
OpenDNS is hijacking Google requests (For what they claim is a good reason) - e1ven
http://blog.opendns.com/2007/05/22/google-turns-the-page/
======
merrick33
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.

~~~
chmike
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.

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matstc
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.

~~~
benl
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.

~~~
mdemare
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.

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

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

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pchristensen
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.

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jbyers
Why are we bubbling up a year-old story?

~~~
e1ven
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.

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mleonhard
How can I get permission to mod down this submission?

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

~~~
tobiazz
Google already jumped the shark in China:

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

------
PStamatiou
<http://twitter.com/mike9r/statuses/771290476>

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axod
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.

------
bstadil
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.

~~~
pchristensen
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.

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TrevorJ
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.

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tptacek
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.

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

~~~
derefr
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.)

~~~
muszek
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.

