Blomberg: I got this which I suspect is the same as what you are talking about ('Tjenesten Messenger' means Messenger Service).
This is not totally the fault of Windows. I recall getting a "Messenger Service" pop-up just like yours on my system at work. The machine was freshly re-installed with only Windows 2000 and our DSL software. Nothing else. I tracked down the proram causing the pop-ups, and it turned out to be the PPPoE client, which is what the computer needs to talk to the DSL modem!!!
When I called our DSL provider about the program and the pop-ups, they insisted that since the pop-ups had "Messenger Service" in the title bar, it was probably some kind of Instant Messenger clone running in the backgroud, and it had NOTHING to do with their DSL client. We pay $60 a month for DSL, and they force ads on us, and expect us to believe that it's someone else's spamware causing the problem. I am 100% certain beyond a shade of a doubt that their software was causing the pop-ups.
I bought a router to share our DSL connection with the other computers, which has its own PPPoE client in hardware. I de-installed our DSL software, set up the router, and... VIOLA! All pop-ups disappeared! I am NOT happy with our DSL provider, and I intend to track down some kind of proof to get them to stop this. It's hard, though. Windows does a crappy job telling you what programs are doing what on your system.
Who's at fault here? The DSL guys, Windows, or us (for putting up with this crap?)...
Frankly, it's everyone's fault. Windows should provide a more robust program tracker that lets users know what messages and windows belong to what program, and exactly how each program was launched at how it was installed. Also, it should not be possible to launch a program from the registry. Only the "Startup" folder or a batch file should allow direct execution of programs. Windows has multiple startup folders to launch programs on startup, making it very hard to disable spamware. It should also be possible to "quarantine" programs, so they can't read or write anywhere except their installation directory, regardless of your account security settings. That could really help track down problem programs. Of course, Microsoft has a vested interest NOT to do these things, since the spammer market is a huge market, indeed.
The software developers are at fault for inventing all this crap to begin with. I mean, how can any company just take over your computer, and bury a cryptic liability release in their UELA? Freeware programs now have UELAs that span 20 pages or more of legal gibberish! Hell, even commercial programs are doing it. Even if you PAY for your software, they still spam you with ads. I was paying $30 for a subscription to NASCAR.com to see RealPlayer movies, and they STILL put 30 second ads in front of every movie! Needless to say, I canceled my subscripiton in a hurry.
Which leads to the last point: users don't complain. For pop-ups, only the OS can tell you what programs are causing trouble, and that's the fault of Windows. But, people are incrasingly forgiving towards programs that are obviously selling out. When you pay for a program, and it still has a 10 second nag screen, you have a moral obligation to return the software. A lot of people don't bother, especially when you can get a crack or something, ensuring that only the "legal" users have to deal with all this bull****.
Helgis75: No way i am installing Windows in my system either!
I doubt AmigaOS is immune to this crap.
My only real beef with Windows is all the ActiveX controls. If you turn them off, you can't view a lot of websites. If you put them on "Prompt", you'll get a nag box every time an ActiveX control is launched (you might get multiple nags per website, and you can't tell WHAT ActiveX controls will be launched). ActiveX is a real pain in the ActiveAss!
Paul_Gadd: Blaming Windows when clearly the user is at fault, totally pathetic
People who run .exe files they get in their e-mail deserve to get bombed by viruses. The trouble is, not everyone knows how many executable programs and scripting systems there are out there. Executables also have file extensions like ".ocx" and ".msc", for example. I know an OCX file is an ActiveX program, but I don't know what an MSC file is (other than an executable). Also, remember that bug in Outlook Express that autoatically ran Visual Basic scripts that could run program content? It's crazy. You don't even have to run attachments. Just LOOKING at your e-mail is enough to infect a bugged up system!
Paul_Gadd: Dont install/support software with spyware.
Provided the software can actually BE installed. lots of apps do "silent" installs these days. Anybody remember Comet Cursor? That would install itself on your computer via an ActiveX control, and would not put a UELA on the screen until it was already installed and ACTIVE. Basicly, it would install itself without permission, and then congratulate you for "choosing" to install the software.
This was before Microsoft introduced a more reliable version of Install on Demand. Things like Comet Cursor are more rare these days, but they still happen, and spyware developers are constantly looking for new ways to get around the security filters and run without any notification.
Not to mention all the programs that are launched by other programs. Let's suppose you install GreatPaintProgram.exe from a commercial company, which also installs SuperWare.exe. In the UELA, it only says, "allow GreatPaintProgram and our affiliates..." Not terribly specific, is it?
Every time you launch GreatPaintProgram.exe, it launches SuperWare.exe in the background, and then configures itself to run at startup and mask itself in the registry so you don't konw it's installed. You delete GreatPaintProgram because it sucks, and SuperWare is still installed. All the while, SuperWare runs on your system, hidden, launching, installing, and spying. It's a pretty complex problem with too many leads to track down. Also, this assumes that all this crap is LEGAL. Even reputable developers get caught with their pants down once in a while.
It sucks, but everyone is at fault. So long as it's profitable, it's not going to stop, and carefully reading all your UELAs may not be enough.
I really wish Windows had a "quarantine" feature. I hope a future AmigaOS does, but I doubt it will. Almost nobody offers that kind of feature in their OS (at least that I know of).
