OpenDNS is hijacking Google requests (For what they claim is a good reason) | Hacker News Reader

OpenDNS is hijacking Google requests (For what they claim is a good reason)

blog.opendns.com

67 pointse1ven24 comments

This headline is misleading, you should have written a blog post reacting to the OpenDNS post not insert your opinion into the real news story; Google and Dell redirect your typo's to a page that shows nothing but ads where people are most likely to look and click.

OpenDNS becomes users DNS when they or those in charge of their network choose to use them. The results you are presented and ads are the same you would see on Google.com search engine results pages (SERP's).

Why the negativity - it's not hijacking if you open the door and invite someone to drive your car nor is it hijacking if you use OpenDNS and they help provide a better experience with typos.

The problem is the preinstalled software that is also difficult to uninstall. It is DNS requests hijaking. By the way, some people are concerned about privacy. Don't you think it should be their choice to use google bar & dns request smartness or not ?

If Dell would provide a first time loging dialog asking the user if he want to use google toolbar with this and this benefit it would be a much different situation.

Whatever openDNS is doing, it doesn't make Google and Dell right. Users should not have to live with built-in advertisement in their laptop. I don't think it matters how easy it is to uninstall, it's still wrong. I would even get rid of logos on monitors and lids: this is a computer, not a t-shirt.

I knew I wasn't the only one who hates those stickers.

OK, look, I'm going to try and reply to this in the politest possible way, but sometimes I find that difficult when faced with statements like this.

I really don't understand where people get off preaching about other people's business decisions. In what way is Dell installing whatever software they like, on a computer they build and sell, "wrong"?

What law of nature states that computers shouldn't have logos on them? The non-t-shirt-turing-machine-no-logo law? I haven't heard of that one.

OK, I'm done now. I'm perfectly happy that you make aesthetic and technical decisions about software and hardware, but don't go calling people who engage in voluntary trade "wrong", or telling them what they should or shouldn't do.

Just Don't Buy It.

Some things are wrong even though they're not illegal. And it's only natural to get angry about such things even if you aren't the one who's affected.

Well it may be natural to feel that way, but it sure ain't rational.

Why isn't it rational to fight wrongs that don't affect you personally?

After reading the story, I'm aghast that some people here are more upset about OpenDNS than Google/Dell. What OpenDNS is doing seems MUCH more in line with what a user would expect.

Why are we bubbling up a year-old story?

Because I read about it on Gruber's page, and thought it was worth sharing. Rather than submit to his page, I thought it would be more helpful to post the original link.

http://daringfireball.net/linked/2008/march#thu-13-opendns

I apologize for using an over inflamatory tone in my link title. I had tried to temper it with the explanation that they claim to have a good reason, but I see that this wasn't as effective as I intended.

How can I get permission to mod down this submission?

Google's "Do No Evil" motto has apparently jumped the shark...

Google already jumped the shark in China:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_by_Google#China

http://twitter.com/mike9r/statuses/771290476

Doesn't look hard to uninstall to me, and I'd say for the average user when they type something in the address bar, they meant to type it into google.

Seems like OpenDNS is fighting fire with more fire.

This is their BUSINESS MODEL for crying out load. If you don't like it then use another DNS server. It is like complaining about Google serving Adds.

Seconded! People get dang picky about the price they pay for free services.

This pays for the free services they provide: a) faster, more reliable DNS lookup, b) automatic phishing protection, c) optional content filtering (both blacklist and whitelist, and d) fine-grained control over lots of network preferences.

Great podcast interview with the CEO over at http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail3550.html . It's about an hour but it's a great listen.

This isn't any worse than the crapware that we already get forced into having pre-installed on any new PC we buy. Not that that makes it ok mind you.

What OpenDNS is doing is far more pernicious than what Dell did. You can remove Dell's software and still use your computer. If you're making the mistake of relying on OpenDNS, there's little you can do to avoid their proxy.

You'd want to say this is a horrible precedent, but it's not unprecedented --- it's exactly what Verisign tried to pull on us a few years back.

You can change the DNSs too. At least you can choose to use OpenDNS or not in the first place.

You can choose to buy Dell or not in the first place as well. (And if you say that people can have Dell products forced upon them by their company, well, they can have OpenDNS forced upon them by their network administrator as well.)

I bet when you visit dell.com, you're 2 clicks away from reading in plain English about all the crap they install on your computer.

Yes, it is a question of opt-in versus opt-out and the difficulty of making those actions.

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