Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 27

Thread: Petition to remove TeaTimer from default installation.

  1. #1
    Member GT500's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Indiana, USA
    Posts
    70

    Default Petition to remove TeaTimer from default installation.

    While I am affiliated with Malwarebytes, please note that this is a personal request based on the various users who I've had to walk through cleanup, and that it is not a request from Malwarebytes Corporation. I don't want anyone to think that Malwarebytes has an issue with Safer networking or their software.

    Also note that I was one of the people who beta tested Spybot S&D's immunize features for Opera back when those were first in beta. Back then I made it clear that the feature was not ready, but no one listened to me and the new version with the new immunize features were released anyway. That is one of the reasons why I moved on from Safer Networking, and why I got involved with Malwarebytes. While I expect this request to get the same attention as my warnings about the issues with Opera support in the immunize beta tests, when I have a problem with a software I like, I am the type who does not hesitate to make that issue know, even when I know that no one will listen to me.

    As a technical support representative, I get to see a decent number of people with infected computers (just as some of you here do). What always bothers me is when someone has Spybot Search & Destroy installed, and didn't know to uncheck TeaTimer during the install, because usually when I see TeaTimer installed the anti-malware software that they were using could have cleaned up their system, but they had no clue how to answer the prompts from TeaTimer during removal, and it wound up preventing the malware from being removed.

    In my experience as a technician and a tech support rep, there are (for the most part) two types of average users. Those who always click yes, and those who always click no. Since TeaTimer makes the user decide what should be done, it cannot protect someone who has a tendency to always click yes, and on the flip side someone who always clicks no will never be able to install new software, remove malware, or remove bad startup entries.

    Of course, there are users who try to read the prompts, and try to select the correct action, but how can they be expected to select the correct thing? "Do you want to allow some file to create some registry entry" is never going to be answered correctly by the average user. They don't know the file names of the programs they use and install, and they certainly don't know anything about registry entries. For these people, TeaTimer is going to cause them far more problems than it will prevent.

    TeaTimer is a great tool for security experts, IT admins, and even higher-level techs who know what they are doing. They are the type who love to have that kind of info available. The average user will never use TeaTimer right, and it is my belief that having TeaTimer as a default option in the installer is a very bad idea, and is causing more harm than good.
    For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, and against the worldly governors, the princes of the darkness of this world...

  2. #2
    Spybot Advisor Team Zenobia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    5,483

    Default

    Teatimer autodecides on a lot of decisions now,so less techy users should not have as much of a problem with it.
    A bit about it here,though you have to really look for the part about tt:
    http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=30443

    I remember also that tt was not checked by default when Spybot was being installed on older versions,though I can't remember for sure or not whether that is the case with the newer version.

  3. #3
    Spybot Advisor Team Zenobia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    5,483

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pepiMK
    And TeaTimer in Spybot-S&D 1.6 will auto-decide on many popups based on them

    .........

  4. #4
    Member GT500's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Indiana, USA
    Posts
    70

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Zenobia View Post
    I remember also that tt was not checked by default when Spybot was being installed on older versions,though I can't remember for sure or not whether that is the case with the newer version.
    If I remember correctly, it became default in one of the more recent versions. Not sure if it was 1.5.2 or 1.6...
    For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, and against the worldly governors, the princes of the darkness of this world...

  5. #5
    Member of Team Spybot PepiMK's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Planet Earth
    Posts
    3,601

    Default

    This is a list of nearly half a million decisions TeaTimer will make for the user. Nearly the same amount still awaits help regarding rating, which means about half of decisions should be automated.
    Any suggestions on how to get people participate in that rating would be very welcome, we're all not really the publicity/advertising guys

    But I think I've written elsewhere that the user-decision-on-unknown will be an optional thing in 2.0. Every monitoring module in there has a flag that could be toggled between the two, though I think it will just be an all or nathing decision, with nothing (only reporting bad items) being default.

    As for Opera, there will probably never would have been "the time" to start immunizing, since every file format change may break compatibility.

    (any objection on moving this to the beta part? 1.6.1 is closed, so this affects 2.0, even if it isnt "TeaTimer" at all there, but a completely new on-access instead of near-time part)
    Last edited by PepiMK; 2009-01-24 at 23:12.
    Just remember, love is life, and hate is living death.
    Treat your life for what it's worth, and live for every breath
    (Black Sabbath: A National Acrobat)

  6. #6
    Member GT500's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Indiana, USA
    Posts
    70

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by PepiMK View Post
    (any objection on moving this to the beta part? 1.6.1 is closed, so this affects 2.0, even if it isnt "TeaTimer" at all there, but a completely new on-access instead of near-time part)
    None at all. I actually tried to start this thread in the beta section, and didn't have access (shows you how long it's been since I've beta tested here).

    Also note that while TeaTimer has come a long way, it's still not ready for the average user's computer. I know people who, even though they know better, still wind up answering the TeaTimer questions wrong. It's not ready for the average user until it doesn't ask questions at all.
    For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, and against the worldly governors, the princes of the darkness of this world...

  7. #7
    Senior Member honda12's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    682

    Default

    Well, you could have a rating system a bit like WOT (Web of Trust) on each dialog, but the consequences for a mis-rated entry would be far more dear. In this case, I would agree that we want quality over quantity. I do actually agree with GT500, Teatimer is great for 'us' techies and has improved a whole great deal, but I do regularly see people clicking the wrong option.

    The Teatimer module in v2.0 that PepiMK describes sounds great

  8. #8
    Senior Member djpailo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    126

    Default

    Part of me agrees with you, but I got bored of all the popups so I just disabled it.

  9. #9
    Member of Team Spybot PepiMK's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Planet Earth
    Posts
    3,601

    Default

    Well, I was tempted to port that switch to decide which actions to cover back to 1.6, but the new release was just too close and testing of the various browser things difficult enough.

    Will hurry up on the 2.0 road though
    Just remember, love is life, and hate is living death.
    Treat your life for what it's worth, and live for every breath
    (Black Sabbath: A National Acrobat)

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    78

    Default

    I agree, TeaTimer needs the user to have background information to know how to answer to those alerts. It's like a HIPS.

    Perhaps, the solution could be to turn TeaTimer into a smart and strong behavior blocker?

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •