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WeatherBug Upgrades with Search Tool

By David Worthington, BetaNews

June 25, 2004, 1:50 AM

WeatherBug has begun to roll out WeatherBug 6.0 which includes the new WeatherBug Browser Companion. In addition to displaying the current temperature, the Browser Companion docks on top of Internet Explorer windows and features a search function powered by Ask Jeeves. Initially, only 20,000 select users will be given the opportunity to upgrade before the upgrade process is gradually completed before the end of the summer. WeatherBug 6 zeros in on providing users with highly precise local weather conditions in real-time. WeatherBug may be downloaded from FileForum.

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By zhanghenihao

posted Nov 12, 2008 - 3:47 AM

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Score: 0

By PensacolaNetwork

posted Jul 25, 2004 - 1:57 PM

Efforts to convince us that Weather Bug was harmless sounds like a drug dealer convincing us that “crack” is not so bad. It would seem that by the “pitch” thrown that the WeatherBug person is attempting to convince me that the horrendous effect Weather Bug has on every computer I (and many others) have seen to be false.
Consider the source versus all of the bad reputation and problems out there.
More at http://www.pensacolanetwork.com/weatherbug.htm

Score: 0

By tannman1

posted Jul 12, 2004 - 9:39 AM

Okay so you CLAIM your not SPYware, your Adware and it's getting tiresome. I chose to rid of my pc of apps like yours because in my opinion yours and most others of this kind are not apps that supported by an ad or 2 but ad focused apps with a marketing ploy such as the weather to lure users in. Heres what I want and I can bet most others feel the same: Stop turning our PC's into a classified for your clients, if you have a quality product then sell it. If the market will bear your product then youll do well if not se la ve. But dont insult us by claiming to be innocent when it's a well known fact your just another wolf in Sheeps clothes. I can summerize my weather on my homepage or go to weatherchannel.com all without another toolbar (what has this have to do with weatrher anyway) install.

Score: 0

By weatherbugjay

edited Jun 28, 2004 - 4:45 PM

in regards to Black-Wolf's posting, WeatherBug is not spyware or adware. In fact, we are passionately committed to fighting the spread of these technologies because they damage the environment in which we do business.

Our formal spyware policy can be found at: http://www.weatherbug.co...support/faq_spyware.htm
where you can also find free downloads to what we believe are some of the most effective anti-spyware detection programs, as part of our commitment to end spyware. As noted by a previous poster, none of the major spyware detectors list us: not spybot, not AdAware, pest patrol, web washer, spykiller, spysweeper, etc. etc. etc.

We are also a member of COAST (Coalition Against Spyware Technology www.coast-info.org) and are TRUSTe certified.

For the record, spyware tracks websurfing activity and sometimes reads what is on the user’s hard drive. WeatherBug is not capable of tracking your overall web use or deciphering anything on your hard drive. PERIOD. Any software program that is implying or reporting that WeatherBug is 'spyware' or a ‘data-miner’ is COMPLETELY incorrect.

We own the world’s largest weather network and are committed to being the best, most reliable source of live, local weather information for millions of consumers (32 million and growing), thousands of schools, dozens of major businesses, and over 100 television stations.

In fact, you don't even need a valid email address to register- unlike this very betanews forum where I HAD TO HAVE a valid email to click a link to activate- WeatherBug requires no such valid email. The ads on the main weather screen are from sponsors you select and in 6.0 are far less noticeable than previous version.

Please, for those of you posting on this site- while opinions about whether you want a live weather program on your system or whether you think we're the best or like other programs instead, that's great, but it should be tempered with a corresponding commitment to posting truthful comments about our program.

If you have questions, please go to www.weatherbug.com/help or send them directly to me at jay@weatherbug.com

Sincerely,
Jay Hoffman
manager
WeatherBug customer support team

Score: 0

By morbius

edited Jul 2, 2004 - 11:29 AM

http://www.spysweeper.com/remove-spyware.html

Didn't you just say that Spysweeper doesn't list Weatherbug?

I'd be very skeptical of anything that installs "My Search" BHO in Internet Explorer toolbar. I hear rumors though that MS is about to cave in and stop all Active-X based BHO's from installing. Weatherbug will have a happy time with SP2 anyway, even as it is.

Hotbar, WhenU, MyWebSearch, Weatherbug and programs of this ilk will be crying the blues if MS gets smart and stops allowing parasites to invade Internet Explorer. Maybe then the mad dash to Firefox will cease.

There would be nothing more pleasing than to see these spyware oops "Adware" companies go belly up.

If the program is so good, why not sell it? Make your money off the "paid" or "pro version"? Why not? Because there are not enough suckers to buy it in the qunatities needed to support the big salaries and high overheads of the companies that produce these parasites.

There are many other truly free weather programs out there, made by small companies or individuals that are as good as Weatherbug.

You can deny that your software is not spyware until you're blue-in-the-face, but you meet the definition of it according to the Spy-Block Act now pending in the U.S. Senate. Already Hotbar is posting notices that if you live in Utah (which recently passed an anti-spyware law) you're not allowed to download its software; although Hotbar claims vehemently that its software is not spyware rather it is adware. Hmmm....

I see bad things ahead for companies like Weatherbug (which was once a decent and honest program). And good things ahead for the Internet community. People are at last finally realizing that there really isn't such a thing as a free lunch. Hell, even Microsoft has an anti-spyware page!

I have found that the most insidious spyware...ummm sorry "Adware" programs are the ones most vociferous about NOT being spyware. They make very visible statements "We are Not Spyware". Why? You have a very defensive posture if you're truly innocent.

Score: 0

By bigbill

posted Jun 29, 2004 - 12:11 AM

Dude, HOW can you claim that Weatherbug is not adware? That is RIDICULOUS and this type of silly claim only CONFIRMS your deceitful intention and further DAMAGES your credibility.

Weatherbug spawns a LOAD of POPUP ADS from the moment it is installed! Ad, after ad, after POPUP AD!

Like the other guy said... I would rather NOT KNOW the weather than have this garbage on my PC.

Score: 0

By bakura

edited Jun 29, 2004 - 12:44 AM

What program are you running that is giving you so many pop-ups, because I sure don't experience that with WeatherBug 6.02. I even disabled my ad/pop-up blocker and still no pop-ups. There's a banner ad at the bottom of the program and that's it. That's not asking too much for a good free service. Might want to scan your system to see if there's any viruses or spy/adware.

Score: 0

By Black-Wolf

posted Jun 27, 2004 - 3:15 AM

You must be joking me.

After executing the software, you see a lot of ads.

And there's pop-ups!!! You tell me there is no adware or spyware?

Very idiotic if this software is not an adware or spyware infested.

Score: 0

By ecvogel

posted Jun 25, 2004 - 4:26 PM

Try running ad-aware and spybot, none found. http://www.weatherbug.com/aws/notSpyware.html

Why go to NOHAA or anywhere else with it on your desktop? Try The Weather Channels also. I like the Thunder noise, and it flashing red hard to miss a t-storm or tornado warning. WB just makes some wierd bug noise that could mean a change in temp..

Score: 0

By bakura

edited Jun 26, 2004 - 5:00 AM

I really like WeatherBug, but I am extremely disappointed that they have chosen to force the toolbar installation this time. I did a clean install of 6.0 and uninstalled the toolbar via Add/Remove Programs. I ran Ad-aware 6 and it didn't report anything on WeatherBug.

If you want the ads blocked, try Ad Muncher which works great in several browsers too.

WeatherBug 6.0 is a great weather program that does what it claims. They just need to learn better installer practices.

Score: 0

By Kamakzie

posted Jun 25, 2004 - 6:46 PM

Thanks for the advice I uninstalled weatherbug and installed the weather.com application. Does it alert you to watches as well?

Score: 0

By wormeyman

posted Jun 25, 2004 - 3:38 AM

Now with more intrusive ads!!!

just use http://www.noaa.gov

Score: 0

By maxxpilot

posted Jun 25, 2004 - 2:21 PM

Maybe it should be called AdBug instead of WeatherBug.

I would rather not know the weather than have this POS on my computer.

Score: 0

By sflorack

posted Jun 27, 2004 - 2:22 PM

There is an awesome freeware weather program called WeatherWatcher that I've used for about a year now. Give it a try at: www.singerscreations.com

Score: 0

By weatherbugjay

posted Jun 29, 2004 - 12:57 PM

if your definition of adware is any program that serves ads, then yes, we're adware- as is hotmail, yahoo mail AOL instant messenger, etc.

but according to sites like Symantec, makes of Norton, adware is not simply a program that serves ads or we'd have adware/spyware detectors calling HOtmail "adware" a million times a day- hey, this very site has ads on it- I'm seeing a big "cupid junction" dating ad right next to this box as I type. http://securityresponse....nded_threats/index.html

If you go by the very broad definition of adware then that is your call. But the spyware allegation is 100% false no matter what definition you go by.

As for the ads- we serve a MAXIMUM of 4 pop-unders per 24 hour period- 1 when you first maximize the main screen and 1 when you minimize and if you run the program 24/7 you may get 2 more over the next 24 hours depending on when you click (we don't randomly serve them, it would only be when you maximize the main screen). And we specifically allow our ads to be blocked by most major pop-up blockers.

As always, feel free to check out more in at www.weatherbug.com/help our FAQ, or write me directly at jay@weatherbug.com

Thanks
Jay Hoffman
customer support team manager
WeatherBug

Score: 0

By Oldendick

edited Dec 1, 2004 - 9:54 AM

Anything that causes undesired installs, asks you to pick an advertiser...and has gotten more than a dozen people fired in 1 year because it just "INSTALLED BY ITSELF"....

! IS JUNK !

Weatherbug should be made a "paid-for" product with no FREE TRIAL. that would end all this nonsense about needing ADVERTISEMENTS in a friggin WEATHER program.

Weatherbug is junk....
----

just a note...I just cleaned a machine with ad-aware that had weatherbug on it...and weatherbug was removed.

Score: 0

By Kompressor

posted Oct 22, 2004 - 5:56 PM

Apparently scum cannot see scum. And to state the obvious, the people at WeatherBug are scum. Look at them try to justify putting adware on our systems. Amazing.

Score: 0

By morbius

posted Sep 26, 2004 - 11:43 AM

You're an optimist if nothing else. You send your wolves out on witch hunts, searching for every reference to WeatherBug as spyware or adware. You make claims you cannot substantiate and claim that those who insist WeatherBug is adware are using the "broader" definition of Adware.

Currently, WeatherBug installs "MySearch" (AKA MyWebSearch) a wonderful search engine hijacker from none other than the fine folks at FunWebProducts. Whether or not "MySearch" (MyWebSearch) is spyware is a matter of definition. It is listed as such on many Web sites. Additionally, MySearch/MyWebSearch is removed by Spybot, Ad-Aware, and Spy Sweeper (among others). Therefore, using your own words against you, if Spybot, Ad-Aware, and Spy Sweeper remove MySearch, then it must be spyware eh? And, here's what WeatherBug's Web site says about the third party applications they install:

"We require any software that is integrated with WeatherBug, including the WeatherBug Browser Companion powered by My Search, to be spyware- and adware-free, too."

This is a blatant lie. You know it is. Prove that MySearch is not adware or spyware. Do you use MySearch/MyWebSearch on your computer? Do you condone applications that remove your ability to choose your own default search engine? Do you approve of home page and/or search engine hijackers.

WeatherBug's intent is to lull the potential user into thinking it and the applications that install with it are harmless, benign, helpful things we all should have.

Personally, I think you and your cronies would be better served by spending your time cleaning up your own house rather than scouring the Web looking for references to WeatherBug as spyware/adware and trying to clean the houses of others with your detritus, lies, and half-truths.

There is a time when reputation must come before money. If you sell your soul to the devil, don't blame everyone else for your choice.

WeatherBug's reputation continues to sink because of the lies, deceptions, and the company you keep. You and your minions should use your time more wisely. Defending the indefensible is surely an illogical and fruitless pursuit.

Score: 0

By Gail C.

posted Jul 8, 2004 - 2:46 PM

I originally had Weatherbug Version 5 over a year ago, then subscribed to WeatherbugPro for the last year. I love it and it is EXTREMELY accurate. Yes, the original free version has a couple of ads on it, but so do the home pages for aol and msn as well as yahoo, etc. The changable skins are great, and living in the northern US with the horrendous winters we get, we need an accurate weather predictor. Our city has one of the largest snowfall amounts in the country. We get wicked lake effect snow, and without the weatherbug alerting us to these sudden lake effect events, I don't know what we would have done! I have now renewed my subscription and gotten upgraded to Version 6 which is WeatherbugPlus. Subscribing to the paid version gives you a choice of whether you want the toolbar or not, which I did not as it conflicts with my other favorite toolbar. When I did have the FREE version, I used the toolbar for a long time, but then easily uninstalled it by going to the control panel and just clicking "remove". We love the Weatherbug; not just myself, but my husband and son as well. I tried the Weather Channel weather predictor, but I had terrible problems with it, even after uninstalling and reinstalling it. I must have done that 3 times. I waited a year and recently did it, and there was no change. It always freezes, and some of the weather info is blank.

Score: 0

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