Years ago, I came to the conclusion that bundled software ? those applications that piggyback alongside the applications you're actually trying to install ?�are the spawn of the devil. They often trick users into installing software they don't want (they're the reason millions of people installed WeatherBug years ago when they really didn't mean to). So when I first heard about OpenCandy, a startup that actually facilitates the distribution of bundled software, my initial reaction was, "Yech".
"No, we're the good guys!" they said, explaining that they were only distributing high quality software, and that users would always have to opt-into downloading a piggybacking app, which meant that there wasn't a chance that they'd accidentally install something. And I warmed up to them, watching as they worked with a number of respectable companies and eventually closed a $5 million funding round from Google Ventures. Alas, it seems that they're trading in their halo for a bigger market.
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