Digital Home Thoughts: Download.com Wrapping Freeware in Bloatware

"There was a time long, long ago when Download.com was the place I went for software. It's been years, however, as the site repeatedly showed signs of devolving into a site every bit as bothersome as the many third-tier software repositories that hide genuine links below clever-placed advertisements and bundle toolbars with their "certified" local downloads."

Well isn't this just an ugly corner CNET's Download.com has backed themselves into. They're apparently taking freeware applications such as VLC Media Player and wrapping the installer inside another installer...and the CNET installer includes toolbars and other ad-based crapware. By all accounts, they seem to be doing it without the permission of the developer who's software it is they're "wrapping". What a mess. I hope the developers rise up and take their software off of Download.com. Without key software to drive traffic, Download.com is just an empty shell...