Shoutbox

I run various antispyware software regularly. One of them is Xoftspy. Their latest definitions update includes Messenger Plus! as unwanted spyware:
http://www.paretologic.com/resources/definitions....=MSG%20plus%20Live

Of course, I'm not afraid of Plus!, I think it's a great program and gave me the option to refuse sponsor programs during install, so I'm surprised by the above rating it received.

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Originally posted by alegator
Of course, I'm not afraid of Plus!, I think it's a great program and gave me the option to refuse sponsor programs during install, so I'm surprised by the above rating it received.

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Well, as you pointed out, the sponsor program can be choosen to be installed or not during the setup.

Also, the sponsor program is a heavly stripped down version of what antispyware programs catalogged as spyware. Such programs do not make a destinction between types of such packages. For all they care, if it comes from a certain vendor it is automatically catalogged as being spyware, just because that vendor had a bad reputation in the past, even if it is just currently adware. And even if that vendor has stripped down all of its current sponsor packages by now.

In the end, I'm not quite surprised it is detected like that. Because as long as this sponsor is used, there will always be one antispyware program or the other which would incorrectly flag it as spyware. The term spyware is quite often used too easley/loosely by such anti-whatever programs (and even sometimes by experts), unfortunatly.

Though, do not worry, Messenger Plus! itself is not spyware, not even adware by any definition of the terms. If the sponsor is not installed, not a single bit of adware or anything like that will be installed on your computer, ever...

The sponsor, which is adware, is only installed if you choose it to be and can be uninstalled at any time (again two things which true spyware wouldn't allow you to do).

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If one does some proper unbiased research, you'll see that there are some inaccuracies on that page you linked to:

1) It come bundled with the swizzor trojan as a "sponsor" program.

Although the sponsor program has the same signature as the swizzor trajon, it is not. The swizzor trojan was originally detected as "Adware-Lop" ('Lop' being the company which provides this sponsor). And because it is still this company which provides this sponsor and no destinction is made in the levels of packages that company provided, it is still detected as the swizzor trojan, eventhough the true spyware nature which lead to this trojan definition is long gone (note: the sponsor in Plus! never was that severe spyware package which that company also could provide in the past; it always was a majorly stripped down, only ad-showing, package).

2) The author had his MVP status revoked as a result of his association with well known spyware merchants.

It wasn't actually revoked. His _active_ MVP status was revoked because some other MVPs didn't agree with him being an MVP because he used a sponsor package from Lop (although severely stripped down and with a clearly visible choice to the user to install it or not).

To quote Microsoft, the award itself was given to him "on the basis of his technical expertise and strong community contribution". He has received his MVP certificate as well as all the associated gifts like every other MVP.

He has a very good relationship with Microsoft and the Windows Live Messenger team too.

He only doesn't have access to the MVP-only newsgroups this year and he can't display the MVP logo if he wanted.

3) Uses excessive system resources

That's a very biased observation to begin with. Nevertheless, for this particular case, the sponsor, it does not require any "excessive" resources. Of course, your PC will be slower when you install the sponsor. But then again, it will perform slower when you start any program for that matter. The differences on performances on an average not-so-up-to-date computer between installing the sponsor and not installing it is nihil.

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Thanks for notifying this though...

Thanks Cookie for your extensive explanation of facts. As I said, I have no doubt that Plus! is free from any malware. When Xoftspy detected it as spyware I immediately set it to the "Ignore" list. I also use Norton Internet Security 2005, Webroot Spysweeper, Spyware Doctor, Adaware and Windows Defender, and none of these programs detects any trouble with Plus!.
( "Msgplus.exe" is using 21MB of my system resources as reported by Task Manager. Isn't that a high usage?)

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Originally posted by alegator
( "Msgplus.exe" is using 21MB of my system resources as reported by Task Manager. Isn't that a high usage?)

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Correct me if i'm wrong, but i have a hunch you are using Messenger Plus! 3 cause Messenger Plus! Live 4 doesnt use an exe. It uses low level hooking to determine if wlm is running.

And afaik, yeah thats high usage Happens sometimes, don't know why. I don't even know if Plus! is at fault.

Cookie, there's no write such an in depth explanation as to whether or not Plus! is spyware, as he said already, he knows about the sponsor program and that it's optional.

Unfortunately alegator, Messenger Plus! does have bundled adware, so it will be detected on adware/spyware removal programs, and most class LOP/C2Media as a very bad piece of ad/spyware (even if it's not that bad).

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Originally posted by traxor
Unfortunately alegator, Messenger Plus! does have bundled adware, so it will be detected on adware/spyware removal programs, and most class LOP/C2Media as a very bad piece of ad/spyware (even if it's not that bad).

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Yes, I believe anti-viruses are going through a phase where everything is a virus. The programs themselves are so bloated, they are just ridiculous to use. For example they are meant to stop harmful viruses infecting our computers, curropting data, annoying us and slowly down our computers. Yet programs like Norten are extremely slow. We are living in a age where everything is a virus, when in reality, most 'infections' are pieces of uninstallable adware.

[OFF TOPIC]

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Originally posted by traxor
Cookie, there's no write such an in depth explanation as to whether or not Plus! is spyware, as he said already, he knows about the sponsor program and that it's optional.

Unfortunately alegator, Messenger Plus! does have bundled adware, so it will be detected on adware/spyware removal programs, and most class LOP/C2Media as a very bad piece of ad/spyware (even if it's not that bad).

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I know he knows, but notice that I explained in my post why it is detected as such and notice also I give an answer to his question/remark that he is surprised that it is detected. My post is not just a "the sponsor is optional" post...

Also, I already said what Absorbation has said, in different words, eg: see last sentence of third paragraph and comments under point 1.

Also, what many people forget lately (so it seems) is that threads are not only read by those who started it and reply to it. Many other people read threads too and it is also for them that you must sometimes explain stuff in more depth, otherwise more threads are created and stuff must be repeated again.



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