But how will I search the Internet now?
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Thank god for that. We have to use Java here as a third party requires it for a business-critical system. Most users have ended up with Ask toolbar when doing a Java update and none of them had any idea where it came from. Our malware scan evicts it but it's still one of the best examples of shitware around.
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I was just saying the other day that if I worked for Ask I would be really ashamed that my software was 99.9% installed by accident by people who didn't want it and often had to pay professionals to remove it.
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http://www.pcworld.com/article/2934502/microsofts-good-deed-for-the-day-browser-hijacking-ask-toolbar-gets-the-banhammer-on-windows.html
...as first noted on Slashdot...
?
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I'm sure the lowly workers of Ask.com know as well as anyone else that their software is crap. But a job is a job, and you need one to live.
The managers who are directly responsible for these "deals" with Oracle... well, I'm guessing they are probably incapable of feeling shame in the first place.
Besides, what else could a company like that do? What product could they release that would legitimately attract people? I doubt they have enough developers or money to even compete with Yahoo or DuckDuckGo.
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Most users have ended up with Ask toolbar when doing a Java update and none of them had any idea where it came from.
So install the version that doesn't put the Ask Toolbar back on each update?
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So install the version that doesn't put the Ask Toolbar back on each update?
I didn't know that was a thing, thank you. I can't seem to find the package though, I get lots of ways to disable it per-machine via the java control panel or a registry edit (which I could do as a GPO). Is that what you meant?
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Use the offline installer.
I guess that won't work if they need the auto updates, but as Windows has now banned Ask it it's probably
if the online version installs it.
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According to this:
Microsoft states that older versions of the toolbar ... now contravene Redmond's policies. The latest build is fine, but older Ask toolbars will be hunted down and deleted.
I guess we shouldn't expect Oracle to stop bundling Ask in the future.
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Poop.
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Microsoft warned that as of June 1 any program containing search protection functionality—code that tries to stop you from changing your browser or default search settings—would be treated as malware.
This, coupled with
Correction: After this article was published, Microsoft clarified that the version of the Ask Toolbar it classifies as malware is not the current version. The latest version of the toolbar will not be banned by Microsoft as it does not contain search protection code. PCWorld regrets the error.
makes the situation arguably worse than it was, since you can't even use a legitimate app to protect your start page, and Ask will presumably still reset it on every update.
Unless it gets worked around, which it will.
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>Microsoft warned that as of June 1 any program containing search protection functionality—code that tries to stop you from changing your browser or default search settings—would be treated as malware.
This, coupled with
Correction: After this article was published, Microsoft clarified that the version of the Ask Toolbar it classifies as malware is not the current version. The latest version of the toolbar will not be banned by Microsoft as it does not contain search protection code. PCWorld regrets the error.
makes the situation arguably worse than it was, since you can't even use a legitimate app to protect your start page, and Ask will presumably still reset it on every update.
Unless it gets worked around, which it will.
I dare say that such protection software will be fine if they allow you to set the protection level yourself - as in:
- Don't do anything
- Ask me if something wants to change this setting
- Deny all changes automatically
Then set it to Option 2 upon installation and offer to change to either Option 1 or 3 upon showing such a notification.
In short: Do it the way pretty much every antivirus software currently works.
Microsoft’s good deed for the day: browser-hijacking Ask Toolbar gets the banhammer on Windows
