Blocking Gator

vsp · 09-13-2002, 07:34 AM

For some reason, one of my computers is convinced that Gator is its bestest friend. Whenever one of those annoying "Would you like our piece-of-shit program?" pop-ups appears in an IE window, it's not kicking up a yes/no prompt box like other shitware (Precision Time Manager, for instance). Instead, it goes right to the install screens with a "Thanks for clicking YES on the previous screen" message.

By now, it's an automatic response -- Task Manager, kill the trickler process, then run Ad-Aware to wipe the stain off my hard drive. But it's annoying that it's auto-executing in the first place, as I know damn well that I've never clicked "yes" to their swill.

As far as I can tell, all of my security settings in IE 5.x are as they should be. So what am I missing?

(I know... fix #1 == don't run IE. Fix #2 == run a generic pop-up blocker that'll whack all pop-ups, but for various reasons I don't want to do that on this computer. Is there something I can set to SPECIFICALLY block Gator's droppings?)

perth · 09-13-2002, 08:16 AM

uh, im not too familiar with the gator popup, but i would guess its activex. in ie tools > internet options > security, choose custom security settings for internet zone and set all activex items (the first 5 or 6 options) to either prompt or disabled.

~james

juju · 09-13-2002, 10:35 AM

I had to deal with shit like this on a daily basis when I used windows. This is why I use Debian now. No surprises, and it just works!

jaguar · 09-14-2002, 08:45 AM

Soution

09-14-2002, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by juju
I had to deal with shit like this on a daily basis when I used windows. This is why I use Debian now. No surprises, and it just works!

You are so full of shit. Plug in your digital camera and tell me what happens. Or try to watch a DVD. Or fire up Q3.

MaggieL · 09-14-2002, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dhamsaic
Plug in your digital camera and tell me what happens. Or try to watch a DVD.

I watched a DVD yesterday on Xine. Gphoto supports piles of digital cameras.

True, Linux is not yet a first-class platform for the FPS-addicted, what can I tell you?

headsplice · 09-14-2002, 11:56 AM

Other options

juju · 09-14-2002, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dhamsaic

You are so full of shit. Plug in your digital camera and tell me what happens. Or try to watch a DVD. Or fire up Q3.

What are you talking about?? All of those things work under Linux. Gphoto supports my digital camera, I play Quake 3 all the time, and I don't have a DVD player, but if I did, I would use Xine.

09-14-2002, 04:34 PM

And all that stuff worked first time, no problem.

Uh huh.

MaggieL · 09-14-2002, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dhamsaic
And all that stuff worked first time, no problem. Uh huh.

Well, that's the thing with open source: sometimes you get to play with it before it's done. If you don't like that, ask for your money back and go buy something shrinkwrapped. Bring more money, though.

I bet Gphoto works better first time than your soundcard did on Win2K. :-) Try and get your money back for that.

Tobiasly · 09-14-2002, 08:33 PM

vsp, try going to Internet Options -> Content -> Publishers. Is there anything listed there?

jaguar · 09-14-2002, 08:48 PM

Ill agree with dham - stuff does fit together instantly allot of the time under windows. But when it doesn't, its just as bad if not worse. Best example i can think of was putting in a firewire card a few days ago (for my ipod i'm getting monday!!!!!!!!!). Windows wizard driver install came up with an error. After asking around a few forums i found the solution - I had to give myself permission in registry to install a driver for that device - windows had decided admin was not privliged enough. Aparantly this happens with most firewire cards. Nuff said.

I like linux, i run it on my server. Not my desktop. Until it is as straightforward as windows _all the time_ its not desktop ready. I simply don't have 3 hours to get my digital camer working, or find out why x won't boot or work out which dependancy for an rpm i needed is broken becoase the database got corrupt. Windows still bites, which is why I'm going to mac.

juju · 09-14-2002, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dhamsaic
And all that stuff worked first time, no problem.

Uh huh.

Actually, it did. You see, I have this thing called apt-get. Installation of programs just works. 2 years ago, my Debian box was a pain in the ass to set up. Since then, though, I've had zero problems because of apt-get. Also, Quake 3 comes with it's own gui installer.

Really, Windows is just a big pain in the ass. If you have problem in Windows, good fucking luck fixing it. It's always a big mystery, and I hate playing Sherlock Holmes. I've never found a problem in Linux that I couldn't find the solution to.

Really, both OS's will give you problems occasionally. It's the nature of computers. But whenever I try to solve a problem under Windows, I feel like the OS is sending me a constant message, that being, "YOU ARE STUPID". I don't like OS's that treat me like a moron. It lowers my self-esteem.

Linux repects me. It shows me exactly what the problem is, even if it knows I won't understand the bug report. Linux knows that I can submit the bug data to a smarter person on irc or usenet, even if I don't understand it myself. Linux does not treat me like a fucking idiot.

Of course, i'm a programmer. So this is my biased opinion. I usually do understand Linux's error codes. People who don't want to know how computers work should probably use a simpler OS. It's a personal choice.

09-14-2002, 11:15 PM

Everything is a chore under Linux. I know, because I've been using it since 1996 (and exclusively since late 1999/early 2000).

Maybe the stuff you get is easy to figure out. But I have fun ones like my keyboard stops working and GNOME deletes my fucking settings. DVD playback is still pathetic, vim is still the only decent text editor, anti-aliasing is still a fucking pain in the ass to set up... Evolution is the best mail program ever (with the possible exception of mutt) and that's about all Linux really has going for it as a desktop OS.

Both Linux and Windows are going to have problems. Both are going to be aggravating. But what I am sick of is solved problems. Like I said, saving settings is a solved fucking problem. Playing DVD's without a hitch is a solved fucking problem. Using a keyboard in the GUI is a solved fucking problem. Copying and pasting is a solved fucking problem. Linux works great on the server, and I can even accept that it's probably a pretty decent workstation operating system, providing the apps you need will run on it. But I'm tired of computers getting in my way. I lost my spark. I no longer give a fuck enough to read fourteen pages on how to get my video card driver set up properly. It should just work. And it hardly ever does. There's always little gotchas.

I'm finding it hard to be away from Linux. I've used it so long, it's all I know anymore. But it's just not fit for public consumption. It's not ready for the desktop, and it never will be. Linux is the Netscape of operating systems. It's a niche player.

I think the telling factor is everyone getting excited about anti-aliasing in desktop apps. Didn't every other operating system have this about eight years ago?

09-14-2002, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by juju
Really, Windows is just a big pain in the ass. If you have problem in Windows, good fucking luck fixing it.

Thanks for the good luck; I got the problem solved. Going through Windows Troubleshooter again pointed me in the right direction with my sound card (I had it plugged into... well, I forget what, but it worked in Linux when it shouldn't have - putting it in the speaker hole fixed it).

The other one was an annoying MSN Messenger icon in the system tray; I asked for help and had an answer next time I was on the Cellar.

How did that keyboard problem I was having in Linux get resolved? Oh yeah. I re-installed X, re-installed my nVidia drivers, re-installed GNOME, re-installed everything... and it still didn't like it, so I put in another hard drive and installed the latest Red Hat. That fixed it.

Linux is so much better. Really.

09-14-2002, 08:45 AM	#4
jaguar whig Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 5,075	Soution __________________ Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. - Twain

09-14-2002, 11:56 AM	#7
headsplice Relaxed Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 676	Other options __________________ Don't Panic

09-14-2002, 08:48 PM	#12
jaguar whig Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 5,075	Ill agree with dham - stuff does fit together instantly allot of the time under windows. But when it doesn't, its just as bad if not worse. Best example i can think of was putting in a firewire card a few days ago (for my ipod i'm getting monday!!!!!!!!!). Windows wizard driver install came up with an error. After asking around a few forums i found the solution - I had to give myself permission in registry to install a driver for that device - windows had decided admin was not privliged enough. Aparantly this happens with most firewire cards. Nuff said. I like linux, i run it on my server. Not my desktop. Until it is as straightforward as windows _all the time_ its not desktop ready. I simply don't have 3 hours to get my digital camer working, or find out why x won't boot or work out which dependancy for an rpm i needed is broken becoase the database got corrupt. Windows still bites, which is why I'm going to mac. __________________ Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. - Twain

09-14-2002, 11:15 PM	#14
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Everything is a chore under Linux. I know, because I've been using it since 1996 (and exclusively since late 1999/early 2000). Maybe the stuff you get is easy to figure out. But I have fun ones like my keyboard stops working and GNOME deletes my fucking settings. DVD playback is still <b>pathetic</b>, vim is still the only decent text editor, anti-aliasing is still a fucking pain in the ass to set up... Evolution is the best mail program ever (with the possible exception of mutt) and that's about all Linux really has going for it as a desktop OS. Both Linux and Windows are going to have problems. Both are going to be aggravating. But what I am sick of is <b>solved problems</b>. Like I said, saving settings is a solved fucking problem. Playing DVD's without a hitch is a solved fucking problem. Using a keyboard in the GUI is a solved fucking problem. Copying and pasting is a solved fucking problem. Linux works great on the server, and I can even accept that it's probably a pretty decent workstation operating system, providing the apps you need will run on it. But I'm tired of computers getting in my way. I lost my spark. I no longer give a fuck enough to read fourteen pages on how to get my video card driver set up properly. It should <b>just work</b>. And it hardly ever does. There's always little gotchas. I'm finding it hard to be away from Linux. I've used it so long, it's all I know anymore. But it's just not fit for public consumption. It's not ready for the desktop, and it never will be. Linux is the Netscape of operating systems. It's a niche player. I think the telling factor is everyone getting excited about anti-aliasing in desktop apps. Didn't every other operating system have this about eight years ago?

09-13-2002, 07:34 AM	#1
vsp Syndrome of a Down Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: West Chester Posts: 1,367	Blocking Gator For some reason, one of my computers is convinced that Gator is its bestest friend. Whenever one of those annoying "Would you like our piece-of-shit program?" pop-ups appears in an IE window, it's not kicking up a yes/no prompt box like other shitware (Precision Time Manager, for instance). Instead, it goes right to the install screens with a "Thanks for clicking YES on the previous screen" message. By now, it's an automatic response -- Task Manager, kill the trickler process, then run Ad-Aware to wipe the stain off my hard drive. But it's annoying that it's auto-executing in the first place, as I know damn well that I've never clicked "yes" to their swill. As far as I can tell, all of my security settings in IE 5.x are as they should be. So what am I missing? (I know... fix #1 == don't run IE. Fix #2 == run a generic pop-up blocker that'll whack all pop-ups, but for various reasons I don't want to do that on this computer. Is there something I can set to SPECIFICALLY block Gator's droppings?)

09-13-2002, 08:16 AM	#2
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	uh, im not too familiar with the gator popup, but i would guess its activex. in ie tools > internet options > security, choose custom security settings for internet zone and set all activex items (the first 5 or 6 options) to either prompt or disabled. ~james

09-13-2002, 10:35 AM	#3
juju no one of consequence Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,839	I had to deal with shit like this on a daily basis when I used windows. This is why I use Debian now. No surprises, and it just works!

09-14-2002, 04:34 PM	#9
dave Guest Posts: n/a	And all that stuff worked first time, no problem. Uh huh.

09-14-2002, 08:33 PM	#11
Tobiasly hot Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Jeffersonville, IN (near Louisville) Posts: 892	vsp, try going to Internet Options -> Content -> Publishers. Is there anything listed there?

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