Lee Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 From Monsters and Critics.com Tech News Is Yahoo hijacking browsers? By Steve Ragan Jan 17, 2007, 19:05 GMT Several articles on Slashdot and other websites are reporting that, in an attempt to gain more of a foothold on browser searching, Yahoo is employing some shady tactics. One way for a search engine to gain a popular place among internet users, is to become the default search tool of choice in the browser. You see this in the upper right portion of the browser in both Firefox and Internet Explorer. Being the default search engine builds brand loyalty and can return millions in advertising revenue for the company who gets the most searches and the most results. The fight for default search on browsers is well known. Google threatened a lawsuit when Microsoft made its MSN Live the default search in Internet Explorer 7. Google has also signed deals with Firefox and Opera, successfully beating out the competition, as most people often do not change the default settings. Yahoo is taking a different approach. When you install or download a Yahoo program you are given the option to include several Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustbag Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 I've experienced this too. Yahoo sux. p.s. Malacious software writers should be boiled alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csrmel Posted January 22, 2007 Report Share Posted January 22, 2007 any sort of buddy or search companion programs suck. ones that change youre settings suck even more. i cant tell you how many computers ive seen with 4 or more toolbars on the page, theres so many toolbars that there isnt enough room for actual websites to show up without excessive scrolling. i have a twin monitor computer display with dual wide screen 1440x900 minotors. even this isnt enough real estate for web surfing on modern websites. id hate to be on a single 17 or 19 inch monitor with those stupid search toolbars everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustbag Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 toolbars are da devil!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted March 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2007 Most search bars and gimmickey toolbars are simply gateways for spyware and adware, opening a door for whatever the developer has allowed or sold the rights to, the ability to enter your browser and install whatever it wants (pretty much). By installing any of the toolbars, or system-tray (that little cluster of icons near the clock) utilities, you agree to allow such 3rd party applications to be installed during any updates or sometimes randomly. I've removed a ton of spyware from peoples computers in the past, all of which could have been prevented by using a reputable browser such as Firefox, Mozilla, and to some degree Netscape (i miss Netscape 4.7 [circa 1997] ). Internet explorer, mostly because of it's active-x compatibility, is full of loopholes when you add any sort of "browser helpers" or plug-ins. Even Outlook Express can allow active-x code to infect your computer with spyware/adware/viruses, since the engine it uses to view HTML email is nonetheless...internet explorer. Oh, so then Microsoft adds tabbed browsing and some catchy features that Firefox already had, and they call it IE 7. Well, FYI if you plan on using programs like the one from stamps.com, it won't work after you upgrade to IE 7. I'm sure there is boat load of other programs that stop working after you upgrade to IE7. Lastly, pay close attention when installing any trial-ware or free software that sounds too good to be true. If you skim through the agreement you'll see terms like "3rd Party" and " software partners"... check those areas to make sure they're not implying they'll be installing anything other than what you are expecting them to. And even though the "virtual pets" and "bonzai buddy" are funny to throw across your screen and whatnot; the little demons are catalysts for spyware, adware, and even data mining. Installer Beware! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2bzy2p Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 you know this is interesting,,,because i always thought yahoo was shady and all there programs some how fail.. messenger and what not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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