Malware included, trust destroyed

We have used your product for years. Just I just installed on a brand new CLEAN computer and your installer now includes bundled malware. What a shame you have made such a poor decision.

We have donated in the past and would have gladly paid for this software again.

Shame on you. Disappointed. You know that these bundles thrive on tricking people into installing crap they don't want.

I have just sent out a memo to my entire small company informing them it is no longer allowed to install PSPad.

Watch out users, you have been warned.

Hello

On PSPad site is information about bundled software. On the main download site is information about bundled software. Information about bundled software is in licence (first installer page)

During the installation process is different bundled software offered. You have possibility to accept or decline it with one button click on installer page. Nothing is installed as hidden, there is no necessary to choose custom installation to see it.

Shame on me? Do you really click on everything what you see without reading?
I understand, people don't read information on web pages, they don't read information during installation process...

Anyway, I am offering possibility to download PSPad without installer as ZIP package - unpack and run.

You know, if you are honest with yourself, that frequently people accidentally click before realizing what they are doing.

But more importantly is this: When I installed it I DID catch the "bundles" and I did decline them. However, I still saw the installer downloading something from the internet and even though I declined I still was worried (and still am) that something has gotten installed on my clean development computer.

You have a great product, one that many would pay for if you charged for it. But you soil your reputation and make people nervous when your installer does such actions. You can deny it all you want, but I can assure you this hurts your otherwise stellar reputation.

I don't post this to hurt you. I post this to encourage you to discontinue this negative practice. Switch to a pay model (or nag free users to purchase once a day or something) if you need more income. I would gladly pay for 7 licenses for my company.

Further: I did notice that your download link took me to a different download site. But in my head I said this to myself "I trust this company and there is no way they would install crap on my computer". I was wrong and that makes me sad because you have a great product!

llllolvy:

But more importantly is this: When I installed it I DID catch the "bundles" and I did decline them. However, I still saw the installer downloading something from the internet and even though I declined I still was worried (and still am) that something has gotten installed on my clean development computer.

There can be several offers depending of your location.
Installer download small exe from the internet - install manager into TEMP folder. This application communicates with 3RD party company. Offers are made dynamically one by one. I guess this is what you consider as "download". In the real it was information for installer only.

I really carefully chose this company and check if there is nothing installed on the background. From time to time a make a tests if all is still OK. I am sure, if you decline offer, there is nothing installed in your computer. If you want to be sure, return security point before PSPad download.

In case you decide to run PSPad installer without questions (in the silent mode), whole bundled part is skipped to prevent install anything without your mind.

I didn't hide anything, information are published on PSPad download page and on the main download page.

I appreciate your replies. And I am a fan of your software (all my employees are fans). I am just telling you that you risk losing your loyal customer base when you do this.

Don't believe me, take a poll. People HATE this crap. I trusted your company based on years of use. But I don't know you or your company really of course. So I will never trust that the crapware you tried to install (and the exe you downloaded and ran) is approved by you as being safe because you periodically check to make sure it is. The very fact that you know you have to check proves that you know you are providing a potential threat vector into your users computers.

Please start charging for PSPad. It is good enough that you should be able to make money from it.

I won't bother you about it any more . Just providing honest feedback that I guarantee you represents most users opinions. If I did not care about your product I would not bother to provide such feedback.

It's not a company it's just one person, Jan. Telling us where you downloaded the installer from would help as I have concerns over any download from Brothersoft.

--
Carbonize

Jan, perhaps you don't realize how much of a 'show stopper' this is. I have used pspad for many years at many organisations, and encouraged others to use it.
In the past pspad has been a highly trusted editor.
Unfortunately having any method of installation that can trick people into installing malware has completely destroyed that trust.

Nowhere I work will allow me to install pspad any longer.

Thanks for providing such a great product for many years, but unfortunately this is the end.

I must agree that any third-party software installation is generally unwanted by your audience at large. Most of your user base is software developers. We are not the type of user that would generally want some type of search engine add-on that modifies our browser defaults or installs a toolbar. We're generally a computer-savvy group that know what they want, and most would not opt to install anything else besides the intended application they downloaded.

I had Conduit installed on my PC (not sure if it was from a PSPad update or elsewhere) and I will say it was pervasive, unwanted, and not quick or easy to remove. I had to go to various places on my system to delete files or uninstall/deselect the application and even then didn't feel safe that I got it all. At one point, I was unable to load the Internet Explorer Internet Options window which many sources on the web attributed to Conduit. Ultimately, it tooka few hours to get rid of all of it, and that even included system restores that didn't fully remove it.

PSPad is a great piece of software. Regardless of whether the third-party apps it offers are viruses, malware, spyware, or simply just annoying adware, I just can't imagine anyone who downloads and installs PSPad is going to be the type of user who will say, "Gee, that looks like a cool add-on -- I'm glad PSPad has offered it to me. I'd love to install it and give it a try." This audience is more likely to be the type to view these third-party offerings as annoying, and even moreso, suspicious.

My vote is for a clean installer for PSPad in the future. Just my two cents.

No problem guys, just send me $20 each and I will
provide you a pure installer without add-ons.

That income I will donate to the author of PSPad, Jan, and all
should be happy again. And Jan can pay his cost on development tools,
hosting fees and countless coding and supporting hours that way.

No, just kidding.

There is a way to switch off offers, for installation in commercial environment.
And there is ZIP version without any included 3rd party software.
Just read, you great company developers who use freeware for there commercial work and still weep.
(and which use "installers" instead of ZIP archive, pfft.... )

Read more at download page > www.pspad.com

Quote:

PSPad installer contains bundled third-party software.
During installation you can accept or decline it.
Nothing is installed without your mind on the background.
In case you run installer in silent mode or with /nobundle switch,
no bundled software is installed.

Or just use the Portable ZIP archive from that download page.

--
Stefan (pleased user since 1722)
Do you know you can spend Jan a beer? (click here)
Inofficial FAQs + Infos + Special Settings

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-17 09:51 by Stefan.