It seems that download.com has decided to start making all their downloads use their own installer, which seems to come with an optional toolbar that gets installed by default, and optional homepage/search changes (Also set by default), unless you, of course uncheck them.

Why are they doing this you might wonder. Well according to their FAQ they are doing it to: “ensure a safe and improved download experience by making it easier for Download.com users to complete downloads and launch the software’s installer”. I don’t see how this would make this easier, the installers shipped with the software are usually just fine. And by the looks of it they are wrapping the actual installer, so you’ll have an installer that installs an installer that installs your software, yep brilliant.

Also, it seems that if you as a developer don’t want CNET to wrap your installer you have to get a premium subscription: “Yes. If you would like to opt out of the CNET Download.com Installer you can sign up for a Premium subscription or PPD promotion, both of which are being excluded at this time”. Which boils down to “We make a shitty wrapper around your software and if you don’t like it you can pay us to remove it”.

I’ve used download.com in the past, but with these kinds of shenanigans I highly doubt I’d want to use their service ever again, let’s hope they realize their mistake before everyone turns their back to them.

Further reading:

~Xeross