DUH - Fear of Spyware Changing Online Habits

Fear of Spyware Changing Online Habits - Yahoo! News

Most of you who are reading this will understand when I say...THIS ISN'T NEWS! (then again, Yahoo! news is rarely what I would call real news) However, it does drive the malware & user idiocy needle under my fingernail a tiny bit deeper.

To those readers who either don't know what spyware is or how to prevent it...goto www.mudlabs.com/tips, click "Download" and read the newsletter. It covers the basics, along with some straight forward instructions.

This Yahoo! article tears me in two direction. First, it a bit crazy that malware is still news to most Internet users. Second, I am understanding of those same users who have no interest in becoming computer nerds and only want to play solitaire and enjoy finding whatever it is they are interested in on the Web.

With that being said, I know my irritation is misdirected when I blame the user for the entire problem. If the other major computer manufacturers would simply recognize that their customers are demanding solutions - not more preinstalled crap - then progress could be made. The computer manufacturers are themselves a source of Adware and other nasty crapware. What do you get with a new computer? Internet Explorer, AOL, Norton, McAfee, casino ads, and other nonsense that the novice user just assumes is what you have to use and will therefore themselves be a good leming by jumping over the same cliff millions of others have before him/her. There is nothing like watching an entire population make the same damn mistake over and over again. You would think that an educated public would start to learn from others' mistakes.

What is the first thing most computer geeks will do if they purchase a new preconfigured system? Format the damn thing and start from scratch. It just isn't worth the hassle of trying to identify and clean all the garbage that comes preinstalled on the average new machine. Who needs AOL on a new computer!? And Norton or McAfee crapware suites are virtually worthless considering that the vast majority of non-geeks will NOT purchase upgrades or yearly subscriptions to keep this stuff up to date. Once their free period expires, they don't know what to do...so there they sit with dozens of pop-ups and a migraine trying to use the Internet.

Well - I could go on, but that is more than enough ranting for the evening. So to conclude this little tirade, if you are using Internet Explorer to read this you are either savvy enough to prevent the problems or you need to start being a better Internet user by installing an alternative browser.