OS on a proprietary hardware platform a
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That's what I thought too, until I priced a similar Dell. The dell was significantly more. The Mac Pro is the cheapest brand name dual cpu/dual core out there. It would be nice if Apple had something similar to the new iMac 20", but in a tower case, but they don't.
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Uhh, not quite. I believe that most Vista licenses will go out via Microsoft tax on new OEM PCs, same as they cornered their market up to now. It's still very, very hard to find Intel based PCs with Linux pre-installed, or naked.
Nevertheless Microsoft may face an upward battle when it comes to Vista and business. Hey, if I anyway need new machines for all my employees and software and (bloody extortionist) license agreements a
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Mac+BSD is the new consumer hawtness, while business lingers in old proven tech.
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Slashdot moderation has gone to the dogs.
They call adware a "sponsor program" (Score:5, Funny)
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Thanks for playing to you as well, nice game!
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Re:They call adware a "sponsor program" (Score:4, Funny)
Depending on what you mean by "Trojan" and "digital", you may be right on the spot.
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Ahem.
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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
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Blame marketing (Score:4, Insightful)
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The fact that he is abusing his knowledge is another story. Lump him in with all the smart people who hack DRMs.
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http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/10/09/HNmsrev
"Windows' Adware Infatuation" (Score:5, Informative)
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."
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That article is such a troll! True or not.
I don't know if I'm more offended by the knowing "Mac OS is Unix!" "Windows is doomed by legacy code!" thread of the article, or the iTunes ad along the side for the new Jars of Clay album, but still :p
It's not that incredibly bad. (Score:3, Informative)
Not to mention the adware IS optional when you install it.
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*sigh* did anyone actually look at the program? (Score:5, Informative)
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!
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.
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Not entirely [wikipedia.org] true:
I do (Score:2)
As you say, the sponsor software is ENTIRELLY OPTIONAL and I HAVE NEVER INSTALLED IT.
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ARGH. Another website that bypasses my popup blocker.
No seriously dude, linking to that site does NOT help the case here. That website has sealed it for me. There is no frigging way I'd install software from a site that seems to be all about innane popups and installing bogoware.
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Of course not. I had a little app not to long ago and some 'security minded' n00b called it adware withuot a lick of proof other than "i noticed some ads on my computer around the time I installed this." Crying spyware is the witch-burning. Its this laziness and lack of accountability that allows the real spyware people to get by.
Taken out of context. (Score:3, Informative)
Astroturf? (Score:3, Interesting)
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It doesn't look like an EULA anymore, and you have to specificially enable the sp
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Re:Astroturf? (Score:5, Informative)
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Yeah because the dude couldn't possibly have created the account in an urge to respond to a topic that he could make a meaningful contribution to. If you're suspicious alright, but don't cry shill until you can say so with complete confidence.
In any case, the guy is right about the program.
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Er, no. I'm thinking of "whore".
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Not in this case, because prostitutes get paid. MVP's give it away for free.
As best I can tell, MS gives the title of MVP to people who do a lot of free tech support for MS - they post a lot in whatever forums MS runs answering questions and generally sticking up for MS's good name.
I am not sure why these people feel the need to give away their personal time and energy to help out MS's bottom line, but MS is smart enough to exploit
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The people who give code freely to the world are giving it to everyone. MVPs are just giving their efforts away to Microsoft. Sure, it looks like they are helping out regular people, but that's Microsoft's job, that's what those regular people paid for when they paid Microsoft. So, Microsoft gets to collect the money while all the MVPs get is a pat on the head.
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The vast majority of people is using Microsoft software, and they don't have a real choice. Microsoft as a monopol, is more or less "forcing" people to use their product ( if you do not agree with this, you are more or less saying that people choose Microsoft product because they are beter and therefore deserves to keep their monopol )
People using Microsoft are not Microsoft zealot or believer, they are not the ennemy of Free Software. Microsoft is making money from MVP
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You could ask the same question about open source developers. Look at Linux, you have a lot of people giving away their spare time to help companies that use the product to get free software.
I think there are numerous reasons for giving away free advice and dedicating effort... Karma, ego, etc... For
Adware makes you evil? (Score:4, Informative)
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It's not just a small passing mention in the installation, it's
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Also, whats with all these people defending it with similar bad spelling? Wierd.
That's not nearly good enough (Score:1, Insightful)
It's really that simple. There's no excuse/justification for it.
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Nice name (Score:2, Funny)
Good business (Score:2, Interesting)
Actually, this is probably the result of a stupid, but really hot, marketing intern making decisions.
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Adware probabaly not so much. Yet.
As a side note, Microsoft Antispyware used to flag Messenger Plus because of this sponsor program. Not just the separate sponsor, but the files that were just for Plus. I'm not using either anymore, so I don't know if it still does.
MS is going to start selling anti virus/adware... (Score:3, Insightful)
The History (Score:1, Informative)
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Agreed. (Score:2)
Long time user of MSN Plus (Score:1)
Now to those of you that instantly jump to the conclusion this program is bad, let it be known that the author does not install the sponsor program without your permission. In fact the dialog box you are presented with is very good about informing you there is another program that you have the OPTION to install to help the guy fund the software. If you click NO, that is the only time you see o
Peddling adware? (Score:1)
More money for us MS workers (Score:3, Funny)
Keep up the good work Redmond.
More money
More money
You've got to just give in and accept the fact that people want to pay more money for computers. The more money they pay the better they feel about the magic.
If it just worked, it would scare them. They feel better knowing that every once in awhile a human must interact with the machine or it will fail. Or that the machine is so faulty that it will crash and become totally useless at times. This makes the muggles feel better. Otherwise they would really get scared knowing that the little beige box under their desk has been sitting there without complaint for 3-5 years, just doing their bidding. That would be bad, that would be unfair, that would be unreasonable. Nothing with that kind of intelligence would stand for it. It would talk with it's buddies on the internet and they would revolt and Sarah Connor wouldn't seem so silly.
But thanks to MS and their vigilantly sly support of software which will make that magical thing stop every once in awhile, we humans remain in control.
MS gets more money, I get more money, the computers don't take control of the planet. What's the problem? That's the problem with you people that put foil on your heads, you just can't see the big picture.
MVP (Score:2)
Notice how every time you run across one of their sites you feel the grey matter draining from
your skull. Sort of like those kiddies you run across that tell you they are a great hacker
because they can use sendkeys in vb to type the word hacker in notepad.
So now we have two unpaid spokesman for avis rental cars crying about each other.
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Embrace, Extend, Extinguish? (Score:2)
This is ridiculous. (Score:2)
Now: the program does not, repeat, NOT, push adware. You install it, the setup wizard gives you a clear choice between installing the sponsor program (adware) or not. You choose not to, it never gives you any grief again. And if you do install the sponsor program, it apparently removes very cleanly just by doing the usual
MVP site behind certificate (Score:1)