Ah, the glory that is GAIN publishing. Self-installing useless programs that come with spyware and hijackers attached.
Don't you just love them?
My question is this. If I announced that I was gathering a patchwork army of disgruntled Internet users who were determined to make a violent example of spyware companies and storm their headquarters, breaking the law and taking lives... or to just write angry petitions to courts to have such practices illegal...
What kind of gun would you carry?

Seriously, though. I've considered declaring my hard drive premium advertising space and require a $200 fee for each software item installed on the computer, and sending these people a bill every time GAIN or Gator-related software shows up on my PC, eventually taking them to court once they owe me over $10,000... That should take a week or so. I often fantasize about the courtroom scene...

And for those who might ask...
Yes, I have Spybot and AdAware.
Yes, I run them daily.
Yes, I have things immunized.
The fact of the matter remains that I am sharing this computer with people who don't know how to protect themselves against spyware. I just needed to blow off some steam.
(And if anyone wants to lead the team in while I sit in a safe command chair, get in touch with me and we'll have a huge army within the week.)

DISCLAIMER: The above post was a joke, for the most part. I am not issuing a call to violence.

sign me up :D I also share my computer with an idio...err someone who knows very little about spyware and adware ;) I like the idea of charging for usage, but lets up the price to say $1000.00 every 3 hours :D

You go, girl! Charge 'em extra for duplicate files!

Brilliant idea!! you know it might actually work. I mean, if the judges were stupid enough to claim that the person that sued MCDonalds for giving him a hot tea, while not bewaring him that it can hurt, was right...
:D :D [img]graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

The only question is, how can I go about doing this? Maybe I can send an email, and declare this computer rentable, premium commercial property...
If only, hm?

get a buisness license, claim your computer as your sole soucre of income, then place an onlin ead, stating that your computer is an advertising server :D

There is the option of using zonealarm to block the messages which result from stuff like that, but to me that seems inadequate. I want some software which not only blocks the messages but sends a response. eg.

Advertisement - DO YOU WANT TO BE SPANKED BY KINKY NURSES?
Response - Can I get that on the NHS?

Advertisement - GET A GIANT P***S
Response - Where would I keep it? How often does it need feeding?

Advertisement - SEE ENORMOUS TITS
Response - (looks down) sadly not :-(

The pop up adds which invade computers seem to assume all computer users are male and/or sexualy frustrated.

Disclaimer - I am very drunk.

Illumina Drathiran'ar

There is legal strength to your case at least Downunda :D

For so long I have been meaning to register a 'cold call training facility' make a token couple of ads in the phone book and wait for the 'cold call' marketing to appear. When they call and you discover the name of the company that is calling you also get the address and the Company tax number and return phone number. Use the fact that you are interested in the product but do not want to deal with fly by night companies to get the information.

You then inform them that you are charging a $50 connect fee already payable and a $600 per minute charge from this point on for training on there phone technique. And that you will be sending a bill for there services if they want to continue. Spend as much time on the phone with them as you wish.

Then send the bill. If they don’t pay you have one of two actions. Contact a debt collection agency and pass the bill over to them or contact a small claims court and pursue!

either way have fun [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Forgot to add, A bloke I read about two years ago set up a similar scheme to deal with junk adds in your postbox. He claims to make more than a decent living each week by sending out invoices for the time consumed reading and thinking of ways to improve their marketing skills. It only takes him a couple of hours a week. :D