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Welcome to Techsurvivors => Tech => Topic started by: Xairbusdriver on July 01, 2013, 09:36:21 AM

Title: Great article on the perils of "Free"
Post by: Xairbusdriver on July 01, 2013, 09:36:21 AM

<Download me—Saying “yes” to the Web’s most dangerous search terms>
ars technica, by Conor Myhrvold - June 25 2013

Title: Great article on the perils of "Free"
Post by: kimmer on July 01, 2013, 02:10:21 PM

I freely admit

that I only got 2/3 through the article before I got bored.

How likely is all this on a Mac? Is all this adware/malware, etc win only?

Personally I only use "free" when I totally trust the item,

so not a lot of free stuff on my iMac.

Title: Great article on the perils of "Free"
Post by: gunug on July 01, 2013, 02:48:40 PM

I just downloaded the proper version of Onyx onto my office Macpro (running OS 10.8 now) and was amused to learn that my Security settings wouldn't allow it to be run unless I allowed all non-Apple Store downloads to run. It's free, it's something I've used on a regular basis, and I like it; that had ought to be enough, dagnabit!

Title: Great article on the perils of "Free"
Post by: Xairbusdriver on July 01, 2013, 03:00:55 PM

You'll note the guy was running Windows (7, I believe) as most malware is still made for that platform. However, much of the tracking that goes along with the downloading will still record whatever it can find about the computer it "sees." And people are starting to attack the Mac/Android/iPhone/etc. nearly every hour. The whole point is to show how bad this stuff is. Just know that everyone and their brother is trying to get any info they can on you. Just as Facebook entices you in with their "free" service, it's a standard practice by all SCAM artists and has been since Man first plugged in a computer in the Garden of Eden! Just remember, "There ain't no free lunch!" somebody is paying for it, and it is rarely the supplier!

Even trusted sites can become problems. Every time I see a "professionally" done web site for a very small time developer, I question the app's safety. SpeedDownload was an excellent download manager... until the developer stopped development! It's still not compatible with 10.8, yet the same snazzy website boasts of its usefulness! The forums are all locked (did he get tired of answering questions about problems?). The developer is still making money but unwilling or unable to post the facts.

Title: Great article on the perils of "Free"
Post by: krissel on July 01, 2013, 10:53:23 PM

QUOTE(gunug @ Jul 1 2013, 03:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

John, you can manually override Gatekeeper by Control-clicking the app and choosing to open it. That way you can keep the security level high but allow non-Apple store apps to be installed.

Title: Great article on the perils of "Free"
Post by: gunug on July 02, 2013, 07:54:21 AM

Thanks Krissel for the tip, this is the first time I've had 10.8 on a computer that I was using!

Title: Great article on the perils of "Free"
Post by: Xairbusdriver on July 02, 2013, 08:46:54 AM

I have been amused, and somewhat bewildered, by the comments, at another forum/site, by a user who refused to download and use an app that several people had told him would solve his problem. The only reason he refused is that it was not available at the Mac App Store! It was pointed out to him, again, by several people, that many utilities would never be available at the App Store simply because of their capabilities to work on System code. He still claimed that if Apple didn't allow it on the Store, he would never use it! I found it strange that someone would request help on a well-respected public forum and then refuse to accept their advice because he did not trust the respondents. I wondered if I should ask if this fellow had deleted Terminal?!

If Apple has hoped to create an even more tightly walled garden, they are succeeding quite well. Apparently, some people will believe the statements by a huge, money-making corporation before the experiences and personal knowledge of individual experts. Rational explanations have no validity.

The default settings of System Prefs are often not what we expect. Sometimes we don't even know what our choices are. That's the reason we need to at least review the prefs of any new OS we install. Same goes for any new or update of the apps we use. Same goes for the Menu bar we so often take for granted; many questions are answered "in plain view" if we but checked.

I suppose we are being conditioned by Apple and other "appliance" makers to simply buy and use a device the way we think it should be done. Who needs a manual?! Why do they still even put labels on those buttons?!