AOL 9.0 considered badware
From slashdot (comments):
"The bad news at AOL keeps coming. First they get in trouble for releasing search data on more than half a million customers, then it gives away security software with a nasty EULA, now its free client software is accused of acting like badware according to Stopbadware.org, the Google-funded rating group."
Hopefully someone at AOL will get the point. We can't claim to know what the user will or won't like. Let's offer them a service without ramming others down their throat. There's other ways to help people "discover" new products. Other similar tactics, in other companies:
- Would you like to supersize it for 25 cents more? (McDonald's, though they don't 'supersize' anymore)
- Try our 8-week free subscription to EW weekly? (Best Buy)
- Sign up for our Gap card today? It's 10% off!!
- Click here to NOT receive FREE email updates and information about our new products
- Your software is "invited" to a user's computer, don't abuse that trust
- Install what you need to get your software running, no more.
- If you are installing a systray app (or something that runs at startup), ask the user if this is ok.
- Your "update" software shouldn't run outside of the app that you just installed.
Go vote this up on Netscape.