Download.com: No Adware. No Exceptions

[Vampmon]

Dear Downloaders,

When it comes to fighting unwanted adware and spyware, CNET Download.com has always been in your corner. During the past few years, we've brought you the best tools and tips in our Spyware Center, and we've maintained a strict policy toward adware by allowing only software that discloses advertising partnerships during installation.

This week, we've upped the ante: we're launching a new zero-tolerance policy toward all bundled adware. That means every time you download software from Download.com, you can trust we've tested it and found it to be adware-free--period. (See how we test.)

Why are we taking this extra step? In your letters, user reviews, and polls, you told us bundled adware was unacceptable--no matter how harmless it might be. We want you to know what you're getting when you download from CNET Download.com, and no other download site can promise you will.

Can we guarantee you'll never get adware or spyware on your computer? Unfortunately, no. For that reason, we strongly encourage--no, make that beg--you to take extra steps to keep your computer free of all unwanted adware and spyware. Download and install a reputable antispyware scanner today. For a list of the ones we recommend, please visit our Spyware Center.

I welcome your feedback on this important change.

Happy downloading!

Scott Arpajian
Senior vice president and chief downloader, CNET Download.com

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So i guess this is why we have seen so many programs removed lately.
This is a step in the right direction.

[cpugeniusmv]

Very interesting.

[Excrement_Cranium]

So i guess this is why we have seen so many programs removed lately.
This is a step in the right direction.


I would think so. Download.com provides info and programs to new users and advanced users alike. It's nice to think that now there will be a little less crap to dig through.

[littlebits]

It is about time something is done about this adware/spyware problem.
I don't understand why eDonkey2000 got removed, it does not forced you to install any adware you can opt out while installing. But some programs like iMesh are still there and they force you to install adware. Warez is also still there and like eDonkey2000 you can opt out of installing adware. And there is still spyware infected programs like BitTorrent Ultra, BitTorrent Absolute, and many Openwares programs.

Maybe they are still working on it, there is a place where you can report programs.
Report Adware on download.com (http://www.download.com/1200-20_4-5144622.html?tag=subnav)

We can help download.com by reporting adware programs.

ThankYou. :gj

[muffenme]

:fire

This is one great step towards going back to the days of clean software.

:hole

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Cool news. Thanks Vampmon!

[nukehella]

This is bullshit.They new damn well about it back then.It appears the revenue stream does not outweigh the backlash of public opinion about the matter.When people were naive and without the proper tools to defend themselves I guarantee CNET was one of the top distributers of adware and to a lesser extent spyware.Now they want us to put the rose colored glasses on and invite them back into our PC's.Blow me.

[ferrarimodena360]

this is great

but why is morpheus still listed?

[ourthing2]

one popular theory is because mopheus changed the name of their BHO so ad-aware doesn't report it as infested.

or maybe they finally cleaned up thier act

[talkinghand]

wow, that was my main reason for stopping my use of DL.com. it is such a great site i can use it again

[Vampmon]

this is great

but why is morpheus still listed?

Morpheus is still listed because Morpheus (4.8.2) no longer contains any sort of bundled software, you download Morpheus, all you get is Morpheus.

Only thing is you will see an ad banner at the bottom.

Never been a better time to download it:

www.morpheus.com

[Afn]

I would NOT use download.com. They make money from advertising commercial software and systematically organize shareware and crippled versions of software over freeware and at the same time creating multiple pages of obtrusive banner ads to navigate through.

It is best to get the file directly from the homepage of the file, or from an open source archive like sourceforge.net

[nightshadow]

Yeh, but unfortunately many program homepages nowadays send you to download.com or another similiar download site.
Personally i'd rather they left the programs and just put a huge graphic next to the download link that said spyware or adaware infested. I think they should label said graphic "If you dowload this you are a/an..." insert insult of choice. I'm certainly not complaining though, at least they seem to be making steps in the right direction.

[ferrarimodena360]

Morpheus is still listed because Morpheus (4.8.2) no longer contains any sort of bundled software, you download Morpheus, all you get is Morpheus.

Only thing is you will see an ad banner at the bottom.

Never been a better time to download it:

www.morpheus.com

installed it, no spyware found

crashed 6 times (i counted), while hashing 18gb files, when i removed shares it stopped crashing

slow sluggish, unimpressed,

[Brassen]

thumbs up!!!

[Auggie2k]

Morpheus sucks really, too sluggish even for my P4. The fact that it has FINALLY lost spyware is replaced by it sucking your CPU dry!

[Vampmon]

It’s been working fine for millions of people, it is just unfortunate that it does not work properly for you.
Morpheus 5.0 Alpha should be out for testing sometime next week, hopefully you'll have better luck with it.

[ferrarimodena360]

It’s been working fine for millions of people, it is just unfortunate that it does not work properly for you.
Morpheus 5.0 Alpha should be out for testing sometime next week, hopefully you'll have better luck with it.

listen boy

when mldonkey hacked into fastrack network, and released an alpha for window users, there were only 2 fycking users who could configure to run it

1 was janett and other was me
i run the following p2p programs (with a firewall) without any problems

Shareaza
Revconnect
KCeasy
EDonkey
LimeWire
Ares
eMule
WinMx
G3/ABC

if all these programs can run on my comp, but morpheus crashes, then u temme, who has the problem my comp or morpheus

[ourthing2]

you, for each network it connects to, it has to create hashes for all your files
trying to hash 18GB of files for all the different networks is quite a task, even for a high end machine.

[Vampmon]

Then u temme, who has the problem my comp or morpheus

None. Its you who has the problems and your attitude.

[origin]

a nice decision to move in a positive direction. Let's see if this holds up :)

l8

[ferrarimodena360]

you, for each network it connects to, it has to create hashes for all your files
trying to hash 18GB of files for all the different networks is quite a task, even for a high end machine.

shareaza kceasy, also multinetwork p2ps but they dint crash

anyways i think its poorly coded, thats why it was slow and crashed all the time
i mean this is the first p2p to crash on my comp repeatedly, i also searched some rare suff (video search for musafir)...i got some results but it just dint connect, so wts the point, and i culdnt even find out if i was queued or whatever

and vampon i am critical but i accept it if i have been wrong, i was wrong about limewire, its very good software

i got 256 ram and all other p2ps work good, this crashed, maybe other will tell their experience with it

[littlebits]

I did install the lattest version of Morpheus from download.com. Then I scanned my computer with the following "updated"spyware scanners.(Ad-Aware SE, SpySweeper & Spybot S&D.)
Morpheus came out to be completely clean with no adware/spyware found.
It is the best step that StreamCast has did, and I will use Morpheus now. It was more stable than the other versions, I only got one program error "Could not connect to mlnet.exe" but it was easily solved. And Morpheus did connect to all the Networks except FastTrack which I rarely use anyway. The help and support on their website was also excellent, and did help me set up Morpheus and fix the program error. Great job Morpheus! :tilted I believe everyone should give Morpheus another chance.

ThankYou. :;)

[Vampmon]

Oddly Grokster 2.6 is back on Download.com, tested it myself and found it to contain Altnet, TopSearch and Cydoor Adware, so how it managed to make its way back i have no idea. I was pleased to see a lot less Adware & no Spyware this time around though.

Not a very good policy.

Anyone willing to test it out and tell me if they get the same results?

[littlebits]

I installed iMesh to see if it was really adware free like download.com claims. It installed Cydoor Adware and MySearch Bar spyware that was all. What I do understand is the policy said no adware and no exceptions. It appears that there is many exceptions. Grokster should have never been put back on download.com. They might as well add Kazaa back now. And for some reason still eDonkey is not put back and it only had optional adware. It sounds like they are doing a very crappy job at testing these programs. :icon_scra

[Vampmon]

It wasn't them who removed KaZaa in the first place, Sharman pulled it themselves because of competition with Ad-Aware and the #1 spot.