Comments on: Oh, the Shark Bytes...

Oh, the Shark Bytes...

wendell — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 22:11:46 -0800

"ByteShark is the TIVO of the Internet" Prominently featured in the Reuters Internet story "Imagine a World Without Ads". But that's not all the ByteShark claims to do. Is this going to be the killer app that does to Google what Google did to AltaVista? Or should we trust a guy whose previous product was simulated interactive interrogation software for solving murders"? Something about this whole enterprise smells like spyware, or worse. But there are lots of better webware experts at MeFi than Me. Would YOU swim with this Shark?

By: troutfishing

troutfishing — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 22:24:20 -0800

ByteShark - "It lengthens, it strengthens, it does the laundry, it takes the kids to school, it finds you a job......it IS a job!

By: password

password — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 22:28:44 -0800

I don't think google has anything to worry about.

By: shepd

shepd — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 22:29:04 -0800

No, it will never be a killer internet app, as it only runs on windows. Imagine if your TiVO said it would only work on a Sony TV. It could be a killer windows application, but there's been enough of those, I doubt it'll overshadow the likes of Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer.

By: enda

enda — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 23:02:38 -0800

I kind of like the ads on google. It says something when some companies are willing to spent money on advertising. But maybe that's just me.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 23:27:53 -0800

TiVo for the internet in 3 easy steps (for Windows): 1. Download this file and unzip it to either c:\windows (for Win98/ME) or c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\ (for NT/2000/XP) 2. Edit your default 404 error message (located under WindowsDir\help\common\404b.htm) and erase all the stuff between the BODY tags. 3. You can add additional sites to block by following the format in the HOSTS file.

By: 10sball

10sball — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 23:47:57 -0800

This site's so bad I'm wondering if its a parody... Its got "As Seen on TV" extras like free trademark infringement detection. Its looks like its been proofread by a 5 year old "Lap Top", "un wanted". Its got testimonials from people off the street including a "Levi's Product Manager" who I can only imagine is restocking the 501s on the shelves as we speak. Its got a whopping 90% discount off its "regular" price (who can resist a deal like that). And to top it all off its credit card processing for isn't on a secure/ssl server. (not that you have to fill out any real info to "successfully") Is there anything here that would make someone think this thing will work? How'd they possibly get Reuters coverage when I left the site wondering if its just a front for a big credit card scam?

By: complex

complex — Wed, 26 Feb 2003 01:38:22 -0800

ByteShark - "It lengthens, it strengthens, it does the laundry, it takes the kids to school, it finds you a job......it IS a job! byteshark - "it jumps itself" i've seen vb apps that were uglier, or more poorly designed, but only in nightmares. this thing is doa.

By: jeremias

jeremias — Wed, 26 Feb 2003 04:13:35 -0800

Yeah pretty bad. Runs on any Windows PC, including your Lap Top. There's a joke there I'm sure.

By: majick

majick — Wed, 26 Feb 2003 05:52:04 -0800

At first glance -- and that's all I'm going to give it -- this thing looks like another piece of TUCOWS Visual Basic shovelware. If it's ad filtering you want, try Privoxy, which is an expanded version of the venerable Internet Junkbuster and runs on just about anything. For Windows users inclined to play with configuration files, even more flexibility is to be had with The Proxomitron, which lets you do clever things like rewrite pages as you receive them. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Web Washer, which offers fairly little configurability but is pretty much a click-and-go affair. If you don't mind some simple monkeying around with your system configuration, you can play with your /etc/hosts [warning: a bit of condescending For-Dummies hyperbole before you get to the useful part] file -- applicable though it may have another name on Windows or Macs. This is the least effective approach by far, but requires no additional software. And whadda ya know, another googling reveals there's a page with most of these links and a handful of others as well.

By: signal

signal — Wed, 26 Feb 2003 06:55:09 -0800

Whois: Organization: Penal Code 187 Bill Bradley 1725 Mongomery San Francisco, ca 94111 US Phone: 415 390 1440 Email: info@pc187.com The interesting thing is that Penal Code 187 of California says: 187. (a) Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought. (b) This section shall not apply to any person who commits an act which results in the death of a fetus if any of the following apply: (1) The act complied with the Therapeutic Abortion Act, Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 25950) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code. (2) The act was committed by a holder of a physician's and surgeon's certificate, as defined in the Business and Professions Code, in a case where, to a medical certainty, the result of childbirth would be death of the mother of the fetus or where her death from childbirth, although not medically certain, would be substantially certain or more likely than not. (3) The act was solicited, aided, abetted, or consented to by the mother of the fetus. (c) Subdivision (b) shall not be construed to prohibit the prosecution of any person under any other provision of law. Makes you wonder if he has some sort of agenda, no?

By: troutfishing

troutfishing — Wed, 26 Feb 2003 07:15:48 -0800

In the interest of full disclosure, my comment - "It lengthens, it strengthens, it does the laundry, it takes the kids to school, it finds you a job......it IS a job!" - is a ripoff of lyrics from a Tom Waits song.