Yahoo Toolbar
The Yahoo Toolbar is an Add-On for the Windows Explore or Firefox/Mozilla web browsers. It competes with the Google Toobar. The toolbar is installed on the users web browser, and then gives the user quick access to Yahoo's search engine. you can also customize it with other features. The biggest problem with Yahoo's Toolbar is that it is being bundled into all different types of software. So users who install these software applications; then have Yahoo Toolbar installed in IE, Firefox, Opera, ect. What makes this such a problem is that most user never read the Terms of Service that they are forced to "Agree" to before they install the software. Mainly because it is several pages if documents that don't make a lot of sense to the average user. So if the user is never given a chance to Allow or Deny the install of the Toolbar itself; it will be "Force Installed" onto the users computer without their knowledge. Many users have no idea how to uninstall the Toolbar once it is installed; which further causes aggravation to the user. And since the Toolbar is installed not just on 1 browser, but ALL web browsers on that users computer; the user will have to find a way to uninstall it from every browser it is effecting. An every growing number of software is coming bundled with this Toolbar. So a typical user that installs new software a few times a month; runs the chance of having the Toolbar Re-Installed each and every time. This is reminiscent of AOL; where they harassed customers with CD's and bundled their software with as many different types of software applications as possible. Even coming Pre-Installed with new computers. This ultimately failed and AOL lost over 99 Billion dollars in a matter of 1 year. Users eventually got sick of being bombarded with AOL software. So Yahoo risks pushing away customers by using this "Forced Installed" tactic. The Yahoo Toolbar also invades the users web browsing habits. Yahoo states this is to help Yahoo and their Advertisers. So basically Yahoo makes money from invading and selling the users privacy and the user is never given any of that revenue.
God Damn it man! Every week I end up installing something that installs this stupid Yahoo Toolbar onto my computer! I'm sick of uninstalling something I was never even asked to install in the first place! I hope Yahoo ends up just like AOL. Broken, poor and on deaths door!
Yahoo Toolbar by the2ndflood October 5, 2008
