From: Loree Thomas (loreetg@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Jan 29 2002 - 11:58:04 MST
--- Harvey Newstrom <mail@HarveyNewstrom.com> wrote:
> See <http://www.scumware.com/index.html> for more
> information.
I found that site almost as offensive as the TopText
that was installed when I downloaded KaZaA.
This is the web site of a person who is willing to use
dirty tricks instead of cold hard truth. The tip is
his continual warning that "these people will even
allow your children to see porn!" and his calling
programs such as TopText "a virus". If you have a
legitimate point, you don't need the emotionally
loaded words and hyperbole to make it.
And it didn't actually take you to sites you didn't
want to go to (as he continually claimed but failed to
actually demonstrate). It DID give you choices in
addition to (not instead of) what the designer of the
site gave you. Ones the designer didn't intend. It
wasn't "link hijacking"... no links were redirected,
just new ones created and additional choices added to
existing links.
Once I saw what TopText was, I didn't want it and I
had no problem at all uninstalling it.
And THAT is how it should be... if a program isn't
useful to me, I simply don't use it. TopText and
other similar programs do not add any functionality
that I want. I do NOT, however, think that it is an
inherently unethical program... just a useless one.
If someone came up with a program that added useful
links to web pages or useful content not originally
intended by the site owner I'd use it. It's my PC,
not their's and as long as I don't resell their
content I can do whatever I want with it.
Loree
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