Name Game
Premium
join:2002-07-07
North Myrtle Beach, SC
1 edit | reply to catseyenu
Re: Lavasoft forum off-line?
said by catseyenu  :This is like a bad love affair where the young idealist falls for the jaded prostitute and ultimately turns into a cynic after catching an STD. Thanks for the memories Lavasoft.., we won't forget. Don't forget to still get the whenuremove.zip at their site that has been there since 2/22/05. It is still a good scan.:D
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mers2
Premium,MVM
join:2004-03-20
USA
clubs:
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to ahulett
said by ahulett :The "off line temporarily" message is back now. Someone call Guinness... this has to be the longest temporary downtime for a forum software upgrade. Where's a good website hacker/defacer when you need one? 
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God put me on this Earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now, I am so far behind I will never die. |
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ahulett
Life Without Walls
Premium
join:2003-02-02
Bellevue, WA | reply to marti
The "off line temporarily" message is back now.
Someone call Guinness... this has to be the longest temporary downtime for a forum software upgrade. |
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bluezanetti
Premium
join:2003-10-04
| reply to Corrine
Re: Ad-Aware Support
said by Corrine :I may still be wearing rose-colored glasses (rather appropriate, eh?) but unless he is no longer the same person who developed Ad-Aware, I do not see Nic withdrawing the Personal version. From what I know of him, that simply is not his style. I've been wrong before though so who knows. Corrine,
If you are wearing rose colored glasses now, there's plenty of time to take them off in the future. In the meantime, plenty of folks are benefiting from the fashion statement you and others are making, some thankfully, others undeservedly.
I guess I view retail boxed and free personal versions as mutually exclusive commercial approaches.
Blue |
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Corrine
Premium
join:2004-08-27
| reply to Name Game
said by Name Game :When and if they do...everyone who has the free will certainly uninstall it after a period of time..or buy the paid version..or possilbly use the Microsoft Antispyware product..so would be nice to have a link to their forum for free users of that product.  But todate..I have not found an offical forum for them either » www.xpforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7486 MSAS is still beta though so perhaps that will change. At this point, I'm not seeing a difference between MSAS & LS Research response. A f/p submitted for me by CJ several weeks ago is still being detected. Although it certainly was not common when Aaron was at LS, any problem with the Ref Files under his reign were handled immediately. MSAS could benefit having Aaron on the team!
said by TonyKlein :. . . This is how Mike Healan at SWI, Eagle1 at N-I, Suzi at SpywareWarrior and others go about it! That at least shows some respect. The fact that they didn't even bother to do that is really disappointing (although not entirely surprising) to me.... Class is class, Tony. Simple as that. 
said by Mele20 :Sadly, I think you are wrong. LavaSoft has a boxed product now and they don't need the support of the privacy community. The product has a life of its own now no matter how outrageous its history. Nick Stark has known this all along and this has always been the goal. This is not the first software company to abandon its loyal free users who helped build the product nor is the last. Actually, what LavaSoft has done is rather common behavior amongst software companies. I agree that Lavasoft per se does not need the support of the privacy community. It is the users of AAW Personal who need support. Just look at the statistics: After 126 weeks, AAW Personal is still the #1 software downloaded from download.com with 1,363,071 copies downloaded last week. (See »www.download.com/3101-2001_4-0-1···?tag=dir ). Add the 122,819,928 downloads from there to the 17,445,662 from »majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=506 . It is the 140,265,590 (plus those who downloaded from other mirror sites) who are of concern.
I may still be wearing rose-colored glasses (rather appropriate, eh?) but unless he is no longer the same person who developed Ad-Aware, I do not see Nic withdrawing the Personal version. From what I know of him, that simply is not his style. I've been wrong before though so who knows.
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Corrine, Administrator Freedomlist; Proud Charter Member ASAP Since 2004 (Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals) |
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winchester73
join:2003-08-08
Chapel Hill, NC
| reply to catseyenu
Re: Lavasoft forum off-line?
said by catseyenu :This is like a bad love affair where the young idealist falls for the jaded prostitute and ultimately turns into a cynic after catching an STD. :o |
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Mele20
Premium
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI
| reply to fatdcuk
Re: Lavasoft forum R.I.P
said by fatdcuk :i'm also strongly of the opinion that Lavasoft have just shot theirselve's in the foot one too many times the support forums were a revolving door that benefited both the end user and lavasoft(R&D and product sales)as you have stated. their massive disreguard/disrespect for the people that helped support/develope their product is astonishing to say the least.i think a large percentage of the privacy community are disgusted/dissapointed with Lavasoft on this issue and rightfully so. the writing is on the wall for the rich kids at Lavasoft,its terminal! Sadly, I think you are wrong. LavaSoft has a boxed product now and they don't need the support of the privacy community. The product has a life of its own now no matter how outrageous its history. Nick Stark has known this all along and this has always been the goal. This is not the first software company to abandon its loyal free users who helped build the product nor is the last. Actually, what LavaSoft has done is rather common behavior amongst software companies.
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The first and foremost function of our jurors is to protect private citizens from a tyrannical and intrusive government...Jurors are the last line of defense for liberty. Thomas Jefferson 1789 |
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fatdcuk
Premium
join:2005-02-20
England
| reply to marti
said by corrine:
I see the loss of what had been a proven method for obtaining submissions to update the Def Files as detrimental to the long-term ability of Research to provide timely updates. Besides being an overall benefit for all users of AAW (both licensed and users of the free software), the support forums were a source of additional sales as frequently Personal users who were helped on the forums ended up purchasing a licensed version.
Very well said Corrine,
i'm also strongly of the opinion that Lavasoft have just shot theirselve's in the foot one too many times
the support forums were a revolving door that benefited both the end user and lavasoft(R&D and product sales)as you have stated.
their massive disreguard/disrespect for the people that helped support/develope their product is astonishing to say the least.i think a large percentage of the privacy community are disgusted/dissapointed with Lavasoft on this issue and rightfully so.
thankfully there are a host of other application's available nowaday's(more fish in the sea to choose from)and its only time before the big AV companies start producing effective software to compete againt the already established bot killer's.
the writing is on the wall for the rich kids at Lavasoft,its terminal! |
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TonyKlein
join:2001-07-02
Netherlands
| reply to Corrine
Re: Lavasoft forum off-line?
said by Corrine :What has been wonderful is that the ASAP member sites have gone above and beyond to provide a place for the freeware users. Absolutely! HOWEVER, IMHO Lavasoft should have had the decency (or let's maybe call it the 'presence of mind'...) to at least leave the page up to point to a few other boards where people can go for support instead.
This is how Mike Healan at SWI, Eagle1 at N-I, Suzi at SpywareWarrior and others go about it!
That at least shows some respect. The fact that they didn't even bother to do that is really disappointing (although not entirely surprising) to me.... |
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catseyenu
Ack Pfft
Premium
join:2001-11-17
Fix East
| reply to marti
This is like a bad love affair where the young idealist falls for the jaded prostitute and ultimately turns into a cynic after catching an STD.
Thanks for the memories Lavasoft.., we won't forget.
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"Parched, dry and thirsty...Knee deep in the river of life." |
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Mele20
Premium
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI
| reply to Corrine
said by Corrine :I see part of the problem regarding the lack of a "public outcry" being due to the message about the software upgrade being up so long that the occasional visitor didn't realize that it had been there days and then longer. I think the lack of public outcry is at least partly due to the fact most of us knew this was coming. Ever since LavaSoft abandoned their faithful users for six months while they worked on a paid version, I've known not to trust LavaSoft. I recall the threads here about that vividly. I had some passionate posts in those threads. Now, it's just well...so it finally happened...so....who cares? The passion and caring were when the first betrayal happened. After that the writing was on the wall and it was just a matter of time before the final betrayal.
I do though feel outrage about one thing and that is how badly volunteers like yourself who worked so hard and gave so much have been treated as well as some paid employees.
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The first and foremost function of our jurors is to protect private citizens from a tyrannical and intrusive government...Jurors are the last line of defense for liberty. Thomas Jefferson 1789 |
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Name Game
Premium
join:2002-07-07
North Myrtle Beach, SC
1 edit | reply to mers2
said by mers2 :said by hayc59 :Interesting post.... I happen to think its a great product! the support is even better now, check out all the forums Corrine has listed. But you may find another product that suits your needs so go ahead un-install...:) hayc59 , the sad thing is Ad-Aware is a good product - although it is not as trustworthy as it once was. I just cannot in good conscience use a program that treats it's volunteers and employees so badly. That to me is a sign that there is a lack of ethics within the corporate structure and for an anti-spyware company that leads inevitably to trouble. Perhaps that lack of ethics led to some of the recent controversies. Unless changed it will lead to more problems down the road. And even then if this missing Lavasoft Forum that is the subject of this thread came back..:) That would still not change anything as to your feelings and that of many others who have used this thread to express their deep concern or dissatisfaction.
Yet the fact remains...updates are still provided to both free and paid user at a cost to the company. They did not abandon that to date.
When and if they do...everyone who has the free will certainly uninstall it after a period of time..or buy the paid version..or possilbly use the Microsoft Antispyware product..so would be nice to have a link to their forum for free users of that product.
But todate..I have not found an offical forum for them either
»www.xpforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7486
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bluezanetti
Premium
join:2003-10-04
| reply to marti
The developments are entirely consistent with the product positioning that's been occurring since the beginning of year licensing changes, to the series of announcements of retail boxed offerings of AdAware, to the absolutely perverse lack of any managed public relations response starting with the When-U fiasco.
I like to view these types of defensive security applications as akin to toothpaste (stay with me here - I have a point). We all brush our teeth and use toothpaste to control dental caries. Has any user actually ever seen toothpaste at work in it's primary function? No. It's hard enough to see differentiation in controlled studies. What do we do? We rely on two things - objective scientific tests/studies and trust in the vendor. Without trust, the brand is lost.
That's where AdAware is now. The brand has lost it's most valuable asset, trust by the vocal lead-adopters within the user community. I still have AdAware, I still use AdAware, but the likelihood that it will eventually fall into disuse does increase with each passing day.
I tend to view the AwAware support locations that have popped up as bridges for the user base. I'm not sure of what those bridges goes to.
AdAware is like any valued legacy application. The transition time is finite, the need in the interim is real, and the bridges are needed. A number of people are performing yoeman's service to the community assuring that users are not left in the lurch. Too bad the owners of the brand seem less committed in this regard.
Just my personal opinion...
Blue |
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mers2
Premium,MVM
join:2004-03-20
USA
clubs:
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to hayc59
said by hayc59 :Interesting post.... I happen to think its a great product! the support is even better now, check out all the forums Corrine has listed. But you may find another product that suits your needs so go ahead un-install...:) hayc59 , the sad thing is Ad-Aware is a good product - although it is not as trustworthy as it once was. I just cannot in good conscience use a program that treats it's volunteers and employees so badly. That to me is a sign that there is a lack of ethics within the corporate structure and for an anti-spyware company that leads inevitably to trouble. Perhaps that lack of ethics led to some of the recent controversies. Unless changed it will lead to more problems down the road.
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God put me on this Earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now, I am so far behind I will never die. |
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hayc59
VoodooChild
Premium
join:2001-02-26
David R.I.P.
| reply to pheather
said by pheather :sorry to ask the obvious - what's the point of supporting users of software that is no longer trustworthy, from a company that never has been trustworthy, and which depends on Lavasoft for updates which can not be trusted - unless that assistance is to uninstall AdAware and replace it with any one of the many alternatives available ?  Interesting post....
I happen to think its a great product!
the support is even better now, check out all the forums
Corrine has listed.
But you may find another product that suits your needs
so go ahead un-install...:)
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9/11/01 Never Forget |
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pheather
join:2001-03-11
Calgary, AB
| reply to marti
sorry to ask the obvious - what's the point of supporting users of software that is no longer trustworthy, from a company that never has been trustworthy, and which depends on Lavasoft for updates which can not be trusted - unless that assistance is to uninstall AdAware and replace it with any one of the many alternatives available ? |
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Corrine
Premium
join:2004-08-27
| reply to mers2
Thanks, mers2. {{Hug}}
As to Aaron, fortunately, I believe that he will very likely come out all the better for what happened, eh Aaron?
I forgot to add earler that there is another ASAP site that has provided a forum for helping the users of AAW Personal. It is the Ad-Aware Support Forum at CARMA (Council of Advocates for Relief from Malware Assimilation).
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Corrine, Administrator Freedomlist; Proud Charter Member ASAP Since 2004 (Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals) |
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mers2
Premium,MVM
join:2004-03-20
USA
clubs:
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to Corrine
said by Corrine :I see part of the problem regarding the lack of a "public outcry" being due to the message about the software upgrade being up so long that the occasional visitor didn't realize that it had been there days and then longer. Perhaps those visitors also didn't realize how extraordinary it would be to take that much time to update the software or, more likely, they switched to a different antispyware software. When I finally received a response to a pm I sent Mike Wood at a site we both belong to, he told me that he was out of the loop as to other developments because he was concentrating on working with Research. He did indicate something to the effect that it was not the intention of LS to abandon anyone or ignore the freeware users, further indicating that they (assumably freeware users) have been a great source of strength for LS and that LS has never forgotten where they came from. Somehow, it now being over 3 weeks, I find that just a tad bit hard to believe. Although the free version is still available, the signs certainly are that LS has forgotten those users of the software. When I see the way Lavasoft has treated dedicated volunteers like you and dedicated employees like Aaron on top of the "could care less" attitude toward the users I think my decision to remove Ad-Aware from my system completely has just been made. I hung in there after the abandonment of updates while version 6 was being worked on, through the When-U saga but I cannot ignore Lavasoft's unethical treatment of those who worked hard on their behalf. They are gone from my box and will no longer be recommended to others.
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God put me on this Earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now, I am so far behind I will never die. |
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Corrine
Premium
join:2004-08-27
| reply to marti
I see part of the problem regarding the lack of a "public outcry" being due to the message about the software upgrade being up so long that the occasional visitor didn't realize that it had been there days and then longer. Perhaps those visitors also didn't realize how extraordinary it would be to take that much time to update the software or, more likely, they switched to a different antispyware software.
When I finally received a response to a pm I sent Mike Wood at a site we both belong to, he told me that he was out of the loop as to other developments because he was concentrating on working with Research. He did indicate something to the effect that it was not the intention of LS to abandon anyone or ignore the freeware users, further indicating that they (assumably freeware users) have been a great source of strength for LS and that LS has never forgotten where they came from.
Somehow, it now being over 3 weeks, I find that just a tad bit hard to believe. Although the free version is still available, the signs certainly are that LS has forgotten those users of the software.
What has been wonderful is that the ASAP member sites have gone above and beyond to provide a place for the freeware users. I doubt, however, that there is the concern about collecting submissions at those sites since they have their own methods of operation. Rather, the object is to help the user regain control of their computer with whatever tools will do the job.
I see the loss of what had been a proven method for obtaining submissions to update the Def Files as detrimental to the long-term ability of Research to provide timely updates. Besides being an overall benefit for all users of AAW (both licensed and users of the free software), the support forums were a source of additional sales as frequently Personal users who were helped on the forums ended up purchasing a licensed version.
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Corrine, Administrator Freedomlist; Proud Charter Member ASAP Since 2004 (Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals) |
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fatdcuk
Premium
join:2005-02-20
England
| reply to Name Game
Its great to see all the ex-LS forum volunteer's/experts continuing the good work out at other forum's across this community .their motive's are clear for all to see they just want to help the end user.
Its safe to say that Lavasoft forums are RIP and Lavasoft don't give a damn about support for the free user's anymore.
i think you find the activity at www.lavasoftsupport.com last week was purely brinkmanship.the bets were hedged,if there was a major outcry(PR disaster)they would have probaly U-turned(ala WhenU etc)and reinstated the support forums.but there was only a dull whimper of a protest and the outcome is there for all to see.
Lavasoft support forums for the free user R.I.P |
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