Thx for the links

Yeah, I was adding on other shortcomings it has... like taking about 3 minutes to boot up so it can load all of it's stupid ads it likes to display.

I think Tapuak was referring to the fact that "WMP" sends information about the files played with it to Microsoft

Yeah WMP seems to mess up the decoding more than the slight bugs the decoders might actually have in them.

Then get a video player other than Windows Media Player, Real Player and Quick Time, and you're spyware-free.

I guess that's answers the question. Thanks

http://www.divxlight.com
http://www.divx-digest.com/software/xvid.html

As I said, I'm using the official one, so I can't vouch for the alternatives. Try the one I mentioned, and I think Pada or Mole posted a link to another good one a while back (hope someone posts the link again... can't remember it myself).

Please name a 100% compatible divx decoder and I'll install it.

Only the Windows version of DivX includes spyware And if it was differently, there'd still b e spware-free alternatives to the 'official' codec like "DivX " (that's the actual name, don't blame me).

Edited by Mr Creosote at 09:27 on December, 12th 2003

People have made DivX decoders that didn't have any spyware in them.

Don't you even have divx installed? In some caes you have to install spyware knowingly, and then remove it with spyware tools. At least me.

That's only free in the meaning of 'without cost'.

Windows Media Player...

I can be certain, because it's basically impossible to spread free software and include spyware in it. Everybody would immediately notice, and nobody'd use it anymore. If that trust-argument isn't enough for you, there is a simple way: Reading the Makefile.

Spybot can also immunize, to prevent downloads.
But mr Creosote: how can you be certain that you have no spyware without checking the files first?

Since I only use free software (as opposed to freeware) on my computer which is connected to the net (as well as on the network server), it is indeed as simple as saying "I won't install any program that have spyware in it".

I absolutely agree about the firewall by the way. This option doesn't prevent spyware from being installed, but it can prevent the sending of data. Too often overlooked.

Edited by Mr Creosote at 12:42 on November, 24th 2003

The best protection I had for my old computer (which is now dead) was my firewall. If any spyware was able to run and send information over the web without my firewall detecting it was (I hope) killed by ad-aware which I runned everytime once in a while, i.e. when I thought that my connection was running slow.

Personnaly, I don't think common sense is in case here... You remember me posting something about Sierra having a kind of spyware in their own program? That's not as easy as "I won't install any program that have spyware in it"; you don't know what you might get everytime you install everything. You can't even know what you'll get just by surfing on the net...

How do you know what programs others are using?