[thelist] Size-O-Matic - something fishy 'bout it?

[George Dillon]

Thanks for the info Bob... glad I created a special exception just for you
in my spam filter rule blocking all messages emanating from usa.net... ;o)

So SizeOmatic is adware... which explains the presence of a registry key
named  "Ad Url" under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Pythoness
Software\WSizer\1.0\frmMain

Iain Godsman wrote:

> I've been using this bit of freeware called "Sizer" ... You don't have
> to "install" it either, so if you don't like it, just delete the program
> and it vanishes forever...no registry entry or anything.
> Get it here:
> http://www.digitalrodent.com/itchy/uc/tools.htm

but while Sizer does the job as well as SizeOmatic, what you say about it
adding no registry entry is wrong.  Sizer stores your window sizes under:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sizer

ok, no big deal, but the SizeOmatic example shows that you can never be sure
what running any software will do to your system.  Don't assume that no
install means no funny business.

<rant>

Ineffective though the ad-engine in SizeOmatic is (I've never seen it
display any ads) I think it's EVIL to distribute something as freeware when
it is really adware, and to provide no documentation etc. etc.  It's doubly
EVIL to connect to the Internet without warning.  SizeOmatic comes/came as a
zip containing just the executable, so there was no license and no terms &
conditions to which I gave my consent.

BTW.  A search of the web for 'Pythoness' and 'Trojan' yields a surprising
number of reults.  Really quite amusing!

</rant>

<tip type="Freeware">

Looking for a Windows Off-line Browser?

Webcopier is aureate/radiate spyware and Webreaper has gone over to adware.

However, Httrack (a.k.a. WinHTTrack) is a genuine freeware (GNU General
Public License) http://www.httrack.com/

and one of the authors has assured me:

>Q.  Do you have any plans for changing the freeware status of WinHTTrack...
>including any plans to make it adware?
>
> A. I don't think so - many users find ads really annoying ;). The programm
will remain GPL

</tip>


George Dillon



----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Haroche" <bharoche at usa.net>
To: <thelist at lists.evolt.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2000 4:55 AM
Subject: Re: [thelist] Size-O-Matic - something fishy 'bout it?


> SizeOMatic is ad sponsored so that connection is the program trying to
> download the ads which run in the "menu bar"
>
> I don't think SOM is fishy.  In fact, their developers have twice
responded
> to my inquiries about one thing or another