swies

5 ms·

1. 1.▲
   by swies 11y ago

   We should play this up more on our site, but Ninite (I'm a co-founder and we're YC W08) does this stuff right. All our .exes are signed, app config information comes over https, and downloads are all checked for hashes that match
2. 2.▲
   by swies 12y ago

   That's so nice to hear. Thank you! I'd love to make a Mac version someday, but the problems are so much worse on Windows so we're focusing there.
3. 3.▲
   by swies 12y ago

   PortableApps is great!
4. 4.▲
   Ninite Is the Only Safe Place to Get Windows Freeware(howtogeek.com)

   7 points by swies 12y ago|0 comments
5. 5.▲
   by swies 12y ago

   Ninite Co-Founder here. Our pro-version SAAS business model works great. Plus we started Ninite because junkware enraged us so much. It's just punching down at non-technical users. I'd kill the company before doing that. Anyway, w
6. 6.▲
   by swies 13y ago

   That's right, we did no redistribution or modification of their software. Ninite just automates things you would do. But, publishers can license their software under whatever terms they want. They could forbid this sort of automation in the
7. 7.▲
   by swies 13y ago

   Sorry for the confusion. That copy is about things like Filehippo Updater, not built-in updaters. The aggregation and automation arguments still apply, but it's not intended as a jab at them. I'm still confused at how making money destroys
8. 8.▲
   by swies 13y ago

   First I want to say thanks! We love your work at PortableApps.com and send people there whenever they ask us to add portable software. Our value is keeping the catalog up-to-date and putting a nice interface around the updating process. Not
9. 9.▲
   by swies 14y ago

   We're good guys, it's OK. :) Seriously though, we'd lose all our Ninite Pro customers if we pulled any crap with our installations. Since the free version is our marketing department we'd be idiots to mess that up too.
10. 10.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    If you're talking about those pop-ups users get on new versions our Pro version can turn those off: http://ninite.com/help/features/disableautoupdate.html
11. 11.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    Glad to hear you like it. We think about configuration stuff like this from time to time, but I'm pretty sure getting all the details right would take years. So we haven't made the leap yet.
12. 12.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    We don't modify the apps. We run the installers in a hidden window and simulate the clicks to install them without toolbars. Thanks for using Ninite!
13. 13.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    Apps are downloaded from the publishers. We validate files with SHA-1 hashes and digital signatures (where available) before using them.
14. 14.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    I needed to post this here because we solve the problem in the article. The problem is deceptive software. That we're funded by YC (or that InstallMonetizer is) is a red herring. But it sure does get some clicks! On a perfect version of HN
15. 15.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    http://www.paulgraham.com/good.html
16. 16.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    Wow! Defaulting the easy revert option to unchecked is the perfect kicker. It's like a cartoon villain curling his mustache. The wording on that choice is incredible too.
17. 17.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    Good point. The relative openness of win32 allows junkware but gives us enough slack to fight it too. It does make for a noisier and more confusing ecosystem though. My mom's still better off using an iPad. Thanks for using Ninite Pro!
18. 18.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    Thanks! Edited (hopefully) for clarity.
19. 19.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    Y Combinator also funded our solution to crapware. http://ninite.com Basically we automate multiple installers and decline toolbars just like you would. Users range from the nontechnical to NASA. We even have a huge blind user base becaus
20. 20.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    Remove the text-rendering: optimizelegibility; line from your CSS and that text will render properly again. We ran into this on Windows Chrome too. It was a pain to track down.
21. 21.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    Glad to hear you like it. An agent option is something we're thinking about. Right now some people solve this by having a startup script that runs something like: Ninite.exe /silent c:\ninite\report.txt /updateonly /allusers But an agent wo
22. 22.▲
    by swies 14y ago

    I'll keep an eye on this thread to answer any questions too. Thanks!
23. 23.▲
    40,000,000 installers and 56 years of work/month. Ninite (YC W08) turns 3.(blog.ninite.com)

    13 points by swies 14y ago|5 comments
24. 24.▲
    Free Ninite Pro to patch the Java Zero Day(ninite.com)

    4 points by swies 14y ago|0 comments
25. 25.▲
    by swies 15y ago

    This is really smart. Those years of updates and photos on the timeline are data that only Facebook has. It's a unique asset and they're putting it front and center. If people like the timeline a lot it will be an enormous barrier to entry
26. 26.▲
    by swies 15y ago

    Thanks for the feedback. The lighter designs we've been using lately are much more readable (they've pretty much eliminated common questions about things we already say on the homepage). That block of logos is just temporary, we just put th
27. 27.▲
    by swies 15y ago

    We used to be Volery at getvolery.com but pg advised us to change that since Dropbox had such a hard time eventually getting dropbox.com.
28. 28.▲
    by swies 15y ago

    Sure, I'm pat@ninite.com
29. 29.▲
    by swies 15y ago

    We could probably use more SEO, but we're actively fighting that once in a blue moon use reputation. We're working to position Ninite as a great general download site and our new Ninite updater should help repeat use. Even with a single app
30. 30.▲
    by swies 15y ago

    These are nice ideas, thanks for the feedback. The chemical element angle is one I definitely thought about when we first looked at the name.