![]() ![]() ![]() (In fact, CNET simply rebundled NMAP because it was free software, albeit not free-for-all.)Īs Gordon Lyons, the creator of NMAP, wrote with understandable angst at the time: The NMAP case was made worse by the fact that CNET not only implied some sort of agreement between NMAP and the toolbar company, but also implied an agreement between CNET and NMAP to provide a modified NMAP installer in the first place. ![]() ![]() We don’t really agree with that, but we’ll go with “opt-in” on the grounds that the installer doesn’t proceed until you have had a chance to review the page and (here’s where the semantics get tricky) opt out of the additional component.Īnother well-reported – nay, infamous – “foistware” example from a few years ago was CNET’s bundling of a browser toolbar with the popular network security tool NMAP: We’ll take the view for now, just to keep things simple, that an optional offer that is turned on by default can be considered “opt-in.” One well-known example of foistware is Adobe’s Flash Player installer, which typically urges you to install Intel’s McAfee Security Scan Plus product at the same time: That’s where you decide you like product X, so you download it and install it.īut during the install process, it suddenly recommends other software, and if you aren’t careful, you end up downloading and installing that as well. You’re probably all-too-familiar with “foistware.” ![]()
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