DoubleTwist / Whitesmoke Toolbar bundle (annoyed)

I wanted to set up Doubletwist to use to get my iTunes music over to my Android phone. I’d done this a year or so back, but have since gotten a new laptop.

So I downloaded it, did a virus scan, and started the install. And it wanted to install Whitesmoke Toolbar as well. Ruh-roh, I know better than to do any kind of toolbar, especially one I never heard of.

Some googling suggests that this toolbar is intrusive at best, and a great way to get malware. So I did the right thing by saying “no thanks”. I didn’t even do the install without the toolbar (a “not recommend” “custom option”).

Anyone else do a recent install of Doubletwist, omitting the toolbar crap, and live to tell about it? Unfortunately there’s no easy way to get in touch with the Doubletwist people (I found a forum, but that required some unusual steps to be able to post a question).

It’s annoying. I’d gladly pay for the Doubletwist software but the paid version has features I really don’t need, and I’d be leery of trusting it anyway if they’re trying to force crapware with the download.

Welcome to the World Of…Uh, everything. Java comes with a “free toolbar”, AVG comes with a “Free Toolbar”, Flash comes with a “free toolbar”, everything comes with a “free toolbar.” It’s how they keep their apps free. I’ve never seen a case where the installation of the toolbar has anything to do with the running of the app itself.

No need to be shocked or alarmed - you did the right thing. Always do a “custom install” so you don’t end up with any “free toolbars” and go about using the software you originally intended to install. If you’d like to donate to the software makers, I’m sure there’s a way to do so on their site without paying for a full version.