The problem
Ultimately this runs into one of the difficulties around a democraticly-managed site: just as the dotNET restrictions went away because people wanted it, an adware program got onto the site because people wanted it. Now it looks like an exception has been made that wasn't at all intentional so let's hash this out:SYSTEM wrote:TPFC used to have a very strict policy against bundleware or adware. That policy is no longer enforced in practice because programs like FreeFileSync can easily remain in the database even if they start to bundle crapware later on.
Adware's going to continue to happen. It's an unfortunate reality that programs on the site will continue to go in this direction. When that happens, we will have three options:
- Include it with a clear notice about how to decline the install
- Find a way around it (whether PA works out a method or via 7-zip/Uniextract)
- Immediately ban any program that bundles junkware
Analysis
Since this site has always been a little bit bent towards taking some extra effort via UniExtract, custom config files, etc., lots of programs on the site aren't portable if you don't follow the extract instructions. It seems equally reasonable that additional instructions could reasonably turn an adware program into freeware.
That said, I can't deny that adware is screwing up freeware for everyone. Stuff like this is what keeps the non/semi-technical from trying freeware. Still, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of protecting users from themselves by avoiding anything to do with something that might land adware on their computer.
My suggestion
Allow adware only if there is a way to bypass the "uncheck" screen via 7-zip, Uniextract, or a PA version. I'll make sure to include a notice in the entries around the presence of adware.
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Feedback?