The shareware and registered free trial versions of Ashampoo WinOptimizer Platinum Suite are financed with advertising banners displayed at the bottom of the file manager screen. However, this is done without any of the adware software that is now receiving increasing public criticism. Unlike other advertising-financed software, this program:
· | Doesn't go online in the background.
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· | Doesn't collect any information about you or your computer.
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· | Only contacts OUR website to download selected advertising banners.
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· | Only goes online when you tell it to.
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· | Lets you select the banners you want to see.
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The spyware and E.T. program controversy:
Recently, the adware modules that display advertising banners in many shareware applications have been the object of growing criticism. These modules are accused of being "spyware" and "E.T. programs" - i.e. programs that collect information on your machine and then "phone home" when you go online, transferring the data to unknown advertisers or other information collectors.
Many people are justly concerned about this. If an adware program goes online in the background you have no way of knowing what it's doing, what information it's collecting on your machine and where it's sending it. This is a security hazard and it makes sense to avoid it.
We have now implemented our own banner advertising system. Since we programmed it ourselves from start to finish without any outside help we are 100% positive that it's completely transparent and doesn't do anything that you don't know about.
How the Ashmapoo banner system works:
Ashampoo WinOptimizer Platinum Suite comes with a small package of banners that are saved on your hard disk in their own folder. After you have tested WinOptimizer Platinum Suite for 14 days a message will be displayed every time you start the program, asking you if you want to go online and download new banners. When you download and install the new banners the message will stop appearing for another 14 days.
What happens when you download the banners:
If you click on "Yes" the program will then dial your Internet connection (if you aren't already online), start your Internet browser and take you to the banner download page at the Ashampoo website. Here you will be able to choose the type of banners you want to see (topics, companies etc.), and you may also be presented with other options. When you have made your selections the banners will be downloaded in a self-installing EXE file. After you complete the download you must start the EXE file to install the new banners. The old banners are deleted automatically during this process. (If you don't install the new banners the nag message asking you to download new banners will still be displayed.)
That's it. Nothing else. No information of any kind is transferred in either direction. All you do is download the selected banners and install them yourself.
What happens if you don't download the banners:
Nothing. Well, almost nothing. If you don't download the new banners everything stays the way it was, with one small difference: Until you download the next package of banners the message asking you to perform the download will be displayed every time you start the program. This little "nag screen" is our subtle way of encouraging you to support our programmers by either downloading the banners or buying the program. Each new package of advertising banners suppresses the nag screen for another 14 days.
Three ways to use the program:
There are three different ways you can use this program:
1. Restricted shareware
This is the "traditional" method. When you download the program it has certain functional restrictions compared to the full version. To get rid of these restrictions you must either obtain an unlimited free trial key or buy the program. The advertising banners described above are installed and displayed with the restricted shareware version.
2. Full free trial version
When you register your shareware version (select Get Free Trial Key in the Internet menu of any module) and subscribe our free user newsletter (you can cancel this subscription at any time) you will be sent a free trial key by e-mail that will "unlock" the program so that you can test it without any restrictions and free of charge for 30 days. The advertising banners will also be deactivated for the full duration of the 30-day trial, so that you can test the program exactly as it will be if you purchase it.
3. Purchase the full version
If you decide that you like the program and wish to use it you can elect to purchase it, just as you would with ordinary shareware. Just select Buy Now in the Internet menu and follow the instructions displayed. As soon as your purchase is processed you will be sent a full version key by e-mail that will unlock the program and disable the advertising.
Summary:
In developing this new solution we believe we have successfully eliminated all the problems that have lead to justified user concerns over adware programs. The new Ashampoo advertising banner system is completely transparent:
· | You decide whether or not you want to go online.
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· | You choose the banners you want to download.
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· | When you go online you see what's happening. It's an open download, with no hidden background processes.
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· | You only contact the Ashampoo website. And since you go online with your normal Internet browser you can see that that's true.
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· | If you don't want to download any banners that's okay. Then you just see a brief reminder every time you start the program.
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And if you get sick of seeing the banners or the reminders you can just buy the program - believe us, we don't mind at all if you do!
Yours sincerely,
The Ashampoo Team