Agreed... I was kinda surprised they left those comments as long as they did because it really showed this for what it is. That was partly why I screen capped them for my post above.
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Has MacUpdate fallen to the adware plague?
- Thread starter Michaelgtrusa
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Agreed... I was kinda surprised they left those comments as long as they did because it really showed this for what it is. That was partly why I screen capped them for my post above.
There have only ever been two places to download Mac software from safely -- from the Apple App Store, or directly from the reputable application developer's web site. Downloading from any other source is like playing Russian roulette. About the only exception is if the developer has a provided a mirror, and, you get the hash to check from the developers website first.
No, unless you disregard community in favour of sheer commercialism. Macupdate has been as safe as it gets for too long, simply because it just provided a redirection service to the original download URIs, plus it offered a nice way of checking on updates and read reviews and comments without blindly updating on every version of the application, and provided links to the original website as well. It made the life of many non-newbie users easier. I guess this is not the case anymore.
MacKeeper and the like are not merely malware, they can be onerous to remove.
If MacUpdate stoops to such nefarious behavior, at least I won't be surprised if our screen names and passwords are sold.
FWIW: If you have Little Snitch, you may be amazed at the number of ad/data collection sites MU connects to (look in both "all Rules and Silent Mode". As for moi, I have now blocked all such connections.
If MacUpdate stoops to such nefarious behavior, at least I won't be surprised if our screen names and passwords are sold.
FWIW: If you have Little Snitch, you may be amazed at the number of ad/data collection sites MU connects to (look in both "all Rules and Silent Mode". As for moi, I have now blocked all such connections.
Caskroom for Homebrew is a convenient alternative to quickly download and install popular applications from official sources, right from Terminal. You should check it out.
http://caskroom.io
http://caskroom.io
That's usually not how companies think, however. They use the path of least resistance to survive. Or they think it is more lucrative.
I stumbled on to this fact tonight when I was trying to get the latest version of VLC. When I looked at the download, I was extremely surprised to see an installer since VLC has never used an installer in the past. Upon further investigation, I found out about how MacUpdate has gone to the dark side. Sad to see it happen. They were born out of a need by the Mac community when VersionTracker got bought out. Now, we are back at square one... Anyway, I won't be going to MacUpdate anymore.
macupdate.com. ugghh.... I used to use versiontracker.com (anyone remember..?), I loved that site back then.
But that was in the days we didn't have a MAS or other built-in software updaters etc.
It was fun noticing the transition of Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X.
Versiontracker.com listed both new software daily. In the beginning it was 95% Mac OS 9 (and 5% Mac OS X), after a while 50-50 and later 95% Mac OS X (duh.... obviously... but it was fun noticing the development)
Whatever.. my € 0,02
But that was in the days we didn't have a MAS or other built-in software updaters etc.
It was fun noticing the transition of Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X.
Versiontracker.com listed both new software daily. In the beginning it was 95% Mac OS 9 (and 5% Mac OS X), after a while 50-50 and later 95% Mac OS X (duh.... obviously... but it was fun noticing the development)
Whatever.. my € 0,02
1. There were some things that were actually hosted by MacUpdate. I don't know if that's still true now, though.
2. Why use Google when they throw all sorts of irrelevant stuff at you when MacUpdate (and VersionTracker before that) just gave you results for Mac apps.
3. There are some people who prefer to avoid Google as much as possible.
4. MacUpdate also gives suggestions to other software.
5. MacUpdate had review by users and it was a good way to find useful apps.
While I think MacUpdate have been very foolish, I can't see it said anywhere in this thread that if you download while logged into MacUpdate you still get the unadulterated version.
You only get their adware version if you are not logged in. I am still using the MU Desktop app signed in.
You only get their adware version if you are not logged in. I am still using the MU Desktop app signed in.
It's clearly going to be the thin end of the wedge though. Once these things are implemented they're never rolled back.
I agree that is indeed the worry. They have done untold damage to their reputation. How does the saying go?...Trust is easy to lose, hard to win, and even harder to win back.