Now this is Funny!

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Messenger Plus Bundling Lop.com

Many of you may have heard of a program called Patchou's "Messenger Plus". I used it myself once, before I discovered Trillian. Similar to the many front end programs for Internet Explorer (Avant browser, MyIE2, etc), Messenger Plus adds a user interface to Microsoft's MSN Messenger that contains extra features.

Patchou has brought in C2Media as a sponsor and is now bundling their lop.com software into Messenger Plus. For those of you who have never heard of it, lop.com software is classified as a trojan by antivirus vendors and as a browser hijacker by antispyware vendors. You can find plenty of information about it by doing a Google search for lop.com. Just be warned - some of the language used by lop victims will melt your monitor.

No single parasite has caused as many support threads at our message boards as lop.com (although Xupiter comes close). Ad-aware, Spybot, and all other spyware removal programs target several older variants of lop.com. It now comes in a version that is nearly impossible to detect automatically. It uses randomly named files, randomly generated CLSID identifiers, and uses activex installation methods that let them update all of their installers at once.

Before this change, the number of lop.com complaints actually had gone down because it was so easy to remove and could even be blocked beforehand. Since C2Media introduced these new versions that mutate randomly, the number of infections has become larger than ever. The only sure way to be rid of it is to ask for help at the SWI support forums.

Patchou, the developer of Messenger Plus, has issued a statement regarding the complaints he's been receiving due to his new "sponsor". To all of the people who are saying that they won't use his program because of lop.com, he has this to say, "I don't want to be rude but if you boycot version 2.10.36, you're an idiot."

<sarcasm>
Rude? Well gee, what could possibly be "rude" about being called an "idiot" for refusing to install software that sets off trojan alarms in antivirus programs?
</sarcasm>

Whether it makes you an idiot or not, I strongly recommend that everyone stay as far away from Patchou's Messenger Plus as possible. If you have installed it already and now have lop.com's software all over your system, uninstalling Messenger Plus supposedly will also remove lop.

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Originally posted by Vantage
* Vantage wonders if patchou really called them idiots

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What a bunch of BS

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Originally posted by DJeX
What a bunch of BS

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poor patchou. people are too god damn stupid to read the warning statements. maybe he should put under i do not accept (tick this if you do not wish to install the sponsor)

actualy no. I think it has taugh many people a lesson [including me] . now when i install software i make sure. and i wont ever be caught off guard like that again.

lol, ya. Before plus!, I didn't bother skimming the agreement....the Plus! installer does very closely resemble a standard afreement found in most programs for terms of usage It's prety tricky, imho (not to put down  Plus! or Patchou).

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Originally posted by: WDZ
TBH, what part of it is bullshit?

I don't like articles like this either, but I don't see any incorrect facts, just dodgy opinions. 

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The BS part is that it's a quote that'scompletely our of context. First, I aplogize again for the poor chocie of word, however, Inever treated my users as idiots because they didn't want to install my sponsor (how anybody could be that rude?). It was just a reaction to people sayign that they boycoted the new version because their was an optional in it, just for the idea that I was bundling something that could be installed. I'm sure the original post must still be somewhere.

As a side note, "idiot" is also a word in french and I learnt, at my own depends, that its meaning in english is much more"aggressive"... so, sorry for being french .

And toconclude, once again, the agreement WILL be modified in version 3.25 that will be released very soon. Version 3.21 (tomorrow) will be distributed with several test versions of new agreements window to prepare for it. My goal has never been to trick anyone, it it was, there would be one check box in bold saying "click here, it's fun!" and I would stop spending so much time replying to these posts .

So Patchou does this C2Media host you for free? Is that why you need the extra sponser program in the install?

Why exactly do you need to put it into the setup?

No , Once the sponsor program is install you may know that a toolbar is added. Anyway its like patchou gets 1 cent everytime somebody clicks a link on the toolbar.

Yes, something like that... I get my revenue based on the searches people make and their clicks on the results.. it's the exact same way Google and the othersmake their own revenue too (with the difference that software like Adaware don't try to removethe Google toolbar so it doesn't have to act so defensive to protect itself).

As an added bonus, C2Media also hosts my site, which is extremely nice considering the bandwidth I now need.

Ahh ok I see now.

How about making the sponser program stand out more when installing so the people will see it or maybe move somethings around on the sponser screen in the install so it looks diffrent form the rest of the install screens. That may cut down on all the people who suposibly diden't see the sponser program and installed it and now are emailing you and or posting stuff like what this topic is about.

removed

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Originally posted by Patchou
The BS part is that it's a quote that'scompletely our of context. First, I aplogize again for the poor chocie of word, however, Inever treated my users as idiots because they didn't want to install my sponsor (how anybody could be that rude?). It was just a reaction to people sayign that they boycoted the new version because their was an optional in it, just for the idea that I was bundling something that could be installed. I'm sure the original post must still be somewhere.

As a side note, "idiot" is also a word in french and I learnt, at my own depends, that its meaning in english is much more"aggressive"... so, sorry for being french .

And toconclude, once again, the agreement WILL be modified in version 3.25 that will be released very soon. Version 3.21 (tomorrow) will be distributed with several test versions of new agreements window to prepare for it. My goal has never been to trick anyone, it it was, there would be one check box in bold saying "click here, it's fun!" and I would stop spending so much time replying to these posts .

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Originally posted by Patchou
Version 3.21 (tomorrow) will be distributed with several test versions of new agreements window to prepare for it

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Tsk tsk tsk. Even profesionals dont read the agreements...

Why don't some people get that its optional.

Well clearifying the install/licence agreement part probably will help.

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Originally posted by The Napster
Tsk tsk tsk. Even profesionals dont read the agreements...

Why don't some people get that its optional.

Well clearifying the install/licence agreement part probably will help.

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you should put a picture in the sponsor agreement window- thing, showing what will be installed

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Originally posted by WDZ

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Originally posted by DJeX
What a bunch of BS

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TBH, what part of it is bullshit?

I don't like articles like this either, but I don't see any incorrect facts, just dodgy opinions.

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Originally posted by jren207


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Originally posted by jren207


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If you want to complaint about the sponsor, go on the msn plus forums and post a messsage in the "testing and trashing" section of the forums.
Do not forget: please use MSN+ instead of messenger plus!

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Patchou should use that 1

yes if so how much money will he get every month.. ZILCH... lol

its like from the spyware program she cant win...

he gets money but people are getting spyware

he gets no money but people have no spyware

they way it is is fine!

leave it

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Originally posted by Patchou
The BS part is that it's a quote that'scompletely our of context. First, I aplogize again for the poor chocie of word, however, Inever treated my users as idiots because they didn't want to install my sponsor (how anybody could be that rude?). It was just a reaction to people sayign that they boycoted the new version because their was an optional in it, just for the idea that I was bundling something that could be installed. I'm sure the original post must still be somewhere.

As a side note, "idiot" is also a word in french and I learnt, at my own depends, that its meaning in english is much more"aggressive"... so, sorry for being french .

And toconclude, once again, the agreement WILL be modified in version 3.25 that will be released very soon. Version 3.21 (tomorrow) will be distributed with several test versions of new agreements window to prepare for it. My goal has never been to trick anyone, it it was, there would be one check box in bold saying "click here, it's fun!" and I would stop spending so much time replying to these posts .

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Originally posted by Millenium_edition

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Originally posted by jren207


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you forgot the part where it says

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If you want to complaint about the sponsor, go on the msn plus forums and post a messsage in the "testing and trashing" section of the forums.
Do not forget: please use MSN+ instead of messenger plus!

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Originally posted by Patchou
don't tempt me, this week is "new agreement testing week" .... I may just have some fun and do some things like that and post the results.

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you should post pics of them and yeah the silly ones too