Finally! Download.com and a couple of other software download sites have stop adding malware, crapware, and other unwanted pieces of s#$%^&t to their downloads. These sites are where people like you and me go to get quality, mostly free software. But starting a few years ago, they added bad things to the products you were getting…sometimes telling you, sometimes not.
I wrote about this practice back in July of 2013, warning you never to use download.com again. Finally, the message got through to CNET (the owners of download.com) and they stopped this practice. Of course, freeware and shareware sites that added malware did it for the money. They would be paid by these shady companies to include their crap with downloads of legitimate software.
I could never understand why CNET would do this. They have a sterling reputation for providing informative tech news and reviews. You may have read several articles over the years here that originated at CNET. But, they chose to befoul their reputation with dirty practices. To make this worse, CNET is owned by CBS, so by association, that latter company was also tagged.
But those days are apparently over. I am glad. The only thing I can ask is why it took so long? However, download.com is still full of misleading advertisements with “Start Download” buttons that attempt to trick users into downloading the wrong program. Having multiple big green “Download” buttons is confusing to many normal PC users.
Now, I bet you thought I would lead today’s blog with the final reminder of the end of free Windows 10 upgrades. After all, the end of that program is only hours away. And I am sure if you run Windows 7 or 8, you have already been notified with Microsoft’s full screen interruption message that you only had a short time left. So there is no need for me to remind you…although you could say I just did. Oh well.
There are lots and lots of good stories and tips here today, so I hope at least some of them will be useful for you. Have a great weekend!! -JRC
Tech News and Opinions
Download.com Has Finally Stopped Bundling Crapware
SourceForge and Tucows aren’t the only download sites cleaning up their act. We can finally confirm that Download.com, also known as CNET Download, has ended the installer program that they were so often criticized for.
It's official: Apple has sold more than 1 billion iPhones
The iPhone isn't even 10 years old, but its impact on the tech industry, and on Apple itself, has been huge. Now it's reached a new milestone.
Poll says only 9% of U.S. iPhone owners planning to upgrade to iPhone 7
Some 34% of respondents said that if Apple switched to a three-year cycle, they would adjust their own upgrade pattern to match – upgrading their phones every three years rather than two
Made in China: Four horsemen of the iPhone apocalypse
Huawei, ZTE, Xiaomi, and Lenovo are coming, and Apple and Samsung can't stop them. cheap smartphones are on their way.
Donald Trump encouraged Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's email
The Republican candidate says Russia should recover some of the missing 30,000 of Clinton's personal emails.
Computer Tips and Tricks
Microsoft takes another step toward making Office apps smarter
For subscribers to the Microsoft Office 365 productivity suite, spellcheck is going to get a lot smarter with the addition of Editor for Word, coming in August.
How to clean your Windows registry and speed up your PC
Practically everything you do in Windows is recorded in the registry. Here’s the problem: If you pry open the registry, you’ll find it about as cluttered as a teenager’s bedroom. That’s because Windows doesn’t efficiently clean up after itself as it goes about its daily business.
How to Enable Offline Browsing in Firefox
If you’re in a location with unreliable internet connectivity, or none at all, you can use your browser’s cache to access copies of websites you’ve already visited when you were online.
Removing Windows 10's default apps isn't easy, but CCleaner can help
The CCleaner third-party utility does what Microsoft won't do for you.
Five Ways to Optimize Your Workspace for Productivity
Whether you’re at home, in a shared space, or hanging out a coffee shop there are quick and easy fixes to help make your work space work for you.
Mobile Computing
Microsoft Pix is a camera app for your iPhone that improves your photos
While the default camera app on the iPhone takes great automatic photos, Microsoft thinks it can do better.
9 Photography Tips For Your Travels
This in-depth article will bring you a fresh perspective for your travel photography. Recommended reading for anyone who takes photos.
Make your iPhone read aloud to you
By enabling an accessibility setting, you can make your iPhone read the text of whatever it is you have open, from a book in iBooks to an article you have open in Safari or another app.
Google launches Family Library, a way for families to share Google Play purchases
This includes the ability to share movies, TV shows, books, apps and games across Android phones and tablets.
Google Play starts showing apps' actual download sizes
Google Play now displays the actual storage space a whole app or an upgrade will take up, so you don't accidentally download anything too big.
10 Android smartphones that cost less than $100!
Before you consider unlocked, make sure to read this post which is our guide to buying unlocked smartphones.
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