Spyware and OpenSource issues

Before I begin: Thanks guys for all your work on and for the open source Limewire.

I work in a PC repair shop and over 50% of the PC's I need to repair have spyware like gator and more recently that stupid monkey program. All of these programs steal CPU cycles, none of them has a privacy statement available to read when the software is installed and most all of this software is buggy - hence the reason I need to repair the computers.

It's a really good kick in the **** for open source software. I understand the reasons for needing to make money but to do it at the expense of your users is worse than no solution at all.

You have effectively told big data whoring companies that it's ok to add their software in such a dishonest and underhand fashion. How many here have read the privacy statement for gator or offer companion? They reserve the right to give out physical address information, phone numbers etc. They also take no responsibility for the affects their software may or may not have on a users PC - and I have charged a lot of people for removing spyware programs such as these because of how buggy they are anmd the amount of CPU cycles they steal.

By accepting these businesses and spreading their software we are as bad as they are - worse even because we are technical enough to understand the effects.


IMO we have kicked open source movement in the nuts by installing proprietary software. We've done the same to our freedoms and privacy by encouraging and supporting software that we KNOW is spyware.


THE END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS in this case.

Peter Pucharkis
peter_pucharkis@nospam.hotmail.com