Re: RealPlayer real safe?

I can tell you my experience w/Real. I have ZoneAlarm Pro on pc,
and have installed RealNetwork, but I have set ZoneAlarm to question me
anytime Real trying to communicate (I get a pop-up with question to approve
or deny.
If I'm not using Real & it asks, I deny it. It's not always easy to view a
webcast,
but I have some control over it. Whether they can get around that I do not
know.
I also have another product Spybot-SD and it pops up for any registery
changes.
Real will change the registery on every boot up, and I allow it, but have no
idea
what it is doing.
jim
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan" <dan27649@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "PC Technical Discussion for iSeries Users" <pctech@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 12:31 PM
Subject: [PCTECH] RealPlayer real safe?


> Am torn about whether to install RealNetwork's RealPlayer.  Ziff-Davis
> has an eSeminar coming up that I'd like to attend, and it requires
> RealPlayer.  I seem to recall from eons ago that RealNetworks really
> likes to take control of your PC, or acquire your permission to let it
> act like spyware.
>
> I am reading the EULA.  Paragraphs 6 (FIREWALL CONFIGURATION) and 7
> (AUTOMATIC COMMUNICATIONS FEATURES) concern me.  They are vague enough
> that they could mean that RN assumes the right to manipulate my
> firewall without notifying me and install anything they want without
> notifying me.
>
> Note that I tend to read license agreements with a cynical eye.  My
> ISP has what appears to be some very nice diags software but, OMG, the
> license agreement gave them total power and ownership of my PC and
> completely indemnified them for any problems that might occur.  I
> complained about it, and was told by the ISP that the software really
> was benign and that they would never do anything without my
> permission, blah, blah, blah.  I told them to put what they said in
> writing.  They never did, and I never installed the software.
>
> Please advise.
>
> TIA,
> Dan
>
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