Search /
Docfinder:
Advanced search  |  Help  |  Site map
RESEARCH CENTERS
SITE RESOURCES
Click for Layer 8! No, really, click NOW!
Networking for Small Business
TODAY'S NEWS
iPhone 5 rumor rollup for the week ending Feb. 10
Forget Public Cloud or Private Cloud, It's All About Hyper-Hybrid
Apple passes HP as largest tech company
How to get the IRS' attention: Forge nearly $8 million in tax returns, steal identities
Much of Western U.S. is a 3G wasteland, says FCC
How the Phoenix Suns basketball team takes on social media attacks
Microsoft details Windows 8 for ARM devices
Resume Makeover: How an Information Security Professional Can Target CSO Jobs
Blogger exposes major Google Wallet security flaw
Web app lets enterprise set security, sharing for Google Apps users
Cloudscaling to offer OpenStack private cloud platform
Macs take on the enterprise
Valentine's Day Patch Tuesday: Microsoft to issue 9 patches, 4 critical
Mobile World Congress sneak peek: Quad-core smartphones, Ice Cream Sandwich & more
/

Compendium /

He won't allow RealPlayer on his network

Related linksToday's breaking news
Send to a friendFeedback


Network World Fusion 05/07/04

Mike McBridge reads a review of the newest version of the free RealPlayer and concludes:

"Looks like it'll stay on the 'no' list on our work network. "

The review, from Spyware Info, is titled Real Bad Software and focuses on the spyware-ish attributes of the player:

"... For one thing, by default, there are 4 different 'contact me about stuff' options checked. Immediately after it finished installation, my firewall popped up four different times to tell me it was accessing the internet. I decided to log every firewall access to see what would happen. After an hour of playing music, the firewall logged an astounding 2,500 distinct internet accesses, and this was after I had gone through the options and disabled all of the 'phone home' options. ..."

The author also reads the whole EULA, and finds a section that lets Real install additional software without your permission.

Back to Compendium

Comments

I agree 100%. I have been suspicious of RealPlayer for some time, and now that I've read this article, I'm going to institute the same policy in our company.

Posted by: Terri on May 8, 2004 09:16 PM

I've been calling RealPlayer a virus (only half tongue-in-cheek) for years. It's rude, it's intrusive, and it installs spy-like ancillaries.

If it looks like a duck...

Posted by: Dave on May 8, 2004 09:24 PM

Posted by Dave at May 8, 2004 09:24 PM
Quote "If it looks like a duck..."

Shoot it!

I'm more of a home user, and i have never liked Real Player either, because of the low quality sound and video but i have perfect quality with the WMP. And it puts WAY more Overhead on the OS then what it needs. I think either they should Re-code the player, or everyone just boycotts it.. Well next class is starting. Sorry i couldnt finish this.

Posted by: Silent Killa on May 10, 2004 12:24 PM

Try MediaPlayer Classic or Real Alternative.

Posted by: hey on May 11, 2004 09:38 AM

Post a comment

Name:


E-mail address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember info?




NWFusion offers more than 40 FREE technology-specific email newsletters in key network technology areas such as NSM, VPNs, Convergence, Security and more.
Click here to sign up!
New Event - WANs: Optimizing Your Network Now.
Hear from the experts about the innovations that are already starting to shake up the WAN world. Free Network World Technology Tour and Expo in Dallas, San Francisco, Washington DC, and New York.
Attend FREE
Your FREE Network World subscription will also include breaking news and information on wireless, storage, infrastructure, carriers and SPs, enterprise applications, videoconferencing, plus product reviews, technology insiders, management surveys and technology updates - GET IT NOW.