Comment by lnl | Hacker News Reader

Comment by lnl | Hacker News Reader

I find it interesting that ads are considered acceptable and commonplace in Android and to a slightly lesser extent iOS apps; but on desktop they are seen as almost malware.

To be clear, I also avoid it when I can, and most of the time ad-free or open-source alternatives are available (in this case I have been using WinSCP). I dislike the mobile app ecosystem with its plethora of garbage, privacy invading apps; and I am glad that desktop apps usually aren't like that. But if a program is much better than its alternatives and the ads are not too annoying, I guess I don't mind supporting its development via ads. Being a poor person from a poor country, I couldn't afford purchasing the program or donating to it, so ads sound like one way of supporting a program I like so much (though my ad views are probably worthless for the same reason).

The only adware program I actually have is PotPlayer (the only thing that comes close is KMPlayer, which I used before; but it's originally built by the same developer and added ads even earlier). I think a few other programs I use had adware-bundled installers (e.g. JDownloader, CDisplayEx,...) but I had found adware-free installers. Even in the case of PotPlayer, it doesn't show ads, just an empty window (maybe again because I am in a poor country?) so I blocked the empty "ads" via hosts file. What's the point of annoying myself if that's not even supporting the developer? But if PotPlayer actually showed ads to me; assuming it didn't upload my private data and no comparable open-source/ad-free program emerged, I feel like I should be fine with it rarely showing some ads in the corner.

> I find it interesting that ads are considered acceptable and commonplace in Android and to a slightly lesser extent iOS apps; but on desktop they are seen as almost malware.

Totally different beast. The Android and iOS variety are embedded in the App. On Windows they are almost always a third party application installed separately with it's own uninstaller and granted near admin rights to the machine.

It's the difference between inviting your friend over to your home and him showing up wearing a Nike shirt, or showing up with a dude you've never met who is spinning a sign. He can roam about your house without your knowledge and doesn't leave when your friend does.

Usually Android ads are embedded in the apps. Close the app and the ad goes away. Uninstall the app and you won't see its ads again. Just including ads in an application doesn't make it adware.

Adware infects the whole system, displaying popups and installing unwanted extensions in your web browser that follow you around. If FileZilla wants to include ads in the actual app that's one thing, but that's not what people are taking issue with.

The well was so badly poisoned by malware in the late 90s/early 2000s that anyone who was active in that era has a visceral reaction to the idea of bundled shitware or ads in desktop software.

You haven't lived until you've had to repeatedly clean out forty-five different search toolbars that your clueless relative managed to install alongside Adobe Acrobat...

Here's an example :) https://content.spiceworksstatic.com/service.community/p/how...

I suspect there are various reasons why advertising is accepted on mobile platforms and not on desktop operating systems.

One could simply be a difference in the user base. I am fairly certain those who object to advertising on desktop operating systems also object to it on mobile platforms, but there is a large number of people who use mobile devices who rarely use traditional computers.

Another difference is intended use. Mobile devices are largely intended for media consumption, much as televisions, broadcast radio receivers, and newspapers/magazines. These are markets where advertising has been accepted for decades. Traditional computers are more likely to be used for productivity, where advertising has never been widely accepted.

There is also the nature of the software itself. Software on mobile devices have a lower perceived value since it offers less value (at least in terms of features). The publishers of the software desire some means of generating revenue, so consumers have not been left with much of an option.

One reason I’m opposed to adware on desktop is because it often leaks into the entire computer. If I install FileZilla and is has ads only in the application, I would probably consider that acceptable.

But instead, ads show up in my web browser, pop up from the systray, add themselves as shortcuts in my file manager, etc. It’s the definition of malware.

I use iOS which is mostly immune to this, but I know showing notification ads on Android while the app is closed is met with the same amount of criticism.

How are notification ads even a thing? Showing ads whilst I am trying to use the app is bad enough (particularly these full-screen ones that you can dismiss if you tap the tiny black cross on a grey background that shows up after 10 seconds), but actually interrupting me with a notification when I’m doing something entirely unrelated is a whole other level. I’m glad I never came across one of those.

> One reason I’m opposed to adware on desktop is because it often leaks into the entire computer.

That's a valid point.

> I know showing notification ads on Android while the app is closed is met with the same amount of criticism.

Is that even a thing these days? I seem to recall Google making changes to the notification system a few releases back that should have addressed that. Then again, I usually stick to apps distributed via F-Droid so I don't know what the typical user has to deal with.

This isn't an image display ad; it's straight up browser-hijacker malware, new search tab replacement, URLs-you-enter redirector, entering your bank URL might not go to your bank type of shit.

Unremovable and hidden also.

To be clear, I don't consider ads "acceptable" on my phone, either. If I download an application and there are ads, there's a high likelihood I'll either block the ads or - if that proves impossible - I'll uninstall the app entirely.

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