A huge blow to Messenger Plus!


Recommended Posts

And as far the sponsorware, seems stupid what some antispyware programs say are ok or not, as the Plus! sponsorware in my opinion, is no different than installing MSN Toolbar or Google Toolbar, etc. etc.

586377959[/snapback]

Ahh, but there's a thin line between toolbars that can be installed WITH YOUR BLOODY PERMISSION, and ones that aren't. In Messenger Plus's case, technically you're giving it permission to install the spyware (ahem, I'm not calling it a 'sponsor.' alright?), even if you're too stupid to click on anything with the words 'agree', 'ok' and 'next'. After all, you get the same consequences as clicking on anything you see in Internet Explorer, especially those ****ing ads.

On the topic of toolbars, maybe people should bitch at why the option to install MSN Toolbar is checked BY DEFAULT in the MSN Messenger setup. (Not to mention the option to make msn.com your home page, even though my homepage is msn.ca) At least in Messenger Plus you get enough warnings.

Sign the Petition to have your say: http://www.petitiononline.com/msgplus/

586378234[/snapback]

Patch, just a quick question.

How did you feel about that last beta leak of Plus!, .. and were you really bothered that much by it? BTW how did it get leaked?

BTW: That petition is the most stupid thing Ive ever seen.

No names, emails, only 19 clicks, ... and do you honestly think thats going to get Microsofts attention? Lol.

I heard that Patcho was in talks with Microsoft and he was considering getting rid of the sponsor program and adding the MSN Toolbar in replacement. Since I heard that tho, I have not heard anything else

586378294[/snapback]

Where did you hear that? Your mind?

Patch, just a quick question.

How did you feel about that last beta leak of Plus!, .. and were you really bothered that much by it? BTW how did it get leaked?

586378255[/snapback]

It did bother me a lot yeah, simply because this version is not ready yet and has some important bugs. If it's being distributed too widely (doesn't seem to be the case so far) then more people will complain more about problems associated with it and think things like the tabbed chats feature are final when they are not.

It got leaked the same old fashion way. A tester sent it to a friend, who sent it to a friend, who sent it to a friend who didn't care to understand the damage it could produce. Future beta versions will be tagged to trace leakers more efficiently but for now, this non-sense with MS Anti-Spyware has the priority.

I don't mean to flame and I know a lot of people love the program, but I personally think it's a piece of bloated crap. I only tried it once, and although I do not remember the version, it had no clear warning on the install process about the spyware/adware/sugar-coat-as-you-like-**** included with it. I was royally ****ed and never touched it again.

Now despite my personal opinion, this decision by Microsoft will certainly affect the end-user that knows little of what is going on the PC and trust the program to detect threats. On the other hand, these same users are more likely to install the spyware included on MessengerPlus! without noticing.

To me, any app that included apyware in anyway must be reported for the end user. If it's the end user option to keep it on the PC or not, despite the install options, then oh well.

One more thing... if people love Patchou's work so much, why don't he set up a donation system and takes off the spyware options from the installer?

No it does not. It installs a toolbar on IE, adds a few favorities, and gives random popups. That is not totaly screwing up your system...

586377435[/snapback]

dude are you on crack????

WTF are you saying, that spyware that comes with crap software that slows your system down. I hate mssnger plus, it sucks bit time...

all you really need is a simple ad blocker.. messenger is ok without all that crap anyways

I do agree with some of the above posts. A lot of ppl do not know how to use computers and when installing a program, most people would click on ACCEPT (because mostly all programs u click accept to install it) so it is a bit tricky. They should read it first, but how many ppl honestly do? I think Patcho should take away the sponsor program, BUT add a donation feature. Like ask people to donate something after u install like, like Bit Torrent. It would be a lot easier.

messenger plus sucks there is no reason to have a VERY tricky wording that only the LEET know about to avoid SPYWARE... I say ban it... how many pop ups does the messenger page have.. 10+ ???  total crap

586378360[/snapback]

Uh huh. I don't need you to use the word 'suck' in TWO posts. :argh::

I don't think it's the '1337' that can avoid spyware. Instead I think it's the 'r374rd3d idi075' that cannot understand these points:

1) The next button IS DISABLED for three or so seconds, and a big ass warning is right there, under the directory selection page. Now for those who click next, next, and next, I think they should get the message when they cannot click this Next button.

2) An image is right there of what you're gonna install.

3) Neither the 'I agree' or 'I disagree' radio buttons are checked.

4) No tricky wording is there. The toolbar's license agreement is there, but even the dumbest user should be aware they're installing a toolbar by realizing THERE IS A ****ING screenshot of the toolbar on the installer page.

And about the popups, WTF?

And ban?:boo:: I would rather ban these uneducated idiots clicking on everything they see on their screen from using such software, but that's pushing it.

I could understand if you're ranting from previous experiences, as I believe Plus! used to NOT automatically disable the next button and give you a warning, but things have changed.

Im sorry to see that Patch is having problems with people keeping his betas under wraps ...

So, ... I decided to ask him if I could test for him.

Here is my reply. :laugh:

lol, I'm really sorry about that. When the beta downloads will be more secure, I'll accept new applications. At that time, just mail me at [email protected] .

And here is part of my response.

Will do.

I am testing your betas anyway. I just wanted it to be official. Lol!

It is actually sad when tursted beta testers go and leak stuff to the public before the product is ready. The end user then ends up installing it, mucking up his system, removing the beta, starting a thread on NeoWin about how bad the program sucks, and all for what? Because you can't just test the thing like you were entrusted to do, and let the developer decided when it's right.

It would be like seeing all the rough cuts of your fave sound track, or movie and listening to them for a long time, then spreading the word about how RAW it was.

Sorry to hear about that Patch.

As for the MS problem, I think a trip to MS, and talks with reps there should honestly clear a lot of that up. However, why did you chose to go with that particular spyware advertiser? Just currious. I mean, the software bundler HAs caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. Me included. Once it seemed to self replicate, and took Hitman Pro 2 just to get rid of the damn thing.

As far as having MS block Plus!, ... I think there are so many programs out there that are packaged like yours but actually DO cause harm, that its hard for an anti-spyware program to pick and choose the good guys from the bad. Can you imagine the liability? rant rant ...

:rolleyes:

As for the MS problem, I think a trip to MS, and talks with reps there should honestly clear a lot of that up. However, why did you chose to go with that particular spyware advertiser? Just currious. I mean, the software bundler HAs caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. Me included. Once it seemed to self replicate, and took Hitman Pro 2 just to get rid of the damn thing.

586378458[/snapback]

You did it the hard way.

How to uninstall ad-ware/sponsor

And for everyone who looks at this thread, it is Adware (A trimmed down version). Not spyware.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Microsoft OneDrive is getting a simple yet much needed feature by Sayan Sen Microsoft has been steadily expanding OneDrive’s file management capabilities over the years, including for shared content and shortcuts, although it has had its flaws, too. The cloud storage platform introduced support for folder shortcuts several years ago, allowing users to pin frequently accessed shared folders from OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. Now, Microsoft is refining that experience further with a new way to organize those shortcuts as revealed in a recent Microsoft 365 roadmap addition. Previously, shortcuts added through the “Add shortcut to My files” option would appear alongside all other files and folders in the root of a user's OneDrive. And although it's meant to be useful, this approach could also create clutter along the way, especially for heavy users who may have to work with large numbers of shared folders across multiple projects and teams on their systems. This is where Microsoft’s latest feature comes in, as it is looking to address this inconvenience by giving users the option to place new shortcuts inside a dedicated “Shortcuts” folder instead. The feature is designed to keep shortcut links organized into a single location instead of scattering throughout the main OneDrive directory. Hence, the idea is to make navigation and usability easier and simpler. The first time a user chooses this option, OneDrive will automatically create the folder, and to help make it stand out from the other folders, the Shortcuts folder will have a distinct visual identity featuring a unique color and a building-style icon. That being said, the new Shortcuts will behave just like any other folder in OneDrive, and as such, users will be able to move it to a different location, rename it, share it with others, or remove it entirely if they prefer a different structure. You can view the entry on the Microsoft 365 roadmap website here. Currently, the feature is in the "in development" phase, but the tech giant expects the rollout to start next month (July 2026). Do keep in mind, though, that new feature rollouts often get delayed.
    • VS Code 1.123 introduces massive upgrades for persistent AI developer workflows by Paul Hill Microsoft has just released Visual Studio Code 1.123 alongside its annual developer conference, Build 2026. This release, as always, has a heavy focus on advanced AI agent integration and making the built-in browser more robust. Notably, this update brings big sync changes that keep your AI agents persistent across sessions. With this update, VS Code now supports cross-machine syncing for chat histories, touched files, repository contexts, and related PRs via GitHub accounts, tying users even more into Microsoft’s developer ecosystem. This update also introduces the new /chronicle command that allows you to query past sessions using natural language, generate instant standup reports, and get personal productivity insights. Microsoft has also made some improvements to network-dependent operations, it explains: “When a terminal command that is run by a local agent requires access to domains that are not configured as allowed domains, the command is automatically retried inside the sandbox with unrestricted network access. After that, if it still fails, it falls back to unsandboxed execution. This allows network-dependent operations such as git fetch to finish, while keeping filesystem protections in place.” Microsoft has not stopped there; in this update, it also allows developers to drag, drop, and pin multiple agent sessions side-by-side for easy code comparisons in real-time. It also introduces the Research Agent, accessible via /research. This is a read-only, depth-optimized tool that gets data from the web, local codebase, and GitHub to give you a Markdown report on complex APIs or unfamiliar code. Now, let’s talk about the integrated browser and some security enhancements. VS Code 1.123 features enhanced screenshot capture tools that allow for targeted Area Screenshots and Full Page Screenshots to send layout context instantly to AI chat. The address bar has also been revamped, supporting favorite pages and tab management. Finally, on the security front, this update introduces a safety-first two-hour delay on third-party extension auto-updates to safeguard against compromised or buggy releases. This release is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. If you have VS Code, keep an eye out for the update availability notification. If you still don’t have VS Code, you can get it here.
    • I'm hoping with the Surface Pro 12, I can use either USB-C for my Xreal One Pro glasses. With my Surface Pro 11 OLED X Elite, I have to plug them into the top port. The bottom port will power it, but nothing shows on the screen. Maybe it's my setting. When I plug in the glasses, I have it output only to the glasses. So maybe I need to turn on both displays with it in the top port, then switch the glasses to the bottom port and set it to output only to the glasses. And then hopefully Windows remembers the settings for either the top port and bottom port (one of the awesome features of Windows where it remembers the exact configuration when plugging in external monitors.
    • Forgive my ignorance, but the only difference I see here is that a USB-A is now a USB-C, so there are two of them. For the modern age (and I'd argue since 2020), most products would now come with USB-C as an option, if not the default. Display, charging, devices, etc on TWO connectors, sometimes all combined! So having 2 of those powerful ports is great for something this size! Meanwhile my Surface Pro (5) has a single USB-A port which I cannot even get display out to, instead relying on some Surface Connect dock which I don't have. That is a poor experience, not to mention expensive and not compatible with other devices. Thank God USB-C is mainstream!
    • wow. that color finally comes to Surface Pro. was always a little jelly when a friend had the sandstone Surface Laptop. I wonder how different this dune is from the sandstone. I'll be getting the dune version. always thought black and platinum were a little boring. I'll still have access to my blue Surface Pro 11 as it'll be a hand-me-down.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      B2Proxy earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Year In
      MadMung0 earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      jefred earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Apprentice
      JoeyNeo went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • Week One Done
      oliviaexpo earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      482
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      227
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      70
    4. 4
      FloatingFatMan
      60
    5. 5
      Nick H.
      54
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!