Re: To Anyone who has Internet Explorer Installed or any other browser (Everybody)

From: Jay T. Blocksom (usenet01+SPAMBLOCK_at_appropriate-tech.net)
Date: 06/10/03 

Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 13:46:25 -0400

On Tue, 10 Jun 2003 19:32:46 +1000, in <alt.privacy.spyware>, Thomas
Gourlay. <pls.ask@newsgroup.invalid> wrote:
>
    [snip]
>
> I don't think the use of Eudora "adware/spyware" label is justified.
>
    [snip]

Yes, it most definitely is. This has been well-established for a long
time; yet, for whatever reason, many folks (no doubt psychologically
"invested" in Eudora) seem quite willing to ignore the facts.
 
> First responding to the "adware" comment.
>
> Since Eudora Ver 4.3 users have been given three options:
> 1. Purchase Eudora and no advertisements are received.
> 2. Use Eudora for free with access to all of its features but with ads.
> 3. Use the free version ads free but without all of the features.
>
    [snip]

Not withstading a few minor technical quibbles, that sounds like a pretty
good definition-by-example of "adware" to me.

> Then responding to the "spyware" comment.
>
> When Eudora Ver 4.3 was released, a freely available spyware program
> declared that Eudora was spyware. That software program was later
> re-written and the anomaly rectified. This was discussed and dismissed
> in the Eudora newsgroup: <comp.mail.eudora.ms-windows> years ago.
>
    [snip]

It was only "dismissed" by the loudmouth "groupies" who cannot abide
anything negative being said about their "baby" -- if you spend any time on
that newsgroup, you know exactly who I mean.

Meanwhile, the FACTS are indisputable. From an earlier article of mine
(Message-ID: <ek0g4vcb9196c1pqu290pgnhiisvb2mtof@news.rcn.com>) in this same
newsgroup:

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Post-4.2.2 versions of Eudora are spyware. This is well-established. If
you insist, here AGAIN are the definitive Google URLs:

<http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=jpurlia-1408000853230001%40dhcp000619162153.qualcomm.com&output=gplain>
(Where the fact that the Registration Code is 'phoned home" is admitted by
John Purlia <jpurlia@qualcomm.com> -- who also states that he's the guy who
wrote the code; so he should know.)

<http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=greg-1t739en3f7.399852cdi%40news.binary.net&output=gplain>
(Where some of the serious implications of that issue are pointed out to
him.)

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=8qmm4b%2466j%241%40iac5.navix.net&output=gplain
(Where it is pointed out that the "phone home" mechanism (albeit,
misidentified as Cydoor) remains active in Paid and "Registered" --
presumably, Light -- modes; so therfore, it by definition has NOTHING to do
with "ad serving" or "ad-response tracking". This was also confirmed by
Jeremy James, Ddirector of Marketing for Eudora products, in
<http://www.pcworld.com/resource/printable/article/0,aid,18335,00.asp>).

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> But I feel it is important for new Eudora users to go to:
> Tools> Options> Viewing Mail and un-select use Microsoft's Viewer, and
> un-select "Show Message Preview Pane" also don't check "Allow executable
> in HTML content"
>
    [snip]

That's good advice, presuming the use of v4.0-4.2.2 (it's unncessary in
v3.0.x); and it's part of what I was referring to when I said that these
versions "can be made reasonably 'safe' through careful setup".

> I don't deny that Eudora could be classed as bloated because I also use
> Opera for email and Opera is very small in comparison to Eudora. But
> Eudora is still an excellent email program and has filters that IMHO are
> not rivalled by any other email program.

You should look at Eudora Pro v3.0.5. It has at least most (if not all) of
the same filtering capabilities (not sure about RegEx) as the later
versions, with neither the bloat or the safety concerns. They really should
have cleaned up the last few bugs that remained in the 3.x series, released
the result as v3.1.0, and stopped there. 

-- 
Jay T. Blocksom
--------------------------------
Appropriate Technology, Inc.
usenet01[at]appropriate-tech.net
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary 
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
   -- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.
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