Spam or Not.

[Paul Komski]

Separate thread because of separate issue.

The 64bit processor post points to here (D:\Documents and Settings\Desktop\Athlon64 3200+ 32-64-bit Processor Review - PCStats_com.htm)

Now has anyone noticed these intellitxt popups on the double-underlined entries. This has started up on other sites such as experts-exchange and no doubt will be a growing trend.

This form of pop-up dialogs can be useful (for example for defining glossary terms or some misc information).

But .... Is this SPAM OR ADWARE or isn't it??

BTW on EE it only happens with IE; not with other browsers.

[rond36]

"Is this SPAM OR ADWARE or isn't it??"

I don't feel they are SPAM OR ADWARE because you have a choice on whether to click on them or not and they give a balloon description of the item before you click. I would much rather have them than pop-ups without a choice of whether or not they are to be viewed. I feel that they are no different than any other advertisement but even less intrusive.


BTW your link is dead.

[Budfred]

I tried the link from IE on my work computer and couldn't get through. When this happened, I suspected that it involved some type material on the site that was being blocked by the network at work which is designed to block a number of different types of offensive materials. If this is true, it would support that it is more likely SPAM and possibly malicious.

[rond36]

Your link points to a file on your local drive D

http://d:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Desktop/Athlon64%203200+%2032-64-

[Paul Komski]

Sorry - I copied the link by mistake from the downloaded page, since I wanted to analyse its files. It should have been http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1469&page=1 of course.

There's little doubt IMHO that it is adware used like this but I agree that it is unobtrusive. It is also possible to turn it on and off via a cookie so that subscribers wouldnt have to see them.

I haven't seen any malicious ones, though clicking on the links in the dialog boxes could obviously take one anywhere. The details are all to be found in an associated downloaded liveintellitxt.asp file for those that want to analyse the details.

Perhaps Charles should consider using them on this site to boost revenues??

[Budfred]

I just checked that site from home and had no trouble getting it, even with cookies blocked. On IE at work there are no cookie blockers at all, but there are filters for the system as a whole and some websites will simply not open. This site seemed to just keep trying to load and never did time out on IE at work, but it loads quickly on Netscape at home....

[Paul Komski]

It's not a question of the pages not loading. It is whether the relevant words popup the dialog when there is a mouse-over the word, which if enabled will have a double underline.

At the very start of the above link the AMD in "AMD Athlon64 3200+ 32/64-bit Processor Review" is such an enabled word - if your settings permit it.

The words laptop and USB are similarly treated in
"Problem since I updated to a new notebook (laptop) with no serial ports, just USB" at the start of the post at http://www.experts-exchange.com/Hardware/New_Users/Q_20718276.html as another example.

[Reid]

I use AdSubtract to reject the clutter on pages like that.