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Scam site charges users to download Firefox
blog.siteadvisor.com — It is quite surprising that these sites exist and haven't been shut down or removed from search engine ads.
primetime2000- 1904 diggs
- digg it
- beandog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2You can find stuff like that on ebay, too.
- MITpianoman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1that's crazy. Someone ought to shut them down.
- bookishboy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Unless I'm mistaken about the license that Firefox is released under, isn't the whole idea of Open Source that ANYONE may redistribute, share, give away or *sell* the resulting software, as long as they also provide access (perhaps something as simple as a hotlink) to the source code?
- znxster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I will agree that some vetting should be done by the search engines / etc that are providing click revenue (if nothing else) to these obvious scammers.
I remember having to convince my Dad that we were not "stealing" from Mozilla... - GimmeSomeTruth, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0No, that is so not the point of open source. Selling something that's free is totally contrary to the spirt of open source and probably illegal. And if it's not, it should be.
- GimmeSomeTruth, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Check out these guys. http://www.1000downloads.com
They sell you links to emule. now that's just not right. - ZigglyWiggly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Finally a good blog link on Digg. SiteAdvisor is amazing btw.
- Rosco, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0A Mastertech Andrew K. idea perhaps?
- beandog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"No, that is so not the point of open source. Selling something that's free is totally contrary to the spirt of open source and probably illegal. And if it's not, it should be."
Just because it's free as in freedom doesn't mean it has to be free as in beer, too. - LeegleechN, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5On the contrary GimmeSomeTruth, this is totally legal and ethical, and if the moz devs didn't want it to happen they could have used a different license.
- inotocracy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Sadly this isn't illegal. Its completely legal to sell GPL'd software as long as you provide the license and a copy of the source on the media you sell it on (or downloadable source). It seems as though they don't actually host the software but links to it. In essence you would be paying for a large list of download URLs.
- Arch, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Time to bring down FreeDownloadHQ just like we brought down PriceRitePhoto.
- dss311, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Easy way to stop this. Click on the google "advertised" link. If we all do this, it will either cost the scammer tons of money, or he will hit his daily threshold and be taken out of circulation.
- mentor, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3IIRC Mozilla stuff is Triple-Licensed, including the GPL. This means that as long as they adhere to the conditions contained they may distribute as they wish. Under the GPL it is permissible to sell software, for a fee that is related to the physical means of transportation (this is probably for a court/judge to decide), as long as you also include the source.
Moreover, please don't retaliate against this with stupid DDoS attacks, and defacement attempts. The only person who has the privilege and moral imperative to set terms of the license if the author of said work; not you or the community, despite any feelings you may have. The only correct way to deal with this is informing the authors and reasoned debate. - Jord4n, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That's crazy. Selling a free product. I bet those people feel really dumb after they see that firefox is free. That's my pet peeve, website owners who lie and sell false products.
Earlier today I asked a website's customer support for a partial refund. I luckily got to talk to the boss. I was told by a Chinese webmaster that I had been reported to my police station for "cheating" and they were coming to my house to send me to jail for "100 years in china". I told him I was going to write a review of his horrible customer service and he said he was going to post my personal credit card number, phone number, name and address on his site. That made me a little angry...
Ok, I've had my rant. - mentor, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Hmmm, moreover, if they're only providing links to the software, they can do this anyway, despite the license of the copyrighted software, as they are not distributing it.; they are not even touching it. Same reasoning keeps thepiratebay.org safe.
- rijet0711, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0anyone thinking about digg affecting the scam site :) ?
- hammydude, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Someone set up a dDOS attack...
Or everyone click their advertising link and cost them money. - sonicworx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2What's more stupid? The company selling it or the person actually paying for it?
- tsupersonic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Well it is Open Source, so you could sell it, but then again, it's Firefox, why would you want to sell it? It should be free...
- bieber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Keep in mind, y'all, that one of the four freedoms of Free Software is the right to redistribute verbatim copies, gratis or for a fee.
- bwd01, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's not against the license to charge for the software, but it's rather immoral to do so.
- greenwolf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Wow, what a scummy site.
everyone should go to google, yahoo, amazon, etc, and click on their links.
At least make them pay your favourite website some moeny.
If enough of us do this, hopefully they will go broke.
We can always hope! - pcdivenii, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Direct link: http://www.freedownloadhq.com/
- oltompic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0omg this is horrible.
- boohiss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Selling Firefox is not illegal, it's not a scam, but it is silly. Selling IE, Opera, Netscape--programs that AREN'T GPL--is a scam.
- mohrr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Please read the GPL FAQ before claiming you know what is and is not allowed under the GPL.
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html - mfratt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I dont know about the MPL, but I do know that the GPL allows you to sell programs if you want.
- felchdonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Notice that all the paid results on Google say things like "FoxFire" or "Firef@x"?
I don't know much about Google ads, but it seems like they are blocked from using other people's product names. That ought to be enough to make it clear they're up to something shady raht thar. - nyrol, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0everyone for a fee...i will tell you the best search engine
it's called google
pay me $400 and i'll give you the link
sure it's not the same as software...but paying for links to other websites?...perhaps if it was their own...then i could see but they link to download.com - ramsinks.com, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Lets rip them down.
t-miunus 24hr.
.... - bieber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Please read the GPL FAQ before claiming you know what is and is not allowed under the GPL."
Or better yet, why not just read the GPL? It's only about two and a half pages printed. - felchdonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3mastertech -
That FirefoxMyths site has nothing about any "free = myth." It's a pretty whiny little article, for that matter. I knew there had to be FF haters out there somewhere, but this guy's running on half a battery, for sure... - wookiekiller, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's right. I mean, you are paying the 37 dollars to be directed to a free site that isn't theirs. I could just as easily go to download.com and download whatever I want without paying 30 dollars. Then they don't even give you a 100% refund when you realize it's a scam.
And for God's sake, they are charging for Internet Explorer. That's worse than Firefox. IT COMES WITH THE FREAKING MACHINE - mjm01010101, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Quite simple, you want to perform revenge on these people, click their ad on google's page. They have to pay for the mass of clicks.
- mistshadow2k4, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is why I do a little research via a search engine before buying software. That way you can find out quickly if you're being charged for free software (legally or illegally) or just overcharged.
- SirNuke, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This stuff happens all the time. Try a google search with "Flash Player" and look at the ads. "FlashPlayer.Download-It-Free.com" is like this as well. Though Google may (or may not) be catching on, since there used to be a lot more sites like that on the flash player search.
- Wabem, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Geez, what a-holes.
- spacebar14, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0What a ***** up site. Oh my God!
/ddos - Koskun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I commented on this before when it came up on Digg that there was a site that was selling OpenOffice, and I will say it again, this may be a good thing for Firefox.
The mass market of people see something as free and either want to know what the catch is, or think that it is crap. The more expensive te better is a mindset in a lot of peoples minds. Go to the mass amount of people that get a computer and really only use it for email, browsing/shopping on the web, and maybe some photo stuff, they are the same people that will believe that more is better. I saw it all the time in retail from customers. The cheap cell phone is junk, the more expensive ones are better. sometimes true, sometimes not.
Now whether this is ethical or not, it could, if done in the right way, be a boost to Firefox. If done in just a way so that someone can make a quick buck, not give any support, or doing the sale in an illegal way (not giving the source), then it could be a boon.
Yes Firefox is being used on more and more computers, but honestly isn't that more a case of word of mouth rather than anything else? Next step perhaps, get a boxed retail version on a shelf for around 10-20 bucks. Then guess what, you get free upgrades, and the makers get some profit to keep working on it perhaps.
While most will see this as a scam, I see it, in this case, as a guy that is trying to get rich quick, but a miss on a bigger target. - Kiba, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0*GIGGLE*!
OMFG!
How dumb are you guys? I bet the Mozilla Foundation doesn't give a damn if someone are selling their product. They will only sue if the seller violate the term of their license which they did not.
They are not doing illegal things... - Unr3a1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0damn, about a month ago when i was bored and searching firefox and saw these kinds of ads and thought this would be great to put on digg. too bad i dont have a blog :(
- blankman, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Anyone dumb enough to pay deserves to loose the money.
- solarwinds, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'm not defending them, but here's another way to look at them: Aren't they doing you a service telling you about Firefox for $37?
It's kind of like paying an accountant to do your taxes for you........when you could do them yourself. But you're lazy, lack knowledge of how to do it, and find resources for it. Similarly, naive people (not you tech geeks and wizards) who know nothing about computers and internet get a referral to Firefox from them......and that's the payment for the service.
With that said, screw them. Someone bring down their website. Sure it's legal for them to operate, but it is definitely unethical. But such is life. - TKDWILSON, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"""""No, that is so not the point of open source. Selling something that's free is totally contrary to the spirt of open source and probably illegal. And if it's not, it should be.""""""
Wow, that is an ignorant statement. Tons of people make money off open source. If they didn't open source would, maybe not cease to exist, but would not be near as popular as it is. If you pay for open source, it is your own fault and you should be paying for it.
Eric Wilson - GuineaPig, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0It's a pity that so many consider selling FF in any form some sort of affront to ethics. Having oodles of customized versions of Gecko, with different extensions, different features, each trying to outdo the other for, gasp, commercial success would propel it far past what it is now.
As some Mozillite said, let a thousand browsers bloom. - atdigg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I can sell my Timex watch for $1000, it's not my problem, if someone wants to but it, it means it's the right price.
Firefox is not GPL as someone said but anyway I think you can still sell it, I didn't study their license and I don't really intend to -- too lazy, too late at night, however is Mozilla's business it's not some hyperactive kids' job.
Kids -- go to bed, leave Digg alone. - IanAction, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Uh, FIrefox isn't GPL.
All you guys squabbling over it and telling people what is allowed under the GPL, and what isn't might want try looking these things up before talking out your asses.
http://www.mozilla.org/foundation/EULA/firefox-en.txt
The Logo is also copyrighted, and the name is trademarked. Once again, not GPLed. The logo is also used on FreeDownloadHQ.com's page.
"This license does not grant you any right to use the trademarks,
service marks or logos of Mozilla or its licensors. "
And you can be damn sure IE logo is Copyrighted.
Wether or not this is ethical is strictly a matter of opinion, just like ethics. - IanAction, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Whoops, I guess logos can only be trademarked. So much for talking out my ass...
- firehydra2k, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0You can technically do that under the GNU license. It's just that no ***** idiot would do it...
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