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244 Comments
- Conwaysb0718, on 10/11/2007, -22/+272Say it aint so google, say it aint so!
- AKBryant54, on 10/11/2007, -17/+243Whatever happened to "Don't be evil"?
- Septimus, on 10/11/2007, -37/+172Why is anyone surprised? Google are no better than any other company, they are in it for the money.
Stop brown-nosing this f**king company. - PsychoticClown, on 10/11/2007, -37/+168I wouldn't put it past Dell. It's a ***** company in every way. But Google? WHY GOOGLE WHY?!!
- lnxaddct, on 10/11/2007, -4/+85Well there are a few things that make this story appear worse than it is.
1) There is no way to know how much of a role Google played in this, like was it a 50/50 split... or did Dell do most of this. Dell is afterall the one shipping the computers.
2) The writer claims multiple times that it can't be easily be removed, but in 2 sentences he stated how it *can* be removed, and on the page that the user sees there are instructions for removal. Furthermore the uninstaller actually works. This isn't spyware, its just bundled software, and the price of the computer is reduced because of it.
3) OpenDNS is affected by it, and OpenDNS is the one complaining about it. OpenDNS has a clear bias here, and are approaching the topic with a bias.
I'm just saying... keep it in perspective. - j4200, on 10/11/2007, -14/+70The guy lost all his credit when I read this paragraph.
"Wow. Are you kidding me? In order for a user to get rid of this brokenness the person has to remove a piece of software called “Browser Address Error Redirector?” That barely makes sense to techies and it makes no sense to normal people. Would your Mom uninstall something with a name like that? I don’t think so."
This brokenness? What might that be, openDNS not working? Could that be because both pieces of software are trying to do the same thing? Also if a so called 'techy' can't figure out what a piece of software, that is explained completely in the name, is doing then he should probably find a new career. The fact that having to uninstall it as you would any other peice of legit software is very difficult for him to comprehend tells me alot about his technical prowess. - afx1, on 10/11/2007, -12/+63No problem, just one more thing to uninstall on my clients' computers. I usually leave whatever Google software is already on there, but this just blows.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -19/+64This just seems like a deliberate attack at Google from the OpenDNS people.
OpenDNS despite its name, has very little to do with opensource etc... It makes money by redirecting urls that haven't been found to a site with a list of advertising and in response offers phishing protection (which as it happens Google offer) and domain name spell checking in exchange (which lots of people use google for), and claim being 'stabler' and 'faster'. I don't misspell domains often and if I did I would want to know, and if I try to resolve something that doesn't exist I want an error message not advertising. Would be very annoying for testing network stuff out, I already have problems with my ISP using a transparent proxy causing every ip address to think its running a server on port 80.
I agree that the Google one looks like its much worse than to OpenDNS site but it looks like its more Dell's doing that Googles, the Google page actually gives you instructions on how to remove it, and OpenDNS seem to rag on the name quite a bit, when it seems like its fairly obvious that its the program screwing with search results.
The simple answer is if you buy Dell, go Linux Dell (assuming they don't adware Linux) or wipe the system and reinstall from scratch (or both and save money assuming Linux is actually cheaper). - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -13/+56It got replaced by "Make money".
- Pluckie, on 10/11/2007, -15/+58With all its information, google as so much potential to do harm. Lets hope they really think through how to use, and more importantly protect, all their data.
- pixelate, on 10/11/2007, -3/+44tonight we dine in Dell?
OK, yay, I killed it. - KnightMareInc, on 10/11/2007, -4/+43thats because opendns wants you to use their ads instead
- cleverboy, on 10/11/2007, -8/+45Yeah, this is more than a bit disingenuous.
FIRST and FOREMOST, "Google" is being used to "sell" the story, but in reality, this is mostly about DELL. If it wasn't Google, I guarantee you it'd be Microsoft Live or Yahoo. Google is a "plug-in" solution for Dell. Moreover, OpenDNS also uses Google for their typo "engine" and sell ads on its own results pages. Furthermore, when my mother bought Verizon DNS, they installed stuff like this too. It's pretty standard now that companies are fighting over your error pages, and its not always a "spyware" scenario.
It's ONE thing if you install software and it doesn't tell you what its doing. It's something else entirely if your computer comes pre-installed with Dell's custom homepage and error pages, and moderates your non-individually identifiable interactions. I doubt they even asked Google wether the data from searches are being matched up to the Dell user.
OpenDNS does much the same type of stuff. I mean, just read the FAQ:
http://www.opendns.com/faq/#do_you_wildcard_domains
I was thinking from the description, they'd say, "but this is how we're different". No such luck. All they say is that they feel they're more clearly presenting what they're doing to potential customers, while making broad smoke screens about funnelling results, etc, etc. They should be ashamed to write articles like that in an attempt to attract attention to their own services.
No digg. - LADIESCREVICE, on 10/11/2007, -9/+43Why does this matter? I didn't want free trials of Norton, AOL, or any other ***** on my computer. This is no different than MSN being a default homepage. Nobody gets hurt with this.
- bluechips23, on 10/11/2007, -16/+49This is MADNESS!
- doxx, on 10/11/2007, -9/+38One day we may wake up with a plug in the back our heads connected to the google-borg and we can only think of search results with a sad distant memory of a freaky data center with an operating room.. ahhhhhhhhh
- dwxpub, on 10/11/2007, -8/+35Google is telling you what they were doing, and how to stop it. Never met spyware that did that.
I'd be more impressed if the article didn't have the edge of hysteria in it, and didn't spend the second half of the article shilling their product. Though I love this line: "Users never asked for this experience and they can’t get rid of it!". Users didn't ask for half of what they get when going with Dell/MS, and they can get rid of it. Sheesh. - Rhino2, on 10/11/2007, -8/+30Dells are configured like ***** from the get go.
First thing to do when you get a dell: Wipe it clean and reinstall. - Ratatosk, on 10/11/2007, -2/+23I wouldn't call this spyware? What's spyware about it
- iAlex, on 10/11/2007, -3/+24Google and Firefox have a very tight relationship. Firefox users seem to ignore it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox#Relationship_with_Google
"The release of the anti-phishing protection in Firefox 2 especially raised controversy.Enabled by default, anti-phishing protection is based on a list that is regularly (approximately each half hour) updated and downloaded to the user's computer from Google's server (the user cannot change the data provider within the GUI nor is informed who the default data provider is). Browser also sends Google's cookie with each request for update. The "advanced" security feature of builds by the Mozilla Foundation activate an anti-phishing feature to provide live protection and, according to the Mozilla Wiki, send each visited URL to Google(the user must explicitly opt-in for it). Barring Internet privacy issues over such anti-phishing protection, there are concerns on how Google may use the data, even though Firefox's privacy policy states that Google may not use personal information for any purposes other than the anti-phishing protection feature." - violentvinyl, on 10/11/2007, -1/+19That's OK until Wikipedia is bad. I can't recall a single search result I've ever had where I said "Wow, I really wish there WASN'T a Wikipedia entry for this".
- Shaman760, on 10/11/2007, -15/+32Whatever happened to the mantra "Don't be evil"?
- Urusai, on 10/11/2007, -9/+23That's a mantra of evil people, kind of like how "trust me" is the mantra of liars.
- Robotsu, on 10/11/2007, -3/+17Who the ***** installs a useless Google toolbar??
- j4200, on 10/11/2007, -3/+16Yea but this isn't malware
- salmonmoose, on 10/11/2007, -23/+36I'd suggest it's very similar to the one Firefox starts with.
I'd also suggest that Google had little to nothing to do with the creation, dell asked for a landing page, and Google provided one.
Knowing their past history, I think we'll see Google give Dell a swift wrap on the knuckles.
Dell computers are crappy anyway, I really don't understand why people want to buy them. - dulymachine, on 10/11/2007, -6/+17You're right, this is (at worst) adware
- bperin, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10I don't think anyone in our circle should be amazed by this. Google used to be cool, but like most companies do when they go public they become guided by income statements and investors who are trying to maximize their profit. Is it bad? Depends on how you look at it. Google is going to hit their peak in the next year or so IMO just like any product and it will be down hill from there. Someone will release the next google killer pretty soon, will it be one of you? Don't forget that its people like Digg users who will dictate the next big tech site.
- davidrools, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10More reason to order your next Dell with Linux?
- fuzzfuzz, on 10/11/2007, -15/+24@Rhino2: Read the ^&@#$ article before replying something like that. You can remove it - the only thing making it difficult is the strange name.
- nealparr, on 10/11/2007, -4/+12I also love how they keep saying that you can't remove it, right after posting Google's exact instructions for removing it. Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Program Name. Done deal.
- stephenwq, on 10/11/2007, -7/+15"You can’t even see the search results in the picture (800×600 resolution) because the entire top of the page and right side are plastered with ads."
I've never bought a dell before, please tell me that they aren't stock 800x600? Or have they changed this just to make it seem worse? - smek2, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7Coming from a company whose informal motto has been “Don’t Be Evil”... who am i'm kidding that's no surprise. Big corporations are all alike. They get greedy and then they eventually turn "evil" (some of them are just wrong in the first place, think of how Microsoft got founded, for example), Google is no exception. Everybody who thinks otherwise is blindfolded or a fanboy. Google is now in a position it can almost grab world domination, what makes you think they stop deliberately stop, now that their domestic market share is 42.3 percent? Moral? Reason? If capitalism has showed us one thing, it's that there's never enough profit to be made. And somewhere along the road to an ever increasing profit, they slip and eventually they turn to illegal, or at least questionable strategies.
- salmonmoose, on 10/11/2007, -3/+10Honestly, if this was Google's doing, why haven't they done this to those of us who are running the Non-Dell version of toolbar? This wreaks of Dell.
OpenDNS is also claiming that it is beyond the capabilities of a normal user to uninstall software - however it is well within their ability to change their DNS setting.
I really think this is a case of some pissant company self promoting themselves by claiming Google is doing something evil and underhanded. - salmonmoose, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8@folletto:
Oh I don't think the hosting is a sign of guilt, but I can see how it's easy to believe Google is behind this as it's on their domain (such is the burden of letting people use it). If you find my other comments I've mentioned that I think this is a service Dell bought off Google that they're abusing.
What I'd really like to know is who the publisher of the redirect software is? - formergthing, on 10/11/2007, -7/+13I saw the "opendns" URL and thought I was getting a bad page.
(If you use their servers for DNS, they redirect you to their page with search results for bad requests.) - cdmarcus, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8Besides the fact that if you RTFA, you'll notice that the Dell search site is hosted on Google.com!
- folletto, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7@salmonmoose
Sure, the landing page is hosted: that's how those kind of custom pages works. Like Firefox, Google Coop and such. But that isn't the problem, since every preconfigurated PC in this world has a custom page going somewhere.
The problem is that the request is 'forced' to that page... that's not good. :| - anachronaut, on 10/11/2007, -3/+9What Rhino2 said. That should be SOP for any preloaded Windows-based stock computer purchase IMO, unless you're so clueless that it won't make a difference one way or another.
- Odweaver, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5How many times do I have to say this, when you buy a dell, reformat and reinstall the OS. The spyware found was probably paid for by a third party who thought hiding it with the google software would give credibility.
- SkippyDoorknob, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5No, they're not 800x600
- codmate, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Come back AltaVista - all is forgiven! ;^)
- FuzzyCat, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5
.. sorry missed the timeout..
[HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareGoogleAFE]
"AfeUrl"="http://www.google.com/hws/dell/afe?hl=en&s=" - salmonmoose, on 10/11/2007, -2/+7@folletto:
In all fairness - the redirect is hosted, or at least directed through Google's domain.
If you don't like what you're seeing - report it to Google, they depend on Adsense/Adwords not being hated by the community, and they'd quickly put a stop to it. - cyph3rzer0, on 10/11/2007, -3/+8@fuzzycat
Just because it has "Google" in the name of the application (as in GoogleAFE), doesn't necessarily mean that Google is the owner of it. If you notice on the link you provided, the page is copyright Dell. Maybe Dell had Google create the software, but Dell is the one that is installing it on all the systems... - rlbigfish, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Considering it's been years since 800x600 was popular, I'd say this is not quite as big a deal as OpenDNS.com wants it to be. In fact, it looks like OpenDNS has an ax to grind. I clicked on the screen shot and, whoops, the real results were only a small number of inches down, and I didn't have to scroll at all.
Moral of the story, if you're still using 800x600 you're probably pretty close to blind, Dell machines aren't that good anyway, and just be more careful when you're typing in a URL. - sexybobo, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5@salmonmoose (#6826721)
That is what i was thinking. this is exactly what firefox has by default. and it is not spyware. it is just using your address box as a search box. i have no idea what every one is so upset about. #1 this is not bad functionality it is one of the reasons i like firefox. if i start typing a domain name in then realize i dont know it i can just hit enter and it comes up with a search page instead of an error page. - scisam, on 10/11/2007, -2/+7Doesn't it need to be spying on you to be spyware?
- gabe90, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Just posting to say that I am not happy. That is all.
- NoNameHere, on 10/11/2007, -10/+14How about preinstalled malware, from a company which manages metric buttloads of highly personal data based entirely off of tremendous levels of consumer trust, in collaboration with a company that is notorious for being a corruption crapstorm?
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