This reptile is greedy.
Written: Aug 19 '01 (Updated Aug 19 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: None.
Cons: The company behind Gator is greedy.
The Bottom Line: This company is using software that is unethical and shows their greed.
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| BlackCat2's Full Review: Gator |
I tried this product one time because I was in a pay to read email program that gave me money for the sign up and download of Gator.
First off some things I didn't like. The first thing was at the website when I clicked on the download Gator link. I expected to find some more information about Gator including file size and a link to download if I chose to.
Instead it started installing right then and all I saw was a page that informed me I had started the download process. However, I wanted my measly .25 cents and was curious so I let it go.
The download really didn't take long and the install was problem free and easy. However, it was when I started using the program I realized it was of no use to me but was taking up space on my hard drive.
So why was it of no use to me? Simple, I already had things on my PC that did for me what Gator was doing. It was redundant to have Gator also.
Let's take a look at what Gator does to better understand why.
1. Gator remembers passwords so you can quit worrying about remembering them for the sites you need to log into.
Now this was useless to me for two reasons:
A. Windows already remembers my username and passwords for sites I sign up for. If one changes a window pops up and asks me if I would like Windows to remember the new changed password for next time. I always say yes.
B. I write down my username and passwords in one of those hard cover journals with the fancy decorated covers. I have everything in there listed by date joined, site url, username and password.
2. Gator also helps you fill in forms with no typing.
Now this was also useless to me for one reason. Window already does this too. I haven't typed anything to fill in a form except on rare occassions.
When I type anything in a form box I get a drop down list of things I have typed in before. For instance, when I type in 'b' I get a list of everything I typed in starting with b. From there I choose my username of blackcat2.
Also my other information like city, zip, phone and everything else is available in the same fashion. So why would I need Gator to do that for me?
Tip: just a side tip for those that don't know this. I didn't for a long time. When you are needing to enter your State and have a huge drop down menu to chose from, open the drop down window and then press the letter your state begins with on your keyboard.
For me it is T and I press it twice and I am taken right to Texas. Saves me time in scrolling down the list. I am not sure if this works on non-windows systems or with Netscape.
3. Gator lets you compare prices when shopping online.
Okay I really didn't need it for this. I compare prices at other places. Epinions itself being one of those places. So again this was just another feature I had no use for.
4. Gator protects and encrypts data on your computer.
Okay first off I would like to know more of what they mean by that. Secondly I would further like to know why I would need this?
Who is it protecting and encrypting my data from? More importantly what is so serious on my PC that needs protecting and encrypting?
Ooh lets protect and encrypt the list of Doctor appointments for my son, or that recipe I just had to have saved to my hard drive.
Okay forgive the sarcasm but really, what do they think needs protecting on the average users computer??
5. Gator offers OfferCompanion Which delivers special deals and products based on websites you visit.
Okay so in other words you are pushing products on me. To me that is a form of spamming whether or not I agree to it.
But here is the real kick about this particular enhancement. It will cover up the advertising on websites you visit with Gators own selection.
You may be wondering why this is a problem. Well for one thing it is taking money away from the websites some of whom may depend on advertising dollars to keep going.
Let's just use Epinions as an example. With Gator running on your system banner ads that are placed strategically throughout the site can be 'covered up' literally by a banner that Gator has decided you should see based on what websites you visit.
Because they base it on that, they can guarantee for themselves a higher click through rate than typical ads.
However, this is unethical in my mind and it is also greedy which finally explains the title of this review.
They are not only taking ad revenue from big sites but also the little guys like my site which use ad revenue to keep up with operating expenses so we can still provide our free service.
Not to mention the privacy factor. If this technology is basing what ads you see by the sites you visit then you can bet it is recording information about you. I wonder who else sees this information?
For more information on the implications of this technology for websites and site owners you can visit this link:
http://investor.cnet.com/investor/news/newsitem/0-9900-1028-6897620-0.html?tag=ats
Just copy and paste it into your browser. I see this as being very negative for not only the little sites like mine but also other sites you may enjoy like BlueMountain.com, Epinions.com and yes, even Yahoo.com will be affected by this.
~,,,^..^,,,~ BlackCat2
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
BlackCat2
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Member: Heidi Gagne
Location: San Marcos Texas
Reviews written: 363
Trusted by: 216 members
About Me:
*Shake it off and Step Up*
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