Installing the Top 10 Download.com Apps - Experiment by HTG

[Ink]

HTG: Here's what happens when you Install the Top 10 Download.com Apps​

"So we thought, why not have some fun and see what really happens if you download software like a regular clueless user might?

For the purpose of this experiment, we’re going to just click through all regular installation screens with the default options using a fresh virtual machine. And we’re going to install ten applications from the most popular downloads list. And we’re going to assume the persona of a regular non-geek user.

Why would we choose Download.com? Because their policies page states clearly that they do not allow malicious software on the site, and further that they do NOT accept any software that contains the following:

Software that installs viruses, Trojan horses, malicious adware, spyware, or other malicious software at any point during or after installation.

Software that installs without notice and without the user’s consent.

Software that includes or uses surreptitious data collection.

Software that diverts or modifies end users’ default browsers, search-engine home pages, providers, security, or privacy-protection settings without the users’ permission.

Software that installs in a concealed manner or denies users an opportunity to read the license agreement and/or to knowingly consent to the installation.

Software that induces installation by making false or misleading claims about the software or the software publisher.​

I mean, with all those protections in place from the trusty people over there at CNET, why would anybody worry? I mean, CNET News is a trusted source, right? Right.

The End, For Now

Each time we ran through this experiment over the last few months, different software would end up being bundled in a rotation, but every single software that bundles itself ends up bundling the same culprits: browser hijackers that redirect your search engine, home page, and put extra ads everywhere.

Because when the product is free the real product is YOU."​

It has pictures, read full article: http://www.howtogeek.com/198622/heres-what-happens-when-you-install-the-top-10-download.com-apps/

 

[Paul Lee]

Such a sad thing to see that a huge website like CNET could allow this to happen. Makes me question what's really free. The apps or the bundles software

 

[yigido]

That means many of people which has not enough knowledge about these crapwares.. all of them "infected" by these adwares..
I hate this IObit company by the way,
Thanks Huracan for sharing this

 

[Kate_L]

Amazing work by HowToGeek. This is why you need AdBlock Plus & Unchecky.

 

[Dani Santos]

In a world ruled by capitalism the word free is a synonym of the word lie

 

[yigido]

In a world ruled by capitalism the word free is a synonym of the word lie

Whose word is this? I like it

 

[Dani Santos]

Whose word is this? I like it

Its by Dani Santos xD I wrote it myself right now

 

[yigido]

Its by Dani Santos xD I wrote it myself right now

Great, I saved it with your name XD

 

[jackuars]

Best comment on that article posted by Timothy Tibbetts

As the co-owner of MajorGeeks, there is good reason for this. The PC market has declined around 50% as competition from tablets and phones has come in and Windows has yet to respond with a product that can match the popularity of iOS and Android. Imagine you come to work today and your boss tells you that he has cut your pay 50% to match the 50% loss in business. What would you do? You might quit because you might not have a job soon anyway. But, the answer in the internet market is wrappers, which picks up the slack. We have had discussions about doing it but we just couldn’t get there. We even discussed it with a few who weren’t so sleazy but we have no control of what many wrappers do so we made a conscious decision to take the pay hit and not do it in the hopes people will eventually find us and improve traffic. So, our answer to the 50% pay cut was to work harder and stay the course. Over the years we have seen popups, behind the window ads, in-line ads, wrappers, affiliate sales and much more. We change with the times to do whatever pays best; this is a business after all. We have taken pride in offering only the top 1-5 percent of software and if we added a wrapper it would damage the 15 years we have worked at trying to provide safe downloads. I do miss the old days where we only tested for quality and all of this crap didn’t exist. Articles like this, teaching people to stop installing this garbage hopefully will cut down this market to where there’s no money In it. Thanks for the great, in-depth article. Impressive.

 

[jamescv7]

That's the problem of integrated download manager that was bundled on the software itself came like in CNET, Filehippo and others, since the policy written may cause to broke then suddenly does not undergone background checks.

Its all about money for advertisement.

 

[frogboy]

I get 99% of my downloads from Majorgeeks since forever and no problems so far and if there is any extras there is a big red warning about whatever is included.

 

[Jaspion]

In a world ruled by capitalism the word free is a synonym of the word lie

So where does that leave your free products?

 

[Dani Santos]

So where does that leave your free products?

There is no rule without exceptions