Zero Tolerance

[tommylittleboy@]

www.download.com

Download.com: No adware. No exceptions
close open
Dear Downloaders,

When it comes to fighting unwanted adware and spyware, CNET Download.com has always been in your corner. During the past few years, we've brought you the best tools and tips in our Spyware Center, and we've maintained a strict policy toward adware by allowing only software that discloses advertising partnerships during installation.

This week, we've upped the ante: we're launching a new zero-tolerance policy toward all bundled adware. That means every time you download software from Download.com, you can trust we've tested it and found it to be adware-free--period. (See how we test.)

Why are we taking this extra step? In your letters, user reviews, and polls, you told us bundled adware was unacceptable--no matter how harmless it might be. We want you to know what you're getting when you download from CNET Download.com, and no other download site can promise you will.

Can we guarantee you'll never get adware or spyware on your computer? Unfortunately, no. For that reason, we strongly encourage--no, make that beg--you to take extra steps to keep your computer free of all unwanted adware and spyware. Download and install a reputable antispyware scanner today. For a list of the ones we recommend, please visit our Spyware Center.

I welcome your feedback on this important change.

Happy downloading!

Scott Arpajian
Senior vice president and chief downloader, CNET Download.com

Finally, a download site that doesnt allow you to download junk!

[autopilot]

good news, i use download.com all the time.

[kergareth]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
Download.com

[eldren]

Unfortunately, Download.com is otherwise pathetic.

I say this as a programmer who, having written a useful little program, decided to make it free to the world and added it to Download.com. Only a few months later, they decided to change their business model, and required payment to have software listed on Download.com; these yearly fees weren't exactly small either. This left me in the position of having to pay to give away my own software, which I refuse to do.

This also meant that any software found on Download.com was either shareware/demoware, or was freeware and had the financial backing of a large software company that wanted to sell you something else. For example, Microsoft paid to have Internet Explorer in Download.com's listings.

This resulted me in boycotting Download.com entirely. Having just checked again now, I see they've since brought free listings back, but even so, pulling stunts like that doesn't exactly earn points in my book.