Enough Bundling Already!
Published on 7 Jul 2005 · Filed in Rant · 142 words (estimated 1 minutes to read)It’s bad enough that Microsoft bundles Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player with every copy of Windows, and then integrates them so deeply that a flaw in one of these applications can compromise the entire system. But bundling adware/spyware?
First, there was this rumor about Microsoft acquiring Claria, the company that distributes the Gator ad-serving software. It was just a rumor, and one that not very many people took seriously. But now, there’s this news that Microsoft’s anti-spyware program has lowered the rating on Claria’s software and changed the default action to “Ignore.”
So what does this mean? In reality, nothing. It may have been just an oversight, or it may be that Claria has reached some sort of monetary agreement with Microsoft. In the meantime, I would recommend (as I have in the past) using multiple anti-spyware applications to protect yourself.