Getting tired of reading about reviewers and people bashing Digsby like they were criminal. Even if i enabled my cpu cycles to be used for research when I am not using my computer, wake up people! The whole point of the world's recent green agendas could be that my computer "shouldn't" be on while not in use to begin with to lower my carbon footprint! At least it would be in good use for the times I was lazy and left my machine on since its never impacted any of my work while I was actually using my machine! I have ran Digsby while I edited full HD video and Standard Definition for my clients and have not seen a problem even with the offer to use my machine for research enabled. And most of the comments I have seen says they didn't even know it was there till Digsby itself said something.

They made a solid program that is not bloat ware though I will confess the installer is a bit tricky on all the partner apps it could include such as browser bars and such which I decline to use. But regardless it runs better than all of the stand alone clients i have used over the years (aol, msn, yahoo, etc..), and does far more than any of those ever could or even dream to. I think a more fair review and article on their efforts is in order instead of raising a red flag, over exaggerating, and trying to bash them since its obvious companies that pay for ads on crappy products on PC review sites clearly have more of a benefit of a doubt in their "deceptive" practices than others who are more into innovations in the way we communicate and use the most of our tech.

If you want to talk about bad software doing deceptive things, I remember Limewire frying two of my hard drives setting me back over $300 when it launched years ago even when it wasn't in use and all the spyware it contained. Only after they raised capitol and investors did they take all that crap out but I will never use it ever again while damn near 3 out of 4 people I meet think its the greatest thing on this planet.

So I post a comment that reiterates things others have said about bundled software and forced automatic updates, but I add the bit about your credentials being held by Digsby on it's servers (notice you have to log into 'Digsby' before you log into the actual IM services) and my comment is deleted. No response saying 'that's not true', just deleted.

Interesting. Very interesting.

@Trustless The only comments we ever delete are spam. There are many comments here so I'm sorry your comment didn't show up. You are always free to speak your mind here in the comments. The reason we ask that you make a Digsby account is to synchronize any changes you may make on different computers. We don't have access to your login credentials, so if you forget a password to one the accounts you manage with Digsby we cannot recover that password. Once you remove an account from Digsby (Preferences > Accounts > Remove ) it is removed from our servers as well.

dd

option 1 is ONLY acceptable when the DEFAULT selection prevents installation of code unrelated to essential functioning of Digsby!

You
MUST
require
double opt-in
to maintain
any
shred of credibility


(default "no state" is not sufficient as malware authors typically phrase negative questions to trick users into installing malicious/unwanted code)

Well no wonder they don't allow you to disable the automatic updates. That way they can sneak all kinds of spyware and shitware onto your computer. Fuck Digsby.

I haven't heard of Digsby until now. What is this, some shittier version of Pidgin?

Since the last update random Twitter and Myspace feed problems authentication errors.

Would like an xFire protocol, Skype support, IRC channel support... among other things.

Please change the option to Enable / Disable from a button to a radio-button. Right now it says "Disable" for me, but I am not sure if it Enabled / Disabled. Not at all intuitive.

@ramen If the research module is enabled the button should say "disable", asking you if you want to disable the research module. If the research module is disabled the button should say "Enable", asking you if you want to enable the research module.

A suggestion for the messenger portion of Digsby. Have a option that limits what screen name sends to certain people on your list. It's rather annoying when I accidentally send something from the wrong name especially at work where I'd rather people not know my personal AIM. If it's not on that screen name's buddy list it shouldn't send from it without a prompt.

I would be willing to pay for a "pro" version without any of the revenue stuff in it. However, I would only want to pay a one time fee and not have to deal with a subscription. If you decide not to offer a paid version, then please make the research module opt-in by default.

I didn't know about the research thing either. I'm all for grid computing, but it should be an obvious opt in on install. I use this app at work, guys! Also, I would like to know exactly what research I'm contributing to. Something like distributed.net or folding, cool. Something like seti, lame.

I'd be happy to pay a small fee but using my pc for distributed computing without my implicit consent isn't acceptable. No other client i've ever used has tried to achieve this. But until I either feel I can trust the digsby team again I will take the slightly less pretty but more transparent route of pidgin. Whilst I wish Digsby the best in their business I don't think IM client revenues are ever going to be big. Heres hoping something happens IE a paid version which is totally clean is released or a version without bloatware such as google search (I have a browser), Real time web search (!) and reasearch module (for which we havent got a clue what you research and if its ethical for you to charge for said research) I will not use digsby again..

However I'd like to ponder a single question. Since Digsby stores logins remotely. Is there a way a user can request that their data and logins are removed from your system. So those who do not support your direction can leave without their details rouged on a server.

@Fox We currently don't have a mechanism to delete accounts but are working on one right now. In the mean time, if you log in to Digsby and remove your accounts from preferences, that removes data associated with your account.

@nono slayer

that sounds like a bug with saving preferences (try changing a different pref and see if it saves) - you should submit a bug report.

I fully support a free ad-supported and no-ads,no research module version that costs money. I will buy a copy of Digsby that comes without the garbage.

It's our own fault that we didn't read the TOS to know about the research module. Digsby already wrote them there and we just skipped the TOS and agreed.
BUT !
As other says, it's really really sneaky method, by making the research thing not obvious. After reading the Lifehacker article, I disabled the research module. On the next day, Digsby installed the update as the response from that article. I run the Digsby, and found out that the Research module was enabled again, whoa. Then on Saturday, I turned off the computer before going home, and turned it on again in monday morning. And guess what, the research module was enabled again !

This is really really annoying, and we also basically don't know what it is computing. Is it using our equipment to compute something which is against our belief, our country, or anything ?

I'm using the digsby in the computer in the lab my university..That means, Digsby is silently using the computer university to do research of not my university. Maybe, the university is going to sue Digsby.

Anyway, my favourite quote from Alias TV Series about Digsby : "Legally, he's right. Ethically, he's an ass"

1. You could add search engine by joining hands with the developer who want to grab the market share.

2. I dont mind if there is little space for advertisement, which will contribute to your income generation.
And do add a chat room where all digsby users can chat where in u can put the advertisiment.

Steve, Dev's, Keep up the good work. I found out about the research module when I first signed up for Digsby. And other than the choice of storage servers for the installer, I/We have had no problems.

When you relaized that there was an issue with disclosure/transparancy you took care of it as you have with all issues that have come up and you all have NEVER hidden anything.

I'll still be an alpha tester on the main machine and a user on my laptop.

Keep up the good work. And thanks.
Mac

Hey I didnt know abt the Research module. Its a great idea.Although somewhat bad for people who have limited downloads available per month.
I think keeping both options 1 and 2 is great simultaneously since it will give you people more revenue so that you can keep up the good work :). Also it will keep Digsby free ;)
You people rock
Please add Orkut in Social networking and rediffmail and in.com in IM plzz

Digsby Rocks!!!

It is gread idea, i agree with that..

Option 2 absolutely. I paid for Trillian Pro and will happily pay for Digsby without the crapware installer/research module.

I'm still quite comfortable paying for quality software. Digsby is already the best IM client in Windows. Let us give you money for it fair and square. I don't need to be tricked into paying you for your hard work. I think some folk out there are more willing than you give us credit for ;)

Perhaps offer Option 1 + Option 2 to opt out of Option 1?

I didn't know about the research module, and I am pretty savvy about apps and monetization schemes surrounding them. That said, I don't think it was an intention to hide this information and personally, I think that the research model is a brilliantly unobtrusive way to generate revenue; so much so you should call it out as a feature. I especially like how you have taken steps to ensure it doesn't interfere with your user's daily activities. Don't pay attention to the griefers who don't understand what you are doing or how it works (easier said than done considering they do make up a portion of your install base).

Keep up the good work.

A few options:

I don't mind paying a reasonable price for good software (I'd pay $40 one-time or $15/yr for Digsby).

You can always beg. Put one of those "we are raising X dollars" thermometers with "donate now" button.

Oh and apologies for the double post, but to the users who are genuinely mad at Digsby: Get over yourselves. This is a FREE product, and as everyone knows, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
As for "I didn't read the TOS... but neither does anybody else". That is the biggest load of ^%$& I've heard. I will admit I rarely read the TOS for software, but if a program started doing something I didn't know about, but said action was mentioned in the TOS, it's MY FAULT for not reading. Don't moan about how they're being sleazy and underhanded... they did tell you about it - you just chose to skip by the document that told you about it.

Attn: Digsby Employees

Thanks for an excellent product. I've been truly impressed by the usability and functionality. That said, I was somewhat disappointed when I heard about the somewhat 'disguised' research module.
That said, due to your prompt response (Digsby will show a popup notification telling you about the module...), I am keeping Digsby installed on my computer.
That said, I would be interested in seeing what exactly my computer's idle cycles are doing while I'm away.

Thank you for your sincere attempt at reconciliation and transparency. I wish this issue had been addressed before it became a front page kind of problem, but it is nevertheless addressed now, so thank you.

Final note; I would consider paying for a version of Digsby, but I definitely prefer the non-intrusive research style of revenue making than anything I've seen so far. Thanks again!

There's a lot of people around who need to start reading what they're signing rather than venting after the fact.

I would gladly support Digsby by sitting through ads during installation and enabling the research module... if only you made a client for Linux ;-) (Mac users probably feel the same way). Been waiting over a year now, even an alpha version would be nice. Still running Digsby on Windows at work though.

Stop spamming me every time I open Digsby

Option 1 for me. I like it free, and I like you getting paid. No worries here.

But I'd like to 'second' the search bar idea... It would add functionality that I would use, and if the providers would pay you to use their name, I say go for it. Like the vast majority of the world, I prefer google, but if Yahoo would pay to make their name an option, or the default search, I'd go for it!

I am a huge fan of Digsby! When I found the program I was desperately searching for a program that would simplify my over-usernamed-and-passworded life. Disby has provided me with a simple, easy to use "dashboard" to keep me from spinning out of control.

With all the help Disby has done for my life, of course I want to help Disby! Unlike other installation programs, the choice to ignore the advertising options is a lot more evident. You can use all the CPU you want when my laptop is idle and charging- heck I'm harming the environment anyway I might as well put my laptop to good use.

What I find irritating is the updates at the beginning of the program. I wish the program would update when I go to close the it, rather then when I open it. I wouldn't even mind having an ad displayed then- you will already have made my day, so looking at one ad wouldn't annoy me a bit.

I also wouldn't mind being given the option of enrolling in a "support disby" account upon install (or anytime) to "donate" $1 a month or $12 at once for a year for every month/year that I use the program. I think almost anyone who can afford to pay for internet can afford $1 a month donation to a company that provides such an amazing program. I don't know if that's a viable option for the number of users, but it's not a bad start.

I'm trilled with the program as it is and I look forward to see what changes will come next. Disby has built a online community of support for and from its users, not just an application- that is rare in today's online society.

Oh, and I've been reading your comments. You don't need to apologize, because I don't think your users need or deserve one. You tell your users more than any other application does as it is. I don't even want to know the damage other instant message applications do to my computer.

Thanks for a great application!

@Lindsay M Thanks. We're working on allowing you to login before Digsby updates.

Digsby Guys, you rock. You're actually taking technology forward by popularizing the whole grid-computing stuff. This is a great initiative and an innovative revenue model. This way things can be free, and free of ads, plus my computer power doesn't go waste either.

Guys, keep on rocking. However, I think that there was a lack of communication that you people should have addressed before.

Anyway, I would like to have the research module enabled on my comp. As for the crapware thingy, I don't even know what it is, I downloaded the portable version and it works fine for me.

@Ashish There was definitely a lack of communication on our part.

I was unaware of the research module as well, but I like the idea. I just checked my Digsby and found it already enabled. I'll keep it that way.

Digsby installs death panels by default! And you can't opt-out! Digsby will "Youthenize America!"

I don't understand how you consider yourself a 'company'. Your IM client is nice, but that's all you do, make an IM client. It's a quaint little web app and it should be free, like Adium (you even took portions of Adium for your own use). Now all of the sudden there's adware in the installer, and there's this hidden CPU module that no one would notice until it broke on a major website.

Go back to making digsby a hobby and get a real source of revenue. Charge $5 for a pro version if you have to, but that just means that a LARGE chunk of your user base will just use the just-as-functional other FREE and OPEN SOURCE clients out there.

I find it funny, how everybody is suddenly offended by this incredibly "evil" use of their cpu cycles for commercial purposes.

Come on, you are using quite possibly the best IM client on the market free of charge. But you have to learn that nothing is "free" in this modern capitalist world. Digsby is being actively developed and those software people behind their 20" LCDs need to be rewarded somehow. If you are not willing to give them money straight away, you have to give them something else. Whether it is your CPU cycles or your ignorance while installing Digsby.

That was few words for those complaining people. Now for Digsby developers. You learned your lesson. What you did may have been kind of a shadow play, but I guess you will make sure next time, you're implementing stuff like grid computing.

Now to the advertising options.

You can use my idle CPU, you can offer me all the software you want during the install, you can even sometimes send me ads through some messaging channels.
On the other hand, do not make the chat window bigger and less intuitive by puting ads in it. The same goes for the buddy list.
And please, do not make free/premium versions.

Hmm, I guess I just like it the way it is right now. :)

Just charge for it. I'd pay $20/yr for bloat-free Digsby with all it does for me. I'm sure others would too.

People, please understand the issue before running around, shrieking like your hair is on fire. The installer crapware is completely optional, and since you are on this blog, you know how to turn off the cpu-utilizer.

If you are offended by opt-in-by-default crapware installers (as I am), then that's one thing, but don't act like you don't have an option.

That said, I'd say you might want to revise your claim that the cpu-utilizer "would have absolutely no effect on your computer’s performance and only uses processing power while your computer is not being used," is not true. It might have very little effect, or even an unoticable/negligible effect, but that is not the same as "absolutely no effect."

I would pay for Digsby

Ive used Digsby for a while. I really liked it. What I do NOT really like is the bloatware and this backhanded research module going on. Its pretty disgusting that your money making model is based on capitalization of peoples ignorance. Of course, Im not not saying anything someone else hasnt said 10 times already.

I switched to Pidgin. Its not as pretty, but it does what I need out of an IM/social media client, its free, and it doesnt zombiefy my computer just because I walked away.

I havent written you off totally Digsby, but you need to get your act together and turn your transparency up to 11. Then I will reconsider you as a viable software choice.

I like the grid computing model. My notebook at work is on all evening and could be used for beneficial purposes but the important word is beneficial. It would be possible for you to allow research that I have a moral conflict with. What is the nature of the research that is being performed on my computer? If you are using my CPU I believe it would be reciprocal to allow me to know what it is computing.

I asked this before (above) and received not answer, will try again, would really like answer:

When Digsby is uninstalled, is all of the revenue generating software also uninstalled? Does the GRID program run even if Digsby is not running?

@X-15a2 When you uninstall Digsby, it removes it as well.

I understand the outrage expressed in the Lifehacker article, but I don't agree with the reason behind it. The only mistake made here was not informing us users up front. Please keep me informed and let me decide how to use my CPU cycles and I'll be happy as a clam.

I must admit, though, the fact that Digsby may be browsing websites during my idle time concerns me. Because I don't know about the technology I don't know whether your background activities could infect me with a virus.

Thanks for a great free product and keep up the good work.

If I had the option to select one or more projects from a list and donate my unused CPU and bandwidth (I am assuming that data is sent and received!) I think the grid computing option would be acceptable.

As I can't see what my CPU cycles are being used *for*, this is option = off for me.

Attention!!! digsby uses your pc to make money, read here:


http://lifehacker.com/5336382/digsby-joins-the-dark-side-uses-your-pc-to-make-money

Hi Guys,

I love Digsby and I don't understand the bitching about the research module above (your behaviour is tracked all over the web anyway). I think this is one of the most conscientiously implemented revenue models for an IM client and I hope you can make it work going forward!

S

i like twitter so much, i am planing to join it

What is the Research Module researching, exactly?

Hey guys,
Awesome IM client. Really like the research option. One thing that I think would make that even better is some form of display that could be accessed from the menus to show details about the research. What is being researched, how much has been contributed by my pc. Some geeky stats like that would be awesome. Would also make a slightly paranoid user like me a little happier to have it running in the background if I could access stats and info on what it is doing. A cool graph like Seti@home thrown into the mix would also add to the experience.

Keep up the awesome work.

When I found out from the Lifehacker article about my CPU being used for "research", (or whatever people pay you to do) I almost uninstalled Digsby there and then, but only kept it because it is such a useful program.

I dont mind helping fund digsby with things like this, but you must clearly tell users about them (putting them in the TOS that no one ever reads doesnt count, they should be in the installer or install notes popup). Trying to sneak in things hidden features makes people angry.

I want to delete my account at digsby's servers. Is it possible at all?

Thats it, I'm uninstalling digsby.

Give us ads at the install. Calculations on my machine while it's idle is fine but I smell potential botnet takeover.
Digsby is great. Keep up the great work and keep up the honesty and transparency. Best policy by far.

Its a wonderful, but i love the one thing which was on previous version i mean before updates.
that was while we click on the top of chat window, it collapse, and on again click it open again, but in new updates that vanished.
please give that back thanks,
OMAIR.

Ads on the client itself would be terrible, I'd quit using Digsby in a heartbeat; Digsby being ad-free is probably my favorite thing about it. However, I don't care at all about ads in the installer, especially since a considerable amount of other great free programs do this too.

You could consider having a donate button on the Digsby homepage.

And oh please nonono at an ad free version you have to pay for. It's a lot harder for me to recommend(or use) something if you have to pay for the best version that was free in the first place.

I think you can do both options as long as you are completely transparent. Keep the optional stuff int the installer and add an announcement about the research module. Obviously users should have the option to disable this directly from the installer as well as from the reg menu once the digsby is installed.

Its a wounderful facility I must say.

I have dial up internet on my computer as there is no affordable high speed in my area. when I installed digsbe there was no research option and some time during a update it was added and I have spent 2 month trying to figure out why my computer was auto-dialing out when we are not home or in the middle of the night. even the local computer geek at best buy was unable to fix it and he even sold me windows vista. trying to get rid of what he thought was a virus.
it turns out that when the research program tries to activate it triggers IE to auto-dial a new connection.
it would be nice to no this in the TOS.
and if you would give the option during update or install to disable it as it is a expensive inconvenience.
in an other wise great product.
the blog posting is appreciated and I am glad you can disable the research component.
thank you

This is a general comment, but it seems like the latest version of Trillian supports Skype. Considering switching? I might be.

Thanks for the thoughtful post explaining your position.

While I admit I was a little surprised to hear about the research client, I don't really understand the big deal myself.

Software costs money to develop (a LARGE sum of money), which appears to be something a lot of people take for granted.

Coding it a time consuming and thankless job at the best of times.

I've enjoyed using Digsby immensely and applaud your efforts to try and find alternative revenue sources that are less obtrusive to your users.

So long as you work towards making these ideas transparent in the future, I don't really see the issue.

Keep up the great work guys!

I,love digsby becous it show my all my emails and my difrint website

I like the idea of using over-caps for distributed research. It's a very unintrusive and smart way of making money.

I'd also prefer paying a yearly fee over an ad-infested client :-) Plus I really dig the fact that you're talking openly about your revenue plans. Keep up the good work, keep the spyware out!

Another Option

Digsby propaganda (like T-shirts, mugs, i don know even sunglasses) probably that would help too.
Thanks digsby!

Digsby Rocks!!
I dont mind to see the addware in the installer.
and the research module is a cool thing.
If both things are needed to keep it free... shall be it.
Keep on the good work!!!

I just wanted to say, I really appreciate Digsby being free and not being covered in adverts when using it. However, because I don't know what the research module is doing (in particular, crawling random, possibly illegal websites), I have to leave it disabled.

If you presented a dialog whenever the current project changed, explaining what it was and who it was for with the option for whether I wanted to participate, I could happily leave it turned on. I'm happy to do science/medical research/SETI at home type stuff, I'm not interested in web crawling. Others may have objections to stem cell research etc (even if I don't), so it's important to give people a choice. For example:

The current research project is: Protein Folding for Cancer Research.
The Research is for: (Company) Marie Curie Cancer Research
It will require: x MB of downloads a month and y KB of uploads a month.

[Always Decline] [Always Decline for this Company] [Decline]
[Participate] [Always Participate for this Company] [Always Participate]

Alternatively, if there are several projects on the go, just present a list with suitable columns and let people tick which ones they're willing to help.

As much as I do not mind you using my power when I am not (my employer might be a little more upset as you are also using their bandwidth) you need to come up with a better definition for not using my machine.

Not using my keyboard/mouse does not mean I am not using my machine. I spend at least 4 hours a day on VoIP in web conferences. I am talking through my machine not writing or moving the mouse.

How about poping up a notification (like an email notification) when you are using my machine. It can then disappear when you have finished. Then I I can stop you if I am using my machine hands off?

I think that you need to also deliver a report so that I can see how often you have leveraged my machine. Stating start time/date, ending time/date and CPU usage during that period.

If you did this I would let you continue - but watch out for my employee.

2.

Option 2 is resounding N!O!
If I wanted that kind of crap in an IM I would use MSN.

I don't see what the fuss about the adware is - the installer makes it pretty clear what it is doing and how to opt out.

As for the research - I knew about it long ago (I didn't read the terms, but I do check out all menu options on anything I install).

I would suggest, though, that you give thought to allowing the users to see what research is being done and opt/in or out of particular calculations. I turned off the research only because I can't tell if my computer is being used to find a cure for cancer (good) or to write a script for an Adam Sandler move (evil).

good software!!

Well this is the first time I have heard about this. Maybe if I had read Lifehacker's post first fear would have snuck in, but that would have been out of ignorance, and not being aware that the CPU usage was minimal and not reading data on my computer. Honestly I am not sure what all the fuss is about. Thanks for full disclosure Digsby. I realise you guys are human, and cannot please all the people all the time.

I am going to vote for other, not because I don't like the first 2 options, but because I want you to do what is best for your company and nothing you have done so far as made me fear using your app. I don't mind ads, I don't mind paying. I think my least favourite option is the data research thingy, but I am not really unhappy about it.

I love Digsby, and think you should make good money for creating and developing it. I want it to get better and I want you to reap the rewards for doing so.

Now lifehacker is "suing" Digsby for "Bundles crapware and use our computer to crawl the web" at the AllRise court - http://bit.ly/AllRise238

Hi

How about making a widget/marketplace system like Android/iPhone (and the vista/yahoo/google sidebar)? Allow 3rd parties to create services and you can offer/charge them for promotions (in the marketplace) while improving the digsby client with more features! That's a win-win-win!! Maybe there's already some "open" widget system out-there, which you can hook onto - and tomorrow you can offer your users 1000nds of new widgets and have 100rds of new clients to offer stuff they can pay for... Thinking about it - the Android Marked apps are pure java (I think) - why not adding support for those (too baad if they need accelerometers, gps etc.) - as a creator of widgets it's really nice if you can avoid too many changes when supporting a new platform....


cheers

./ask

ps. Gimme som credits if you like the idea - thanx :)
pps. Really cool with your "open-user dialog"-thing you've got going - that's really cool

Lifehacker VS. Digsby - The public trial is now opened at AllRise.com community court. Join in to influence the verdict http://bit.ly/AllRise238

I forgot to insert image: http://img2.pict.com/12/4b/1e/1473858/0/capture.png

I have pinned Digsby on Windows 7 taskbar. When i start Digsby there are 2 icons in taskbar. I have never noticed that behavior on other applications. Maybe it uses different name so Windows recognize it as a different process. Please fix that.

(begin QUOTE)
Anon Said,

August 15, 2009 @ 3:53 pm

To all you people who are saying how upset you are, and how much you hate that they did this to you, YOU ARE RETARDED. They posted where it was appropriate to inform you of the changes. YOU ARE RETARDED if you are offended for not checking that out. It is low priority and only runs when idle = YOU WONT EVER FUCKING NOTICE IT, which makes your complaints RETARDED. Let this be a lesson for you people, stop being ignorant and read update notes, understand whats going around you, and don’t freak out on other people because you are too stupid to inform yourself in a timely manner.

(end QUOTE)

BUMP!!

Would you like a bit of cheese with that whine??

...a lil CPU speed when your PC is idle... OMG! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!!

Digsby is a great product that is essentially free. Why don't you go to your cell phone provider, ask for free service but tell them you'll check some "opt out" boxes in return, and see what they say?

Whiners like you make me sick... wAH wAH wAH! you know what, you don't deserve to use Digsby... uninstall it immediately and go back to running 5 different applications and like 5 more windows, you ungrateful whiners.

i'm done

Unfortunately, you are the best IM client around. After I uninstalled Digsby last week (I found out about it from a link on Reddit) I retried Astra Trillian, Pidgin, Meebo, Meebone, Palringo, and Miranda; and you were still the best.

The thing that infuriated me the most was the way you did not list the change in the changelog. This is not cool. Ever. I should not have to read your blog in order to see what changes you add. That is what a changelog is about. I am one of the people who does actually read the TOS, sometimes, but I am not going to reread it after I have agreed to it.

The TOS is always worthless to the end user anyway. "We are not liable for any problems this program causes you. You are not allowed to do anything with this program except what we expressly tell you you can do with it. We reserve the right to change this TOS, if our lawyers advise us to do so." This is what every TOS that has ever been written says. Why you need more than 150 words to express this, I will never know.

There are two reasons I can imagine for not putting the change in the changelog: 1. You knew people may balk and decided to be sneaky and underhanded. 2. Whoever is in charge of the changelog is grossly incompetent. If you think everyone reads an inane blog to find out every change that is coming to your software, then I believe you are mistaken.

I have two reasons for reinstalling this software: 1. It really is the best IM client there is. Hands down. 2. You did mention the research thing in your blog. I do not mind an opt out thing, if you notify that it is there. This may get more people to use it.

I would like an explanation why you put it under 'Help', then name the header 'Support Digsby'. I need no help running an IM client, and 'Support Digsby' makes me think of donating money via Paypal, or something like that, not disabling something that no one told me was being turned on in the first place.

There is no client that is as close to being as good as Digsby, and for that you should be commended, but there are some programs that are ok.

I think option 2 is probably the best way to go for the install. Place a small ad at the bottom of every window, and give the option to pay to remove it. I would also buy a cellphone app. Not everyone has an iPhone, so something that was Java based ,WinMo, Android, iPhone, or S60 3rd.

I love digsby. And i don't think that this "cpuusage" won't make any problem to my works. I have enabled it and digsby is using my cpu memory after 5minutes of idle time. This is a better system and i am not facing any problem at all. I just love this........




Just one problem. My Yahoo! account is not working on digsby. An error shows that, "You are signing in too often." Can anyone say me how i can fix it???

Option 3:

- white box (rebrandable) commercial versions (desktop, mobile)
- pass-through revenue from (adding) Skype
- multiuser corporate version

First, I love Digsby and everything that you have done with it. Second, you're probably sick of people saying that you shouldn't have put the Research module in the program, so I won't say anything. Opening up Digsby to ads and the like would deter users from using Digsby. However, the idea of making a Free version of Digsby with ads embedded would be okay, but only if you were to release a Pro version with no ads. This you could charge at one flat fee, no one likes monthly fees. People who are not willing to pay will be upset, but you can't make everyone happy. Having a donation box is always a chance to make a few dollars. Just try not to really push on that. Maybe an announcement every 3 months. You don't want the user to feel like you're pressuring them to donate.

When it comes down to it, you have a lot of support from your community. Whatever you decide, you will have loyal users supporting what you do.

I have to say that I knew about all these features in digsby and even if I didn't and just found out about it, I would still use it.

It saddens me to think that the average person on the net doesn't know how to do some research about anything out there. I am not flaming, just stating that most users of the net are blatantly naive.

1. Offer others sites ways of advertising there site. I run a gaming community and I also and looking for ways of brining in revenue and advertisement hits. I personally would be interest in some form of advertisement from you guys, I have to admit though, we are strapped for cash also.

1-A. A ticker at the top of digsby would be small yet might be effective for small advertisement.

2. Maybe links that show up during LENGTHY IM convos would be interested, tho how you would code that I am not sure. I state LENTHY. More then maybe 200 lines? ...hmm..maybe 500? Something not so annoying but also not so spaced out where nothing happens... BUT IF YOU DO THIS PLEASE MAKE IT OPTIONAL ASWELL AND IF IT IS ON MAKE SURE IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE AN IM. No one likes clicking a link when it wasn't even from there friend or family KNOWING (as there browser loads or what not) they are gonna close it right away.


I like free, I like the optional things, I personally have pretty much everything off, but for facebook or anything like that, I am on it. I turned the research module off since I am in a bionic team so it interferes.

Please keep it free....but i have an idea....for a premium.....

THis would take alot of work I would assume buuuuuut....


Xfire......digsby style....No! I don't mean them actually! I mean make digsby LIKE xfire.....as it is pops through full screen games! You would have so many gamers getting that...i would DEF. buy it and i would advertise the hell out of it for you guys! I would LOVE that...but maybe copyright infringement might be an issue? I am not to sure since I am not that far into business with myself.


There is my 2 cents. I hope it helps.


To all those that complain.

You have no idea how many programs that have things in secret in them...If ANY of you that have complained about ANYTHING about digsby....and you have AVG installed for an anti virus....Go shove your head in the toilet. THAT antivirus CREATES viruses so that YOU THINK it is working... They are called false positives.

Not to mention it also has been known to DELETE random files in windows that windows ABSOLUTELY needs to run.

Reason why i bring that up, is that most likely all of you that have complained, probably have that installed, since FREE is the way it seems with those like you guys, AVG is more like HELL to me... I can name 3 other free ones that work better then it anyways.


Free, or paid, I will not be ending my usage of digsby for anything else less then it, I am here to stay, and I am glad you guys did allow things to be turned off.

I commend the work you guys are doing, though I must ask of one thing

ALLOW ME TO MAKE PERSONAL ALERTS FOR SPECIFIC PPL! Aim allows it, I just want to play a wav file when "John Doe" comes only or back from away or something! I need it so badly!.


Thank you for reading thus far.

Make it open-source then let the community develop Digsby.

If I am to be plagued by ads like in other messengers then I will simply go back to using Pidgin. No ads is one of the reasons why I chose to use Digsby so if you introduce the ads your taking away my reason for using it.

Anyway... I always thought Digsby was a school project so why start looking at ways of profiteering from it? :P

Option 3: Maybe you can change the name Digsby to Viagra and make some money out of that!

If you honestly believe I can trust an IM that use these sort of tactics (obscure item in EULA, unavoidable toolbars, ...) you are sorely mistaken.

Thanks lifehacker!

So long as you dont force any software installation on my computer (ie toolbars, 3rd party apps etc) i dont care what you do so long as you dont get in my way or interfere with my computing.

I think you should consider making a digsby app for the iphone and charging for that, perhaps put up a paypal donation button for the desktop version.

The fact of the matter is that its hard to compete with free alternatives unless you provide something they dont. I think the distributed computing deal is a pretty clever way of getting revenue, but your not giving people the choice of donating to you in a meaningful way. If you dont ask for something, youll never get it. If you ask, you at least have a chance.

I will be disabling it until I at least know exactly what it is you want my computers to be doing.

I've been using Digsby for a long time, but was appalled when I encountered that InstallQ installer or whatever that 3rd party spyware company is called. I didn't finish the installation with it and then found that a clean installer existed. Your research was never enabled without my consent. I've had no problems, but I don't install obvious spyware under any circumstance. Trillian is in cahoots with Ask search, but I don't mind being asked (haha, punny) about things like that as long as it's clear and not sneaky. But Digsby is the superior client, in my opinion. It's flaw is the memory usage, even though it uses less than it used to. The other clients are just not as good, period. I love Digsby.

I don't want ads. I don't like paying, but I would rather pay than look at ads or be marketed. Speaking of Trillian, Astra will require a one-time payment after trial usage. You could do something like that, but the truth is, your need for money is ongoing. Donations would be a great idea if people (and you at Digsby) would understand that every dollar counts. If many people gave a dollar from time to time, you would have continuing income. Or maybe you could try a combination of the two, making the price low - like $10 and welcoming donations.

I like they way you've always done it with just adds in the installer. All the media sites that are giving you crap should be punished because as is obvious from the poll people like the way you've been doing it.

i say keep option 1, BUT, ditch the installer. use a conventional installer that doesn't require any downloading and has normal checkboxes for denying/approving bundles offers.

the current installer in use is very tricky, and tasteless.

I knew about the research grid the whole time, and just turned it off. If you ever wanted to know what was in the updates, you just had to follow the link to the blog... wasn't hard, and it was explained perfectly. I think the research grid is an awesome idea, and plus it's optional! I would hate advertisements on Digsby though, put a million in the install, I wouldn't care as long as there is a clear accept/decline as there is now, but I hate im clients that have annoying flash ads. I recently downloaded the newest version of aim and immediately regretted it, as it installed a bunch of other aol crapola along with it. I think they're doing a great job though, so I trust they'll keep up the good work!

I don't know why you all are Bitching about it! Damn. It doesn't bother me at all! I use the Program. No problem and Ads are Ads! It won't Kill you! You have to remember the People making these Programs need to get Paid and Make Money somehow to make it a lot better for us!! I'd prefer to have Ads and have all the Features instead of having to pay for a Pro Version of it! I love Digsby. It's an Amazing Program! Keep it as it is and get more Features! No one realized the things Companies have to do. Yahoo, Aim, Msn and so forth puts Advertisements even Social Networking Sites! It's to keep things Free!! :) and I Appreciate it! and I wouldn't mind Advertisement in the Installation or on the Program somewhere, just as long as it's Good and Free :)

I'll support your research digsby this time but please inform me or try to ask me if I'm willing to participate on your research. btw I'll always support your product and your research except when there's a conflict in my daily priorities/responsibilities.

Just wanted to say that I have never used Digsby..but I read the Lifehacker article in disgust. Shame on them for attacking you like this....like there is ANY freeware app out there that doesnt employ similar tactics. All the Lifehacker article did (in my case) is bring a new app to try to my attention. As soon as I get off work, I plan on giving it a try.

i like that 2nd one... i like your idea of grid computing .. that is much better than first one .. and i think that is more profitable for you ..

WHATEVER you do, hiding it in a sneaky menu and auto-enabling it is a HORRIBLE way of going about it.

Be upfront about how you are trying to make money; don't sneak a backdoor in.

@BLueSS We'll be implementing changes to make the options more visible to the user when they install Digsby

For a business model - Digsby is very useful in the office for linking a company together and with clients or branches.

Why not charge for business use, or a business edition?

To all you people who are saying how upset you are, and how much you hate that they did this to you, YOU ARE RETARDED. They posted where it was appropriate to inform you of the changes. YOU ARE RETARDED if you are offended for not checking that out. It is low priority and only runs when idle = YOU WONT EVER FUCKING NOTICE IT, which makes your complaints RETARDED. Let this be a lesson for you people, stop being ignorant and read update notes, understand whats going around you, and don't freak out on other people because you are too stupid to inform yourself in a timely manner.

Option 1, please. The research module does sound a bit odd, but as long as there is the option to turn it off, I'm fine.

I love you guys. Thank you for all your hard work.

Is Digsby spyware appropriate or intrusive? Vote now at About.com (http://im.about.com/u/ua/promotingimsafety/digsby-spyware.htm?from=lb#ua_form)

Personally, while I think Digsby should be applauded for working to keep Digsby free, the addition of spyware is not exactly what I'd have in mind. Couldn't Digsby create some sort of banner ad model for their website like AIM and Yahoo! Messenger does?

Thank you so much, status contains link is now clickable again.
Random suggestion: It would be nice if we could make our previous chat line appear again when we hit the up arrow button.

I ♥ Digsby, you have made things so much easier for me. Thank you!

@David - Well said, amen!

Seriously, people, there are so many of you who think you are getting scammed or cheated, but you agreed to these things! It's not Digsby's fault if a user doesn't read the fine print, or doesn't take time to look through all the menu settings. So you're cool with giving Digsby the keys to your online identity -- your login and password info for all your IM and e-mail accounts -- but you're going to get in a tizzy when the program uses a modest amount of CPU when your computer is idle??

How many of you just click "Accept" without reading user agreements? The agreement could have said ANYTHING, like allowing Digsby staffers to login to your IM/e-mail/FB accounts anytime they want to just for fun... or allowing Digsby to access your entire hard drive for any purpose they want. Thankfully, it doesn't have extreme demands like these, but they could -- and how many people would blindly accept because they were too lazy to read the fine print? Nothing's being "hidden" and Digsby is not being sneaky or non-transparent. They properly presented the information; it's up to YOU, the user, to read it BEFORE you accept the agreement.

As for the research module, it's not reading anything from your local computer. It's just helping calculate data that's coming in from somewhere else, and going back out somewhere else. So what? I'd rather let it do that, then have annoying graphical ads clogging up my buddy list. That's one reason I actually got Digsby in the first place: got sick of AIM's ads, especially now that they include animations and sounds.

Personally, I think IM clients like AIM and Digsby should be free. These days, with texting being so popular, I could easily do without an IM client. I'm already paying for my cell phone with texting, which accomplishes the same purpose... so why pay extra for a redundant service? I applaud Digsby for finding a way to keep itself free without burdening us with advertising. In fact, now that I know more about the research module, I'll be more apt to purposely leave the computer idle more often.

But if you're paranoid about it and still feel like Digsby conned you, the solution is easy: if you're going to be away from the computer for more than 5 minutes, exit Digsby before you walk away. If it's not running, it can't run the research module.

To a previous poster who wondered how much CPU and bandwidth are used... if you're in Windows, deactivate your screen saver and open up the Task Manager. One of the tabs in the Task Manager window allows you to track the CPU and network bandwidth activity. Open it up, let the computer sit for 5+ minutes and see what happens.

Option 2 is annoying and would have many people looking for another multimessenger like Pidgen if a free method of removing it cannot be found. ex.AIMAdHack. An ad in the installer would be better but useless because you don't have to use an installer to upgrade like CCleaner. A search bar would be much less annoying than option 2 and hey, I may use it if Firefox isn't open.

I'm pretty flabbergasted at the opposition to the Research Module. I acknowledge that it might've gotten more support had it been rolled out differently, but to call it shady and underhanded is just paranoid. Think about it for a second. It waits FIVE MINUTES after your last mouse or keystroke, then stops the moment there's another one. And for those of you who claim it was rolled out discretely (I'm looking at you, Affie), maybe you'd like to tell me why they were 'hiding' it by posting an entire long blog entry about it almost a year ago. Yes, that certainly sounds secretive to me.

It's also not like this is anywhere near a new concept. As mentioned in the original entry, this idea has been around for a while.

Take the you-know-whats out of your you-know-wheres and quit finding reasons to complain. The software's free -- the very fact that Digsby is even taking the time to ask us is more than they're obligated to do.

It doesn't sound like you have been honest about the "research" tool. Why isn't that program's installation an option when installing but rather installed automatically? Finding a way to "pay for the bills" is fine, but six plus one additional crapware during install isn't.

I wonder if this had anything to do with my computer shutting down in the middle of the night recently.

I'm done with Digsby for now. The adware installer was terrible, but I put up with it. I've learned to deal with the fact that you guys stored all of my passwords on your server. This "grid research" stuff is intolerable. It's a nicer way of saying that you had my computer join a botnet.

First of all, kudos to Digsby for a very good IM client. I like the way that it handles most of my IM/email/social networking accounts on a single application. I've never tried others before, so I'm in no position to compare it with other IM clients. I've used separate clients for each of my accounts before. But even so, the user interface and the way you could combine contacts into a single entity in Digsby is perfect in my book.

I was aware of the "other software sales pitch" on the installation screen and the CPU usage because of the EULA (YES, I bother to read it to know what the limitations are), but I'm still OK with it. I've decided to skip the other software installations and turned off the CPU usage on my work machine (because it's my company's machine), but turn it on when at home to help support a very good and free IM client. I think it's my way of repaying a very good application in order to continue enjoying its "free" benefits.

I am in the application development myself and I could say that the application was very well made. The only down side is that you didn't inform the "people" (who probably are morons, illiterates, bottom feeders, or those who just like to complain because everyone does) through VERY noticeable means about the CPU usage as a way to generate revenue. I understand that you have to pay the development team to continue improving the application so you decided to experiment on that kind of revenue model. Even with that, I still salute you for addressing the issue posted by LifeHacker as early as possible.

To those who complain even after getting good free applications with little downsides, I would suggest you create your own software. If you can't then better live with it. If you still can't deal with it, uninstall it! But be reminded that it was in the EULA and you shouldn't complain that you did not read it! That's the problem with lazy people who wants free software but doesn't bother to read the obligations that come with the so called "free software". All they do is complain and make noise before understanding the situation. The same principle as "Ignorance of the law excuses no one" applies here.

There will always be a trade-off with free apps (hell, even with paid applications I would say!), the trick is finding it and either coping with it or find a way to do away with it. If you can't do that, find someone who knows, or better yet research on your own. Or maybe even better, get off the internet, you're probably not meant to use it.

LAstly, I'd opt for option 1.

PS. I don't know if this is the right avenue, but a probable improvement would be to include Skype(?) and add a conference chat.

Cheers!!!

I chose option 1 but I think it is the cause of my computer slowdown when I wakeup in the morning (after leaving the computer on for the whole night).

Why not have other paid option? I don't mind having to pay $10 for this baby. I believe this program deserves $10 from me, without any ads for course.

Good God you people are paranoid, hypocritical, fickle and backwards. Look to the crap your OS and AVs do in the background before you moan about grid research.

I'm also willing to bet nearly none of you actually work for a living - you know, where you learn the whole "nothing is free" principle?

Personally, I think it's a brilliant idea. And there are only two things I really want:

1. To know what research is being done, and:
2. A linux version that I can run on one of my almost-always-idle servers.

And maybe (if it's a public project) a badge or widget or something to show my support for it. My blog sidebar is on the bland side nowadays...

~ Wogan

I think you should have one free build the exact way it is now and a build with no ads in the installer for a small fee. This would ensure that the free version is not annoying as people will be used to it, but people who are complaining about the toolbars and such that are displayed in the installer can have the option to pay to remove them. Also, you should make it clear in the installer that the toolbars and such that you are given the option to install are there so there are no ads in every time use once it is installed.

Option 2 all the way. One of the reasons I keep coming back to Digsby (even though the CPU usage and graphics usage leave a little to be desired on my system) is because of its social networking integration and the fact that it is free. I'll happily donate my CPU time to keep this product ad-free.

It looks like the voting for "keep it free with optional crapware" versus "I'm willing to pay for a version that is ad-free" is running 4 to 1 in favour.

What Digsby must consider is the complete revenue model as well as the strong pull of a good product. In other words, even if only 25% of those polled agree to pay a small fee for the software, the revenue generated could far outweigh that generated from the "crapware enabled" model.

Additionally, I suspect that even if many users indicates they won't pay, Digsby is such good software (when it's sans-crapware) that many who say they would't pay to remove ads would eventually do so.

The ad-enable approach (with the option to pay if you don't want them) is actually a good option. Windows Live Messenger puts ads at the bottom of their GUI but offers no option to pay to remove then. It hasn't hurt them. Digsby users would at least have the option of paying a small fee to permanently remove them.

Thans for the message, is very useful to know this. I did nt have any idea of this before. I will not have any problem with option 2 except by the fact that I have an old laptop that I also use for something similar, but for my own beneficts... But I love Digbsy...

Let me start with that I moved from Pidgin to Digsby. The only reason I heard of Digsby is because of the 'spyware' controversy. I don't agree with the opt-out policy as most computer users that I support (computer tech) have no idea what they are doing when they install programs- so they get ALL of the 'optional' programs installed along with your program. This is what keeps me from recommending your program. Even though I personally like using Digsby over Pidgin I still recommend Pidgin to friends and clients. Kudos for linking to Lifehacker, you guys are seeming to be more transparent and that is cool but if there was an apology in your post it was wrapped up like a politician gives an apology.

tl;dr: Digsby installer = bad software, Digsby client = good software, Digsby transparency = improving

I absolutely love Digsby!

I agree that the hidden research was a mistake and should have been made very clear upon installation.

Other than that I adore digsby! Don't change anything!

/me dickslaps Digsby

Umm...
Actually I think no body feel happy to see this situation.
I'm trying to think out is there any IM need to pay for?...
I just installed the new version in my PC and even I didn't choose any buildin software it also install a additional one(I remember it called QQIE), so what is the reason?? It let my PC disordered and I feel really unpleasant!!
So, to earn money can be by anyway, but just don't let your great IM become to a Rogue Software.
In fact I love this guy~

I respect your need to pay salaries. This app is leading the field; it wouldn't have done so if it was left up to the vagaries of after-hours volunteers with differing levels of commitment, skill and vision for the product. Good luck.

i would of appreciated if you told us about the research module.

i have been wondering why my cpu graphs spike so much when i'm away from my computer. i would not of minded, but its been driving me nuts for some time now.

i installed digsby a long while ago, so it must of slipped in via the updates rather, which i think is rather sneaky. i have disabled it due to the fact i was not notified of this.

I strongly vote for option no.1 I love digsby because it handles so much in a clean and minimal interface. I'm afraid to say that the concept of "unobtrusive" ads in the UI doesn't sound encouraging. I despise advertising sitting on my desktop taking up space and distracting with wiggling garbage, and if such were to start appearing in digsby it makes it less likely that I would feel able to recommend it to friends or install in on a work PC. I'd probably try pidgin again even though I am much preffering digsby's functionality.

I, like many people, did not read all the endless T&Cs so I wont bitch about it, it's free and the information was in there, but I do think that the way this grid thing was hidden and defaulted on is a bit wrotten. However, Digsby are doing a better job of coming clean and making amends, however late in the day, than a lot of bigger companies do.

Just so long as you make the options clear to say no to, you can throw whatever bundled nonsense you want in to the installer process. Please keep the actual app clean and ad free!

Cheers
Will.

One of the reason open source software is so popular and so well trusted is because of its transparency. By installing your software I am saying that I trust YOU and IT. I hope you find revenue sources that work well for you and are non-intrusive to your customers. The more other companies are attached to your product the less people will trust you. It is a difficult situation to be in. I wish you all the best.

BTW its funny to be talking about all of this revenue generating stuff and to not see a simple donate button anywhere.

Before anything just want to say KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK! You guys are doing a great job with the program and been doing a great job of keeping it free. It is disappointing that the research module wasn't made clear, but as long as it is non-commercial research I could care less if it uses my spare cycles. The installer is bothersome and was shocking the first time I installed it on another computer, since the first time I had installed it didn't have all the ads. Yet I prefer installer ads than ads in the actual program. Ignore all these people saying they will not use digsby again, there loss in my opinion. You guys are doing a great job just make sure things like that are clear in the updates!

I have been part of a few startups that unfortunately never went anywhere, however each time we discussed many possible revenue models. The bottom line is, if ads get in the users way and they have to constantly click off of them, the user will find another product. Also, at one point in time, I actually didn't even install digsby because I felt the installer ads were rather flaky (it seemed like a doorway for spyware to me).

Anyway, what I would personally recommend is this: upon startup of digsby, display ads with a timer (15-30 seconds). With paid versions, do not of course. If digsby has been idle for more than x amount of hours, re-display the ad screen with the timer before resuming, only make it 5-10 seconds.

As for the background processing system, ask me before automatically installing or enabling it. If I was told about this and things were explained, I would say go ahead and open it wide up while I'm afk...

Hope this helps.

I enjoy using Digsby. You guys are great and doing a great job out there despite limited resources. You will always have my continued support. I love all the features you offer and how it all functions.

Great work!

Thanks for making it all happen and to have something like Digsby.

Okay - got an idea. FF makes a load of dosh through the Google Search Bar (NOT Google Toolbar). Digsy could have a Google Search bar at the top. It makes it more user friendly (added functionality) and also creates a revenue stream.

Investigate how FF makes it's money and copy.

PS. Don't advertise the Yahoo Tool bar it is a pile of crap!

Oh another thing too. I had to reinstall Digsby on my computer after I reinstalled Windows. Since I had used it before I knew what to expect, but I did notice a change when I went to install it. That, of course, was all the ads I had to go through. I didn't mind it and I picked and choosed through all of them, but to someone who is installing Digsby for the first time, and is unsure about it, I can see how it would look a little unsettling to see all those ad offers popping up. I still think that you should keep posting the ads. However, I think it would help if you emphasized beforehand and made it VERY CLEAR to everyone that all the ads are optional and they can decline whatever ones they want. I think it would help to ease a lot of fears that some people would have and increase the number of new people that download Disby. I've noticed a lot of sketchy products will bombard you with ads and I can see how a lot of people could draw that conclusion with your product. Just a thought.

First of all I love Digsby. It's made everything I do far more convenient and I would never consider switching to anything else. I first learned about the research module a couple of days ago while reading a post on CNET. The editor was advocating that people switch to other IM clients because of your lack of transparency with the research module. I disagree with what he said, but I could tell he was clearly frustrated. I've read through many of these posts and many people share the same frustration. HOWEVER there is one key difference between your company and a lot of other IM clients as well as companies in general. You genuinely care about what people who use your product think. You've read the buzz around the internet and responded to it, which I find very commendable. Few companies take the time to do that. Yeah people could get frustrated and go to another IM client, but in the long run I don't think they will be as satisfied. I'm happy your giving everyone the opportunity to voice their opinions about what direction you should take as far as advertising. Keep listening to what your users have to say and you'll be successful. Your going in the right direction keep up the good work!

What digsby does reminds me very much relatimg to bot-nets. I looked around for an alternative and found goober. goober has ads, actually very small ones and is by far the best product i have ever seen. Their voip rates are much lower then skype and their videochat is crisp and clear. They have included MSN, ICQ, google Talk, Yahoo and Jabber. I contaced their live support and they said facebook and Twitter will be in the next revision. Try it out its worth doing it.

Sorry this is irrelevant cause it's actually for the previous thread, but since you closed it so I'm saying it here.

Thank you so much, status contains link is now clickable again. :)
Random suggestion: It would be nice if we could make our previous chat line appear again when we hit the up arrow button.

I ♥ Digsby, you have made things so much easier for me. Thank you!

OK so I have mixed feelings about this. I still want Digsby free of ads(one of the reasons I installed digsby when it was still in private beta and stuck with it ever since), but you talk about all these things being divulged in the install... maybe a fresh install. Not in updates!

You guys have those announcements that say yeay! Digsby got better check the blog for more details. You talk about the new skins woohoo!!! but forget to make it CLEAR that all this crap was installed in the update.

A quarter of CPU usage is NOT low. One eighth is. But more importantly you should allow users to set advanced settings. I can appreciate wanting to dumb it down for users cause God knows users are dumb, but I would like some granularity. Let me set when it can run (time frame: ie 1am- 7am), how much processing power I want to let it run at (probably leaving the Max to a quarter cpu usage) and finaly possibly what research project I want it to process ( I can see this one being a hassle to manage so it would be a low priority for me).

Thanks for listening.

Hi There
I think your product is feature rich enough and stable enough that you should consider pay for product ? A similar product trillian do it . Do your sums guys and see what you can charge per product. I think plenty of people would like to pay for a good product like this.

I hate the garbage extra program thing that some programs do, but I have grown so used to it from everything between no name programs right up to big name programs so it isn't really a big deal.

I didn't know about the research thing, but frankly the fact I never noticed it before makes me happy. The research thing is a awesome idea, and when it is so "invisible" there is no reason not to do it.

I would go with option 1 really. Maybe option 3 which in this case would be finding a program that isn't "garbage" and try and get users to install that. What I have no idea, but something that wouldn't be considered AdWare. I know that's a big request, but you asked for a option 3 ;)

Moving the research and other things to the preference menu just makes a lot of sense for multiple reasons. The biggest one being people don't know about it so they can't turn it on/off. The second biggest being... They don't know about it... So they... Don't know about it... I mean really. Who looks in the help menu unless they want to see the about window, or get help? So potentially you are losing out on people that would advertise the program, but don't know about that built in ability. Everyone isn't going to see it in the preference menu either, but a lot more will (as I'm sure you realize).

Last but not least. You guys make a great program. I love the frequency of the updates, and the fairly frequent blog posts. Keep up the good work. But most of all hopefully you don't have the same fate as many other programs in this arena.

Good Luck

dude, digsby, i understand you want to appease your users, but they really need to get a life. this is FREE software they're all bitching about. FREE. and a majority of them pick and recommend solutions where they can continue to have it for FREE without any reasonable way for you to make money. ok sure, it would have been nice to shout in big bold words when the research module was first implemented and included in an update, but anyone who's using digsby for free (and that's everyone) should have no right to be infuriated. it's a simple matter to turn it off. it's no big-deal that it's there. now that we all know (although, it would have been nice to be notified in some context where i was made to read the announcement), we users can turn it off or leave it on easily. no need for this stupid uproar from free-loaders (and we are all free-loaders, although a case can be made we were unknowingly providing payment by lending our computer's unused cpu cycles.).

anyways, long post short, the people who are mad as hell about any perceived evilness on your part need to shut their trap or go make their own better and free chat client. don't lose sleep over them. you make a superior product and do not need to be ashamed even though the freeloaders are all calling for your heads (or at least wanting an apology).

Enabling the research module by default is NOT cool. I might be willing to donate processor time to benefit a charity or a favorite medical research cause, for example, but foisting it on users without providing clear information about the who benefits from the CPU cycles feels wrong. Your team deserves to make money -- you've got the best product in your category. Installing browser toolbars feels like a tactic from the Great Adware Wars of 2003-2008 and I immediately ran Spybot after installing Digsby to ensure I hadn't inadvertently 'accepted' anything unfriendly. Give some thought to tasteful, branded themes. Or let users unlock Pro features with consumer points earned by viewing ads and using the product for a certain period. Or by opting into a single-question, multiple choice product research survey which appears when closing Digsby. I'll keep using Digsby as long as the advertising remains unobtrusive, but I probably wouldn't pay for the product if I can find a similar open-source or free product. Good luck, and long live Digsby!

I should add that I think the research module should be disabled by default, but there should also be a reminder to people who leave it disabled ... maybe in the form of a link that says "Help us out!" and leads to information about the module.

... and I agree with the people above who have said it would be nice to choose which grid computing projects I contribute to.

If you guys have a way to get money for grid computing, I say go all out with that! You should make it more customizable (longer idle time required, customizable amount of CPU power, etc.) but most of all, you should get it to use the GPU as well. I play games so I have a powerful GPU, but when I'm working during the day I don't need all that GPU power and we all know it's far better at computing than the CPU is.

Been a fan of digsby for a long time. The installer ads are good but should offer more then some toolbars and junky apps. Go larger! Go gaming!

As far as the research module is concerned i think it is also great.

Keep up the good work.

Yeah, after years of experience, I have to conclude that opt-out and possibly upsetting surprises for your users is a really bad call. this is a bad call from an otherwise great team.

Very simply, your response here falls short. I hope you think even longer and harder about this and come out against your choices more clearly. I'm uninstalling and sharing my opinion as much as I can, until something more ethical, wise, and open is added to your response.

Leave the research thing in there if you really want to -- as an OPT-IN thing. I wish you the best and really hope you make the kind of money you deserve (serious money!) for this impressive product.

hi, i'm completely OK with #1 as far as you explain everything clear. Just one thing is that i would like to know what kind of calculation will be supported by my computer, thanx for such a nice software )))

it's cool program... thanx for letting me download it. i like it...

I use Digsby on a netbook, I have a laptop as my main computer. I have had problems with it locking up while idle quite a lot since I installed Digsby and now I think I know why. I really am quite unhappy about you doing this without permission and will never have it turned on even if having it off does not solve the lockups. I don't know who decided not to tell us up front about this, but they have done permanent damage to your company's image in my opinion.

I have to say. I feel bad recommending Digsby to friends knowing that they will have to wade through all the adware screens. It's definitely limiting my desire to spread the word on digsby

it doesnt matter to me what u add to digsby. I use the original atguard to guard against all tcp traffic, in and out, icmp and udp. I dont get ads with msn or yahoo because atguard tells me each time a request is made, i block it or allow it. I downloaded digsby because it has the same last name as me. Nice to know someone with that name has made some sucess, to me, it was/is just a curse. Good going Digsby!

iam using digsby since two months it is very easy to run my all acounts are in it iam very thank full to you DIGSBY

I've been thinking about the whole "Digsby using my computer resources" thing...

This obviously constitutes some sort of payment. And that's fine, if I've enabled it. And as much as I'd like to know, or even better, to have a say about what research my resources are being used for, I realize that if I'd parted with my money for Digsby (ie purchased it), I'd have no say, or probably knowledge, about what Digsby used those resources on.

So is it any different? I guess it's up to each individual, but for me it's not very different.

BUT, if it were possible, I'd love to know, or even choose, what projects, or project types my resources would be used to complete (a little like the different super options). Being able to choose may even encourage me to enable the option!

I have no problem with the research module running on my computer HOWEVER after reading the new wiki about it, I refuse to let it run on my computer.

Here's the problem: "The Clean Energy Project"

I have no problem with finding ways to get "Clean Energy" however, most of these organizations are extremely politically charged and I won't help anything political unless I know exactly who they are and what they stand for.

Now, if Digsby provided me a module that allowed me to research into the businesses and non-profits that are doing the research (by giving me their names, websites, and a description of the specific research project) and select which ones I will allow to use my computer, then I will turn it back on.

I would just like to say, LOL at people who are nerd raging about digsby trying to make a buck the least obstructive way I can think of. Maybe they should just use flash videos with sound telling me I've won a free ipod touch like AIM does?
The adds in the installer are a little iritating, but that's is quickly rectified when the thing installs without a hitch and works like a dream from the get-go.
So buzz off, nerds. If you didnt think Digsby had something worth them earning some cash for, you'd be using Pidgin anyway.

I think option 2 would be better.

I quite enjoy using Digsby and as I already have Folding@Home on all my computers I'm more than happy to contribute a few cycles to get a free multi IM program.

I'd be saddened but would tolerate it if you had no choice but to go with ads (for example the little ad in yahoo isn't entirely offensive and I don't stare at the interface all day.)

And to be brutally honest if it became a paid vs free version, I'd prolly move on or use it even less.

Digsby never told me about this research module which was really sneaky, but at the end, it doesn't matter!
It doesn't affect performance - you're obviously not using the computer when it kicks in.
It PAYS for Digsby. Would you really like those annoying ads you'd find on AIM on our beloved Digsby?
It is worth it considering the services that Digsby provides. You guys need to stop taking advantage of free stuff and then turning around and biting the hand that feeds you.

People just need to get over this. Those of you who are uninstalling over this matter are overly emotional. "Oh! They broke my trust!" "Waah! Why didn't they tell me?" If they did tell you, I doubt Digsby would have many downloads. It takes a little deception to succeed. And Digsby didn't try to get away with this, they came out with an explanation (scroll up). So please, grow up or shut up.

Digsby it a great product! The installation ads don't bother me...I can shoose to ignore them, if I want to. And, while I think that it would have been better to have let us know about the shared computing, it seems like a reasonable trade-off for the convenience I've received. Thanks for "coming clean", though! ;-)

I say, "do what ya gotta do"! And keep improving the product: For example, how about Skype access. (Other "universal IM's" that arent as good as Digsby provide that.)
And...WHEN will there be a Digsby for windows Mobile?

Thanks for a great product!

Its good leave it alone,its unintrusive and really smooth.
quit your complaining.

Grid computing is pure theft when it is used by companies, who earn money with their research. These are nothing else than modern vampires.

I finally took my time to read all posts about at Digsby as, honestly, I also did not know that some company uses my PC during my absence just because I run Digsby. I also did not know about the opportunity to turn off conduct research in Digsby's Help section.

Why is this feature not posted during installation??? Like Catherine said in her comment, obviously it was hidden on purpose.
Who really does read all Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy before installing software? Computer savvy or not, it is a matter of time, and I surely do not have enough time available to read all the small prints before installing software, although I know it's risky. But, over time you find +/- out by visiting software websites, if you can trust them or not. In this case Digsby Dev's did a big mistake, which actually already reflects their reputation on the net. Not only Lifehacker recommended to uninstall this product, also WOT gives Digsby an "unsatisfactory" reputation, and Digsby is blacklisted at SpamCop.

Digsby Devs ... don't you like to clean up your reputation again with a clean install, conduct research OFF by default?

It even would not be necessary to continue all these aweful offers the installation wizard presents. Every user enters "Preferences" as a first step after installation. You have moved already your "Support Digsby" button to "Preferences". Show "Support Digsby" in bold, red letters and you can be sure many people will download the crap offered up to now during installation process and also enable conduct research option.
There are users, who do not care, if their PCs are invaded by anonymous, but there are others, who care very much about. You try to tell everyone conduct research just uses RAM to store their results and does not touch the harddrive at all ... can you give proof that not possibly the one or the other researcher tries to retrieve some data from user's harddrive?

Digsby is a wonderful product and, like many of your followers also I went through nearly every IM application available on the net. I would NOT like to see Digsby going down just because their Devs got screwed one of these days by an unethic conduct researcher.

by the way this thing is real good but am having a problem with loging inn to myspace can you please look in to that for me thank you but other than that it is aowsome thanks for giving us something free

First, I want to say thank you for such a great FREE program. To all of you who forget that you didn't pay for the software you are taking for granted right now, try to remember for a second that nothing is free. If you didn't read the fine print at the start of installation and want to complain after the fact, shame on you. I don't read all the info up front either, but it's not their fault; it was all there in text. Don't like ads, pay. Who cares if your idle, unused computer is being to crunch some numbers?

I would prefer not to have to see ads and if that requires running something in the background, go for it. If that turns out to not be doable, I'll manage. I know that there are compromises when it comes to free software.

Thanks again for a great product.

I have absolutely no problem with it. It is beyond me why any of you have a problem with clicking decline a few times in the installer and the research module can't be considered intrusive unless your the kind of person who would claim a poodle was sexually harassing you, and even if you are that kind of person you can still disable it. I love digsby and i would love to see it get better and the money to do that has to come from somewhere.

A little busy to get into much here but wanted just to say that I appreciate & have well enjoyed Digsby. One thing I'd like to see is a means of doing updates (for slower connections) on demand & not automatically done before connecting.

A message popup would be, yes, much less annoying for me surfing from "sometimes" 1.5 - 12 or 22 kb/sec...lol

Other than that, adding video/cam would be a nice upgrade, providing it was done securely :p

As to the advertisements, this sounds feasible for something offered so freely & something so very convenient as the multiple IMs, etc, and in clicking on the Help > Support Digsby never noticed, it seems I'd like to do more for this project than simply subscribe to a Digsby Blog - let me know if & * ;)

Lastly, not having tried a newer installer, I'm unsure of where to make further comments, anyway...

Hoping everyone is doing well & let me know if anyone ever needs me ... night :)

Kosyman

I have a request for a feature. Instead of having the social services at the bottom of the list take up all of that space, can you implement an option that just makes them into icons in the chat list?

Something like this:

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/3171/digsby.png

It would make a simplistic look even better. I would love to see this happen, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. :)

Add features that could be useful to large office businesses and sell it.

i say stick with option 1,
i would much rather deal with the ads in the beginning knowing i wont have to see them again,
plus, the research model is really cool idea!
im going to make sure i have it enabled

One word


Trillian

Continue to do Option 1, but DISABLE the checkmarks by default so that the crapware is not installed on computers by novice users. Be responsible to your users' computers' health and help PREVENT bloating their systems with unnecessary software. Everyone gets enough of that from HP, Dell, etc. as is.

If your business model is based on how many installations of the advertisers software you can get installed on people's PCs, get a new business model FAST!! Tech savvy people are who you need to cater to for market penetration (ex. look at the slow but favorable progress Firefox made), and bundling crapware installation by default is not how to win them over.

I for one don't care about the background processing, cause it's just like SETI@Home or Folding@Home, however, better communication about it's existence would have been preferred by all. I'd like to recommend and speak highly of your software like I do Boxee, but with the current state of the installer, I can't recommend it to novice computer users.

The performance improvements you made on reducing system resources kicks ass and make it finally usable on a netbook!

How about this. Get rid of additional toolbar software and crapware installation all together. During the installation, or in the preferences of the software, bring up a notice about the collective computing module like you've already got planned, but also allow the users to choose which project they wanna lend their spare CPU cycles to (ex. breast cancer research). Be transparent about the projects, and let the users see a short overview of the project's scope and intent, allowing the user to choose which ones they want to support.

I'd be much more comfortable turning the module on knowing what my computer was researching instead of lending my CPU to only God knows what project.

catherine - you're exaggerating ENTIRELY.
They use a low profile process in everyone's computer to make digsby BETTER. When you're idle, no less. Does it matter? Most people use a quad core anyway.

1 - you only use the installer once, and the module doesn't effect anything.

I think this unorthodox practice is very pathetic.

This blogpost, prompted because of the outrage of users viewing the lifehacker story, should have been an apology for the way you implemented this but it wasn't and that's why I uninstalled Digsby and switched to Pidgin.

The research module should have been in the Preferences menu where all the settings should be, and it should have been opt-in rather than opt-out.

The installer should also have had the installation of crapware and other features (change homepage and search engine) opt-in as well (i.e. tickboxes should have been unchecked so as to let the user check them).

Finally, having "Digsby announcements" and the updates at startup with NO way to turn them off is highly annoying.

Weaseling your way out of it by burying this information in the Terms and Conditions is a great way to inflame the audience you're trying to court to use your product.

I have forwarded that article to many people I know that use Digsby and as we agree this is a breach of trust (who has ever clicked the "Support Digsby" in the help menu to look for settings compared to going into the most obvious of places, Preferences?) you can believe no one we know will be using your program, however good it is and may continue to be, ever again.

I think Option 1 is a great idea, but I would've felt a bit better if there was a big post about the research module upfront. Being in IT myself, I don't have an issue sharing resources when my computer is idle (which is like never) but as long as it doesn't create a backdoor for malicious users to enter my system.

Digsby is a great software. Small, functional, and much cleaner interface then other messenger clients. I am a regular user. I agree that it was MS'ish to not explicitly inform about the grid thing, but its actually a good buisness modell. Most people install these Grid clients, so obviously there are lots of resources users are ready to share if they know what it benefits. And I for one had it running for some time and didn't take notice for the most part. I say keep the Grid and the Advertisements in the installer. If it works for Digsby it sure works for me. Installing ads in the client would also take away on its clean interface. Keep up the work - it's the most innovative messenger I have seen since Trillian. And Trillian was never as stable as Digsby has been months ago already.

You, just like everyone else, are trying to make a buck. I'm fine with that and to be honest with you, I've recommended Digsby to friends and family alike and will continue to do so.

Now, I will say that you should have been more clear on how Digsby makes its money and that it uses our computers when they are idle. On the other hand, I didn't read the terms & conditions for using Digsby, so I believe that it is BOTH of our fault that this has happened the way it has. I am, after all, just as much at fault as you are.

With that said, I think you should make further offers to individuals. Allow people to set the preferences on the "Help Digsby" area. Don't just give the enable disable option, but allow us to set the time frame and other settings. For instance, I want mine to start after ten minutes of idle keyboard & mouse (not just five) or I want it to follow my computers energy saving instructions. So on so forth. Finally, what if I don't have a problem with my computer doing computations for you while it's not in use? My computer is on almost all the time. When I'm not using it (which is probably almost 13 - 15 hours out of the day), I want you to be able to use more then just a minimal amount of my computers resources. I want you to be able to use a percentage of my CPU's free resources (maybe 10 or 20 percent depending on the person). So, allow me to dictate how my computers resources are divided and how much of those Digsby can use.

All I'm saying is, individuals like options. Yes or no is an option, but give us more options. I know for a fact that I watch movies. This means that my mouse and keyboard aren't being moved for 2 hours at a time. Make sure there's a setting for individuals that allow for people who watch movies so their computer doesn't slow down in the middle of a movie. So on and so forth. Options, that's all I've got to say on that topic.

Digsby is an awesome program. I have two computers and have it installed on both. I love chatting with friends and think it's one of the most versatile programs I've ever installed on any computer I've ever owned. Keep up the good work and, as long as you A)tell me & B) give me options, keep on using my computer... You know, when I'm not.

I don't understand why the Grid Computing Module is such a big deal. If I haven't touched my computer in 5 minutes, it's probably because I'm not using it. And if it uses minimal CPU, why is it such a problem? Slowing down your illegal torrenting overnight? Paranoid to the point where every process needs to be monitored to ensure the CIA isn't reading your emails?

the answer to this situation is simple, after every post that someone sends via digsby it will be followed up with

-- Brought to you by Carl's JR.

Nevermind......Rochester, NY USA

What you need to realize is that you have a number of open-source competitors which have you beat in every way. They contain no ads, offers in the installer, or bundled crapware, they do the same job better than your product does, and *they are not developed for profit* but instead are developed for fun. You cannot hope to stay competitive and still turn a profit.

In other words, you have no way to survive. Make your time.

Digsby, will you divulge what country your entity is located in?

This happens with the EULA and those docs to everyone, no one reads it! nobody has enough time free to read and understand those documents when all u wanna do is to use the software.

At least if you are going to use computer power in the background, this should be advised by the user. Imagine a computer with temperature problem, that when idle freezes, and just noting that it was digsby using 100% cpu! Would be good at least to see a window indicating that is what is happening. Some of us will prefer banners instead of short-life or burnt cpus. The advantage of digsby is its low use of resources so don't waste them!

Augh. This thing seriously needs a "preview" option. @.@
Let me try that again:

I wouldn’t mind the installer so much if the things you offered inside it WERE NOT SPYWARE! There’s spyware/viruses riddled throughout your installer as it is now and even though it's optional, there's still a BIG risk of people downloading them, just because. (You seriously underestimate the humans ability to be STUPID.)
Trust me, I understand the need of corporate assistance but you should tell those big wigs that if there’s any spyware/malware/viruses, there’s no deal and you will be running your own tests to prove that there isn’t.

Seriously. I can’t believe you’d be so desperate for cash, you'd be willing to ruin peoples machines. Get some pride digsby!
Option 1 is the best right now I suppose but it still needs improvement.

Also, about this research thing... I don't really like it. I've had nothing but horror stories when it comes to "harmless research" and I -really- don't like it when things happen without my consent. (It hasn't been easy being a windows user. lol)

I read the LifeHacker article yesterday. Kudos to you for addressing the issues head on. I buy the fact that you are a young company and are working it out. I am sure that it is challenging. For those that are complaining . . .it's free and it is awesome! Chill out. As long as you are addressing the issue of transparency and full disclosure than you are fine by me. I didn't chose to install any of the optional tools but was unaware of the distributed computing. I don't mind. I'll let it do it's thing until it bugs me. You guys keep doing what you feel is right. You have a great product. Thanks to the Lifehacker article for getting the dialog going. Heck . . it got me to read the blog. :-)

I wouldn't mind the installer so much if the things you offered inside it WERE NOT SPYWARE! There's spyware/viruses riddled throughout your installer as it is now. I understanding needing corporate assistance but you should tell those big wigs that if there's any spyware/malware/viruses, there's no deal and you will be running your own tests to prove that there isn't.

Seriously. I can't believe you'd be so desperate for cash to ruin peoples machines. Get some pride digsby!

oh no I went in the settings and saw that that research thing was enabled!

This is a horrible move on digsby's part...
I wont trust you guys again.

You talk about bringing your product to Linux? Do you really think ANYONE using Linux would install your product if it includes any Spyware? IMHO I think not! Better to go open source and let the community build it for you!

I don't mind the optional "offers" during the setup process, but I really think you should have the "grid computing" features disabled by default. If you leave them enabled by default, corporate networks are going to ban users from installing your client, which will be a shame, because otherwise it's a terrific app.

I think that as long as you have accessibility to disable this functionality like the research and if it is called out in the installation, then I think that this is a fine business model. The Open Source model is a great model to have as long as it is for the right reason and that is for open information. Too many people associate open source with Free as in money and use the words interchangeable. You have a great piece of software and I think as long as the user has control over the CPU usage and as long as you aren't selling email addresses, then this is a good model.

As if anything is free? Do you think the folks that put this together don't have jobs and families?

So what if there's a research module running WHEN I'M NOT USING MY LAPTOP? So fucking what? Have you seen the ad-ware, mal-ware, spam-ware alternatives out there?

Digsby does a great, clean, safe job for free - but NOTHING is really free, get used to it. So you have to say no to a bunch of toolbars, big woo wah. Deselecting a few checkboxes is hardly rocket science unless you can't be arsed to read. In which case you won't have made it this far and you can go fuck yourself.

Digsby is the best chat, social network tool I've used and is constantly developed and well supported - for FREE!

I'm leaving my laptop on tonight so they can leach my CPU time. All for a good cause.

Cy

I can see you're running a lot of damage control and trying to save face here. I'll try to help you while cutting to the chase about the one thing that irks me about this more than anything else.

First off, what you're doing is a good idea for ad revenue as well and could serve to be useful for several other organizations that would constitute near charity work -- let's be clear here -- what you're doing is no worse/better on the cpu than Seti@ or any number of other projects (including things that are designed to run on your home game consoles, for example).

Secondly, I appreciate that my updated client at home started with this option disabled by default. Now, I will get to the point of what you could do to make me turn it on.

I'd appreciate some (a.k.a. as much as legally possible) disclosure in exactly what my idle time is going to be used for, I think as the owner of the hardware and the person responsible for the internet connection I have some right to know a little bit more about what my computer is doing other than a vague 'general large computational research'. Obviously it's not doing anything illegal, but I'd still like to know more.

When you install any of the other numerous idle research projects, you generally have a relatively full idea of what your time is being used for. Bring it to that level, for example -- if you told me you were going to use my time for Seti@, I'd probably turn this on and do that.

Also if you try to figure out a way to let users choose what their time is doing, and you will find many more people turn this option on.

I am usually the first to stand up for companies offering a free service by using ads or other ways to generate money. Hey -we all have to eat, and providing users with a free product in exchange for some ad viewing is a legitimate business model. Some people are more than happy to view some ads during install or even after in exchange for free, quality software (and Digsby IM is very good). I'm also a big proponent of grid computing.

That said... Let's all be honest here -the module was sneaked in. Would tech savvy people pick up on it and know to read every character of the EULA? Maybe, but many non-tech savvy people would not -and THAT's what Digsby was betting on. Any company that, as part of its "revenue model", has a mission to take advantage of the less knowledgeable is acting without ethics.

If research module was presented clearly in its own screen (such as they do with the crap-ware ads) in language the NON TECH SAVVY person could understand, I'd have less of a bad taste in my mouth over it. Also -do not be fooled, the module does not take a "small amount of CPU cycles". Try it for yourself and see. My computer fan started turning on like gangbusters every time my PC was idle.

Did Digsby break the law or fail to put in fine print what the software was doing? NO

Did the company act unethically in this situation? ABSOLUTELY

As far as I'm concerned, they're "stealing" computer resources from thousands of uninformed users. Someone here used the example of a wallet that has been left behind. To me, this situation is like if you saw someone drop their wallet and you said, "Unless you object I am now taking this wallet as my own." from five blocks away figuring you've given them full disclosure. If they can't hear you -that's on them.

I knew about the Resarch Module because I read the Ts & Cs on installation.
To all you lovely folks out ther who didn't read the Ts & Cs, your moral highground is looking rather like a wide savannah.

The Digsby crew are providing a pretty slick tool and deserve to make a buck or three off the back of it in my humble opinion, and they don't appear to be the immoral scumbags some of you have suggested.

BUT - we (the Digsby users) need to know what the research is. Digsby shouldn't use our clock cycles for stuff we may not approve of, and only we can make that judgement.

Modern computer users only want to be told the truth so they can make an informed decision, and not knowing what particular research project is running is a worry.

Meanwhile, I think you're doing the best you can here in putting right a cammunications breakdown, and you deserve respect for that, not opprobrium. Good luck!

Most of the apps I use are free-ware, so saying no to whatever offer seems pretty common place to me. I've had digsby so long I don't even remember what popped up on the initial install. The "research" button did take me by surprise, but it looks like that will be clear from now on. Overall the tone of the LH article seems pretty f'ing harsh. How about a "Did you know?" artile instead of "Damn this company to hell!!!" as if nothing like this has ever been done before. Whatever gets the hits for the advertisers I guess. BTW, I would totally pay for a "Pro" version or whatever.

A digbsy group chat would be so great.

I chose a personal option: I agree with option one, intall ads aren't anything to mess with me. Common sense tells those who don't want anything extra, to say no. Done.
On the otherhand, I WOULD LIKE TO BE INFORMED of anything that uses my cpu power up front please. That was sneaky to hide it into the terms of service, when in reality it takes much more to notify the general public. You could as if the option should be enabled/disabled either during or after installation. Thanks, I love Digsby, especially the new look.

Lord have mercy! You would think that all of the naysayers were 17 year old males threatened with castration the night before the get lucky!

All of this complaining about bloatware? Don't get it. How many of you complain to Adobe about the 'easter eggs' in their software. How many of you look forward to the new version of something just so you can look for the hidden stuff like it's a new toy?

Marshall:
You seem to have a problem with them tapping into other services (ok, you call it piggy back). I've been a software developer for 35 years. Even when a company creates an API and encourages others to use it, it still isn't easy to do. Especially when you have someone that keeps changing their protocols. And, by the way, those companies create APIs for the very reason that is Digsby. They WANT others to tap into their service so they don't lose their user base.

Open source? Now there's a real invitation to spyware. How many of you dyed-in-the-wool open source people actually review every line of code in the latest incarnation before you install it? Actually, here's a better question... how many of you would even understand the code you were looking at?

I've used Digsby for about a year now. When I installed it, the install process was different enough that I HAD to read the options being presented. Once installed, I poked around to familiarize myself with it.

Face it people, our society has become a bunch of freeloaders. Everyone, it seems, wants everything handed to them for free. Well, here's a news flash: the world doesn't work that way.

The most sad thing though, out of all of these posts, is just how bad the grammar and spelling are. And yes, you can tell when a post is written by someone that doesn't use English as their primary language and when it's written by someone that has is just lazy. And that goes double for the profanity. The English language is rich enough to get your point across without
the use of profanity.

To the Digsby team... THANK YOU! In the decades that I have been in the software industry, I rarely seen a company react so quickly to handle an issue as you have with this one. I love your product. I will continue to use it and I will continue to recommend it.

Cheers!

I will now step down from my soapbox.

Despite all of this, the only thing I care about right now is getting group chat to Digsby.

I like the option where they use my computers wasted power for something useful, enabling me to use this great product for free. The only improvement I can suggest is more skins and the ability to see and use MSN custom emoticons.

@Digsby: That's okay. I thought the right way but I did get confused after your first reply but then it's clear again. So that's all good.
Maybe you should add the "status" to make it easier for everyone? for example
Status: enabled → [button] Disable
Status: disabled → [button] Enable

burningfeetman said it well i think.

i too get a little icky taste in my mouth when i have to say no to a bunch of toolbars upon the install of programs. i would like to know what this research is about though. i use vista currently so i never really could use the sleep/hibernate feature anyway :) i will keep digsby on my home machine for a while still im thinkin.

I'd like research options on what to spend my idle CPU cycles on. I'd also like to know the research status, and how much I contributed and what company directly benefited from my research.

My main concern is, will I be researching a cure for cancer, or the next atom bomb...

Just want to say that I really like the Gid Computing module. I hope you guys have enough money to release the Linux version soon. Can't wait!

Damn, do people NOT actually use their brains when they read?

Digsby has made it PLAIN & SIMPLE in their explanation as to what did or didn't happen.

They have gone into explicit detail, stating what their new revenue models are. Yet what do I see, people flaming Digsby over bad business practices etc. I hardly count not completely stating what the extra program features installed as default with digsby as such evil to warrant all the tirades.

So here is a clue, if you do not like the revenue models Digsby has come up with, now or in the past, to bring in enough capital to continue the development to keep providing YOU, the END USER with a piece of brilliant software, FOR FREE non-the-less, then here is a suggestion:

Shut your f***ing pie holes, your whinging & complaining like a whiny little bitch, don't bother using digsby any more, & stop coming by to flame the developers. It is very simple to goto the Uninstaller, or Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> Change/Remove.

As they said at the beginning of this long page, they are looking for feedback from their users, on which revenue model (which they have already outlined) the users prefer, or any new ideas we have for them. NOT a free for all slag off & bitch at digsby staff contest.

What also I have noticed, is the sheer amount of ppl posting messages about their hatred of Digsby, & are actively promoting Pidgin. While I had never heard of Pidgin, prior to using Digsby & had seen it mentioned in some of the blog posts by users, it does occur to me that either serious Pidgin users, or ppl associated to Pidgin are going out of their way to trash Digsby, on Digsby's own website, & promote their own software in it's place.

Either way, this Blog was started in the idea of getting feedback from the users, on what they think of the business/revenue models suggested, & to suggest any ideas of their own. I think we need to get back to the main concept for which this specific blog was created.

And as a side note to this, those who are crying for the software to be split into multi-versions, with different functions/options etc for the more ads/paid for versions, get a grip will you. Going down that route will be the fastest way to turn Digsby into the same out shite that most of the often seen/advertised chat programs have taken.

I have accounts for most of those popular chat programs, only because I had been using them before I found digsby. I no longer use their software, just the IM accounts. Who the hell needs to have advert intrusive shite bogging down their system constantly.

So your computer uses a few extra CPU cycles while your NOT USING your computer, it is not like Digsby is Hacking your computer, stealing your private/financial details, or filling your computer with tons of virus/trojan/worm/malware/etc.......

As already stated plenty of times in this blog article, it is VERY SIMPLE to change the settings & turn that option off.

I think that the research module is probably the most novel business idea that I've heard in a while. If it uses a minimal amount of CPU while the computer is otherwise idle, it should never have a significant impact on the end user; 10% CPU utilization isn't going to make the CPU throttle increase. It might be worthwhile to consider adding other options - such as letting people choose specific projects to participate in or opt-out of, have the program use more or less CPU, or change how long the delay is before it runs - but those can be worked out at a later time.

Like many others, I'm disappointed that this was added without an announcement in advance, but I'll get over it. As long as Digsby doesn't start showing ads in the program or attempt to take over my computer when I'm using it, I don't have a problem with this.

Unfortunately many ISPs in Australia charge for uploading as well as downloading to the net. Mine doesn't, but it is an exception, so while the research work is admirable (I hope) just how much bandwidth is used> And I would definitely want clarification on the type of research it is used for! I, for one do not it being used by some Petro-Chemical company to cause more pollution or nasty chemicals. I think Option one is the way to go, but I'm afraid until I know more about the "research" I will be disabling the option.

Using my computer without my permission in any context is unacceptable. Given that I use background processes for tasks like ray-tracing and similar, and that I got the grid computing module via auto-update, the first notice that I had that it was included was when I noticed a drop-off in my work-flow rate. That's a direct harm, that is, and Digsby has directly cost me money. Specifically, running a graphic for a client that took me four hours before takes nearly twelve when the grid computing is enabled. In turn, that means either I charge the client three times as much, or I have 1/3 pay for the same work. Since I work on product output, only I suffered - but that's pure chance. At upwards of $1000 a project on some items, that's expensive indeed.

To make this be OK, it would be essential to have the grid computing be an obvious opt-in, with granular control to keep users from having their work-rate trashed in other tasks.

Also, if I'm going to participate in a grid computing process, I want a place I can go see what that research is, who it's for specifically, and who's keeping what rights to what. Hiring me to work for someone somewhere on projects I may or may not have ethical concerns with is seriously not OK.

This is a breach of privacy, a breach of ethics, and my trust in Digsby - already low - is just about nil now. As of this point, unless this is fixed and rendered completely transparent, I will not be recommending Digsby to my clients, my friends, or anyone else, even with a caveat.

In the interim, I'm informing ALL my clients and networks of this breach of trust - I'm sure those who make money by running background processes will be pleased to know where their drop in productivity went. I expect more than half of them to switch on the spot to another chat client. Digsby may be the best client for chat I've met in terms of capabilities, but for many it's not worth the surprise ethics breaches and monetary costs to keep using it.

@Wetdryvac We are working on making options more transparent to the user when they sign up

Here's a thought for executing your revenue generation:

Force users during the install to in some way to “support” digsby via a point system. So explained as an example... The user needs to get to 3 points. Paying for the app is an automatic 3 points. Putting Ads in the chat window or allowing distributed processing is 2 points. Getting five successful referrals is 1 point. Viewing several possible installable applications is 1 point...and so on. And then the users can at any time opt-in or opt-out for whatever “support” method they prefer, making them aware at the very beginning that the product they have is “free” but requires their “support” So that they can utilize whatever method they find “least” obtrusive and you get to keep the lights on. Then if at any time the user feels they need to change their support method they can as long as they maintain their 3 points. Then if you find another method of revenue you add it to the group of options with a point value hopefully dependent on its obtrusiveness and the revenue it can generate. Plus it can give you real data as to what methods users prefer and offer more support options in that vein.

Which will hopefully satisfy your needs, and make the users aware upfront with what is being done no matter what is decided.

I do not mind the ads at the first portion of the installer at all. And the grid for distributive computing is an excellent idea. While those who know better and understand your plight are smart and are for the free and ad-free digsby features you currently implement, people slow on the uptake who do not understand just how trivial their statements really are will continue to blow smoke at you, so you need to put the option 1 terms in laymens for those who just don't understand.

I don't mind running the research module. I would be interested to see what it is doing though. But I agree just let me know and let me choose what to disable or enable. I do like the latest version of Digsby. I did get the little popup letting me know that the research modiule was running. It would have been better while going through the upgrade to choose to enable it myself. I think that the Seti project was one of the first grid computing projects out there? Is this the same kind of thing (not searching for aliens, but grouping computers to gather parts of data into the bigger picture)?

I knew about the grid computing thing for a while now and actually had it disabled.(I run on an old P4 2.4c so I need all the CPU power to keep up with the world) I forget how I heard about the option and how to disable it, but I knew I had heard about it months ago.

I think it's great what you're doing and I don't mind option 1 at all. Having full ability to opt out of everything makes me very happy with the product.

It's too bad if you lose fans over this. I know that you're doing things differently than the commonly known open source pidgin, but I really love your interface and while I still have a couple gripes about it that I have made suggestions about in the forum, it's still a quality application.

Although some people do make a decent point about making sure your users know about the research module. Maybe make it part of the install to enable or disable or on first launch ask the user if they wish to opt in. Good luck on all your endeavors, I will continue to use your application.

Copied from www.lifehacker.com



Digsby Joins the Dark Side, Uses Your PC to Make Money

"The popular Digsby instant messenger client not only bundles half a dozen "optional" crapware applications, it's also using your computer to crawl the web, do stock market research, and more. It's time to uninstall."

By the way: http://wiki.digsby.com/doku.php?id=cpuusage is almost cute.
It kind of reads like this:

"Digsby uses your computer to do grid computing and grid computing is great! With grid computing one could cure cancer, find a cure for horrible viruses that cause AIDS or Dengue Fever and fix gobal warming. And if you're letting Digsby conduct research your PC won't be doing any of that!
Instead, your computer will do something that we won't even tell you about, like browsing and indexing the internet behind your back. Did you leave your computer to make a cup of tea? That's great, Digsby could be browsing child pornography right now ... but don't worry, Digsby doesn't know what its doing, it just wants to be thorough and index every page on the internet."

I don't even know if the research module does actually browse website to index the internet, it probably (hopefully!) doesn't. But since you guys are still so incredibly vague about it I just have to assume the worst: Digsby's grid computing module is probably simultaneously downloading huge amounts of child pornography while finding more efficient ways to torture cute puppies.

Just tell us what the module is currently actually doing instead of telling us as vaguely as possible what it could be doing.

I didn't know about the research module, maybe its installation should be notified more clearly?

However, I have absolutely no problem keeping it on. Actually it's a great option instead of ad support.

Keep up the good work!

The research module should not be enabled by default and should be a clearly defined option during the install. I feel that my privacy and trust has been violated by Digsby because the research module was hidden from plain sight. If Digsby did not confront the issue with this blog post, I would have uninstalled the client and never used it again. Please be honest with us, the users, and we will be willing to help support Digsby.

Way back before you guys released it to the public I got an invite. The program was great. It was slick, didn't use very much resources, etc. But now that I've discovered this shit you've pulled, digsby's been uninstalled.

There's plenty of free alternatives that work just as well. I'm sure the think tank that came up with digsby can figure out a way to make it free without all of this underhanded bullshit. Maybe when you guys remove all of the extra shit bundled with the installer, and remove the web indexing "research module" I /might/ consider going back.

But until then: sorry mate, get fucked.

I'm all for research, but in my experience I've rarely found any "automatic" program that doesn't get on my nerves without the ability to at least get rid of it for a bit or curb it back. In my case I feel 5 minutes would be too short. If it where maybe for 10 minutes afterwards, then it's either not being used or a movie is being watched in most cases. The low priority thing was a good idea since some people run small web servers and such on an extra box and it sucks when something needs to be pulled up real quick and there is a delay from Apache from something else chewing processor. Also I like to know who I'm helping on CPU. So that's mainly why I chose the first.

The first I'll admit had me worried when I first installed again on my new machine, and I was like "crap... they had something good and went and screwed it up with ad software." I know that's not the case, but it did make me pause. Less so now that more and more software is doing so.

So maybe a middle... many more at the beginning and I feel the line would have been crossed to just flat out annoying. So have a few ads at install, and allow some variation on "time before kick-in" for research module. Maybe try to spin it as helping community somehow or even you guys, but you'd have to be sure the people using the cycles were groups that people would feel good about. People like to help, and knowing who their helping helps. :)

Hell, maybe give a dropdown on a dedicated setting page to choose which group gets the cycles and a little ad for the group on every client when they highlight that group (Then you could charge the group for an ad that's always there. On top of access to CPU cycles. ;P). Then just make sure it's required initial setup and everyone's happy. Let the people choose. :D

I will use Pidgin when it matches the functionality of Digsby. Until then, no thanks

Let me get this straight... you piggy back off of services that you don't host or pay for like facebook, myspace, twitter, google talk, aim, yahoo, msn. Probably derive a lot of your code from open source libraries. Your installer contains crapware and you look to your users for advice on revenue production after you've already slipped some of this in without letting your users know. How is this a good business model? You are forgetting that the same niche market that use your software all also usually tech savvy.

Fuck Digsby www.pidgin.im

@Marshall We are asking for feedback from our users on what they would prefer

Still feels like you're playing with your users!

The toggle for the CPU usage option is a button marked "DISABLE". If I click that button, it changes to "ENABLE". So what should be shown if one DOES NOT WANT CPU USAGE enabled? You have combined a button and a status...

@Mike8 The button is an indication of what you want Digsby to do. Clicking on "Disable" will disable it, and clicking on "Enable" will enable it.

Just use Pidgin:

http://www.pidgin.im/download/

I'm not a fan of the spyware, even though you're upfront about it. Its intruding and I don't appreciate it. Youre product is great, but I'm not sure if I can continue using it until you've gotten rid of this. I would pay a modest price for Digsby if it was spyware free.

I also forgot to add:

Digsby and those who still support it can now go to hell.

I'll keep supporting Digsby if you guys follow up on these changes you said you will make.

Xfire support please...

Seriously people.. Some of you are acting like someone slapped your mother. Just disable the research feature and keep using Digsby or continue to be whiny little B*itches and move on to another IM client.

I had noticed that the sleep/hibernate function on my PC had not been working for the past little bit and I bet i have just found out why. I suspected there may have been a gremlin at work, but certainly didn't suspect it was Digsby.
On balance, I'm going to give you guys the benefit of the doubt here, but shame on you for forgetting to tell us, very clearly, that this option existed and was being enabled on our machines. If you're smart enough to build Digsby, you're smart enough to know that this always needed to be front-and-center during the install process.
Now that we know that the Research Module is there, I think we also should know what it's doing. Are we curing cancer, doing sales research, or something else altogether?

Oops, I just realized that I wrote "Option 2 is the lesser of two evils" where I clearly meant "Option 1". "Option 2" would actually force me to look for another IM client.
What an embarrassing mistake, I wish I could edit my old post.

I like both concepts but I really support the Research Module. I already run similar programs on my computer (BOINC and Folding@Home) and I would not mind in the least letting Digsby use some of my CPU. I haven't checked out the options yet, but if it's not available, please let users control the module! I have no problems letting it use CPU power even when my computer is not idle, and letting it use a set % of CPU power and RAM.

I know how it is for a young company so I guess all the coverage and stuff that's been said about you recently will be troubling.

I just wanted to say thanks for being honest about this. While it was misleading to begin with I think you will now have learnt your lesson and won't do it again. As a result I will continue to use Digsby, and recommend it to friends (as well as alerting them of the research module) as it is still a great IM client.

Please don't ever do anything like this again though. Being a social media tool means you're at the whim of those who use you. Don't abuse that and keep honest and you'll get much much further than if you were to adopt an alternate strategy.

Best of luck with the release.

I love the Research Module concept. Although I know lots of people are (or soon will be) upset by the lack of transparency, it had a positive effect on me. It lets me know exactly how little the Research Module effects my computing; I *never* noticed a performance hit caused by Digsby and never had a reason to suspect that it was doing anything unknown to me.

I'm not a fan of tool bars. I don't install them. Is Digsby donationware? could it become donationware? I would much prefer to donate to Digsby occasionally and not have to un-check all the adware infected tool bars in your installer.

I love Digsby, it is a great application. The fact that it is free is a big part of that love. Back when Trillian started charging for its software, I stopped using it. It was a great program, but there are so many free alternatives that paying for it just didn't seem practical.

Wow that's too bad.

Big mistake Digsby. I will no longer recommend this program to my friends and will be uninstalling it immediately.

Transparency is the best policy. I like the freemium model where the basic program is ALWAYS free with no ads or malware installed. You can offer a paid model with professional features enabled.

It would be simpler to charge a small fee for the program, or make PayPal contributions optional. If I use a program for any length of time, I make some contribution when I have the option. I think paying for a service, especially in order to make a good thing better, makes sense.

I wasn't bothered in the least about the optional software that came bundled in the installer, lifehacker was just being silly IMO, like you said, you have to pay the bills and a one-off advert is better than fair trade for free software, but your use of our computers without our permission for whatever processing tasks you assign it is a serious and legitimate concern. Regardless of Digsby's ethics, we should never trust any company to do this.

Wow you guys have some toughest users to deal with. I am impressed with the quick response to the LifeHacker article. I vote for option 1. I just think like most of the sensible on here, just keep us informed when it involves using our processor for things that we didn't know they were used for. I know it was in the TOS and the blog, but something like that maybe needs an email and a tweet. (Just a thought) Either way, keep up the good work, you have a lot of people out there who really enjoy what you guys have created, thank you for letting us use it.

Grid computing enabled by default is unacceptable, i never expected something like that from digsby. Even if digsby is by far the best multiprotocol messenger, this will probably force me to use another program, since it says a lot about the way that digsby developers think.

I can switch on or off the various offers. That doesn't bother me. The lack of clarity about the research module does though. I'm already donating 100% of my free CPU to the various BOINC modules I have loaded. An issue that I've been noticing, taking 10-15 minutes to get out of screen saver mode, has now been solved by turning YOUR research off. It doesn't have to be flaming blinking type to indicate it, but I think a one liner about just what this research entails would be apropos.

Well you lost several users. Our company will not let us use you anymore cause you cant keep it pure... fail

Thank you for the notification about this message, I had no idea there was Grid computing built into this program (I fully browse all setting panels, but did not think to look under that hidden link). This may have been behind some issues I am troubleshooting when the machine was left unattended, in the very least its one more thing I need to rule out now.

I already use 100% of my Core i7 920 for Folding@home and the GPU for Folding@home as well, so understandably I do not want other Grid computing programs on this or any other systems.

With some games if even 2 out of the 8 CPU threads are in use by another program the game will lag, even though this is less than 25% of the CPU. So I don't want anything running on my computer that I don't explicity know about and approve first.

Option 1 I have zero problems with as I understand that is how bills get paid. Offers are fine as long as the stuff stays off the drive unless I specifically choose to install it first.

Thanks for this thorough and effective communication.
I just love Digsby. It is a fun website that offers a great convenience. It is also relatively stable and free of "bugs." Keep up the good work. We want you to make it financially. With appreciation, Carol

Wow, lots of comments. I second the opt-in approach. I am fine with the installers, but the CPU thing is a rip. Fortunately, I close Digsby completely when it is not in use, so this would never have affected me, however I find it very disturbing. Had you put it as opt-in (rather than opt-out), I might have considered using it to support Digsby but now I will certainly disable it.

I think Digsby is the clear winner in available multi-protocol IM clients. I like it a great deal. But the second I see ads in the active interface, unobtrusive or otherwise, I'll be looking for a new IM client. One of the distinguishing features in Digsby is that it's quite customizable, which allows me to make an extremely low profile interface. Ads would totally destroy this quality. By the way, I already knew about the research option, as I think many other users did, so I don't think the issue is quite as subversive as some make it out to be.

Pidgin ftw. Been using Pidgin since GAIM. I have a custom Openfire server and have my employees using Pidgin. Digsby has a couple nice features but it's not worth the bloat/insecurity. Pidgin-encryption is a must as well and it is not offered through Digsby. Another reason I don't use Digsby is their lack of support for Linux.

Ha! I didn't know about the research model because I didn't read the manual. I'm pretty sure that it was actually activating and messing with my computer's performance while I was using it because I play a lot of online games using a PS2 controller (through USB adapter). Not being mouse or keyboard, eh... I dunno.

But anyway, now that you've informed us that it can be disabled (which I've done, to your possible dismay) all seems well. I like things the way they are, and I hope you don't choose to change to the "UPGRADE TO PRO" method that a lot of other IM clients use.

Thank you for putting things out in the open. I'm glad to continue using your product. (I have a widget right there on my site)

I am really mad and I uninstalled Digsby, although up until this day I was sure that there is no IM like it. Why? Because I don't like when somebody tricks me. I don't like when something is happening behind my back. I didn't see anywhere any kind of information about the background research process and the reason why my Digsby takes so much of my bandwidth - and I am not stupid (hell, I even have a master in computer engineering!).
Unforgivable! I know I can switch research off, but now it is too late, I don' wish to see and hear about Digsby anymore!
p.s. probably somebody here read the book Hyperion? I felt like those people whose minds were stolen for a while, during trips through portals....

Just one constatation. Do you remember how much CPU and RAM Digsby used earlier in it's beginning? Guess why :)
Who knows for how long they were doing something behind our backs...

Stick with option 1, I use it because it's one of the best and free to use. I try to use all the best freeware options where ever possible (lots of shareware fees become a huge amount) and would look for a free alternative if Digsby introduced a charge or a pro version.

The comments got to be tl;dr, but even though I didn't know about the grid revenue until today, I'm not upset about it at all. Even had this post not gone up and I discovered it another way, it really wouldn't have bothered me too much. I would like it if you could let us know what research (or groups of research) the module contributes to. You guys make a great product, keep up the good work!

I wish I'd known about the research module before this blog post. I work for a large research organization/university that would be highly upset if my CPU were being used to support other organizations' research. It could even be a terminable offense.
I've disabled the feature now, and I won't be turning it back on. But I'd like to find other ways to financially support your fantastic, wonderful, useful product. But I am disappointed that this was not clearly portrayed during the install or first execution process.
Thanks for making it clear in this belated post, though.

All that money and time on development, and you go and sink your company by doing something stupid like this. I am, like many others, currently uninstalling your app, never to install it again. In this day and age you do NOT get a second chance when you violate your user's trust like this.

When I was doing my search for a multi-protocol chat program, I found Digsby. Did a little research and read that it had "spyware" or "adware" in it. At that point, I didn't care how good it was, it was not going on my computer.

Now, that could have been a half-truth but it was enough to steer me elsewhere.

As you know, crapware, adware, etc. is a very HOT topic. Digsby users are probably more saavy type users and so our ears are tuned up to things like this. Nobody wants to be exploited and I'm sure that wasn't the intention but you've got a PR issue immediately that is hard to recover from when people feel something "else" 'might' be going on, on the sly.

Now, it could have been misinformation on the part of the user community but nonetheless, anything of this ilk comes across in bad taste and is ripe for gaining lots of BAD PR.

I think users understand that this kind of development can't be done for free and your honest approach in this regard at this time is the way to go.

I'll probably get torched for this, but I personally have liked the model of a light (ad free version) and then if I like it so much and I want the premium features, I pay for the more robust version. Maybe you offer a light version with 1 social nw interface (Ad Free). To have 2 social nw interfaces, costs $5; to have 3 costs $10 to have them all $15.

Not sure how you'd handle upgrades. Maybe a lifetime version for $x during a limited time offer. Or get free upgrades for a year and after that, major upgrades cost $5-$10 to next version.

You could then also offer a fully ad supported premium version.

I think the Installer with Ad offers is an uphill battle on the PR front. It's got conspiracy theorists blogging to the high heavens, which will seriously slow adoption rates.

The Research Module doesn't interest me. I hate extra processes running, even when their intelligent enough to "stop" when I get back to work. I'd rather not have extra junk in the trunk.

You should make more install steps, One that tells the users about ways to help keep digsby free.
Once I read this I made google my homepage and my default search engine through digsby, hope that helps.
The grid computing option is fine with me but I would like to know what it is for, and to beable to choose if I would like to help with the research (you said it changes).
I would even be willing to set its cpu usage higher when I am not using my computer. As long as its for good research.

My main issue with all of this is that you went and added something without making it clear and then apologize and make changes to what it should have been from the momment you put the update out.

1) You mandate the updates

2) You install some modules on my system to enable this grid service to run

3) You don't let me know exactly when or what it's doing and use indeterminate terms to say exactly how much resources it will consume to run, like if it's on a laptop it may or may not run at all.

Now I'm expected to trust you that you're not doing other things or possibly running the thing regardless of my settings. It's all very dirty and shameful. To your credit however, you responded quickly and apropriately. I won't uninstall your services at this time but I will keep this in mind and in the future if there's another act like this our relationship will be over. It also makes me dubious about paying you for anything.

While you might wish to just dismiss me and say "fine, we don't want you anyways" I simply wish to remind you that in the future you need to do things like this better, perhaps offering a clear changelog in the install and not just on the blog. People appreciate transparency, like you've demonstrated in trying to explain this mess, a great deal. When you don't do it you get called out by websites like Lifehacker and when you do you get praise.

I do enjoy your product and it is one of the best IM clients I've used, but I simply won't stand for uninformed and nonconsentual use of my computer and my privacy - you can claim you had it in the terms of service but I shouldn't have to check those every time you update - you do it a lot, changes to the terms of service and the like need to be made clear.

Charge a small fee for a version without all the bloat. I would pay 10-15 bucks for a premium IM client that I know for certain is streamlined and bloatless.

I think most people would.

I wasnt happy about my cpu being used, but i am over it now. I will not allow it to continue until i know what the research is for. How about a couple options on different research we can help in. I would be much mor einclined to do that.

Option 1 seems fair as long as you moving forward ALWAYS make sure you let us know ahead of time what you're using on our computers, etc.

I almost got rid of this program when I heard about this CPU issue, but as long as you give me the choice up front and be honest about it...not sneaky then it's all good.

I'm perfectly happy with Digsby. The bunch of options on the installer may be a bit annoying but it's only once. I choose to use Digsby because there are no ads or "deals" with search companies or anything else. I wasn't aware of the Grid Computing Module but now that I do know about it, I'm not upset over it nor do I feel entitled to an apology. It obviously wasn't affecting my computing or else I would've noticed it FAR sooner. I'm more put out over BOINC continuing to suck up my CPU after disabling it than I am over Digsby using a percent or 2 to run some algorithms.

Basically, what I'm saying is, Digsby: You do what you have to do to continue bringing us a great product and still keep the bills paid. Too many people seem to have this sense of entitlement and want to take, take, take without giving up anything. Support is a 2-way street and you have my support, fully!

I just wanted to add another positive note. The Permanent Notice until you click it would have been nice for those who worry about their software coming with extra unannounced features. But I remember when you guys mentioned this so I'm all for it. ;P (Though in their defense, not everyone keeps up with your Blog). Keep up the awesome work. It's obvious you're keeping the end user in mind while trying to make it affordable for you, and I can only applaud that. It's always the negative that are the loudest, though they make up the smaller portion. (And I am guilty of not putting positive notes up myself, so I'm working on it. ;P )

I don't why these guys do but i have absolutely no problem with anything that i don't know about and will never know about. use my computer when i'm not i don't care. might as well put it to good use

It would be a good idea for let people choose the percentage of CPU cycles that the research module would use, just like in Folding@Home. I am saying this because some CPUs have power save mode. They will go out of power save mode if the load is higher than certain percentage points. We might be OK for Digsby to use our free CPU cycles, but we might be OK for Digsby to increase our electric power usage.

There's a lot of noise up there but hopefully somebody will lay eyes on this.

I don't like the ads during the install. But they are quite unobtrusive and I really don't mind at all. The moment ads show up in my application though, I'm leaving.

That said I think that Digsby is SO fantastic that I would DEFINITELY be willing to pay a bit to have a version with no ads.

I don't mind losing a few CPU cycles to keep Disgby free. I rarely read anything that would have told me about it and the fact that it was buried doesn't bother me. I CAN see how people might have gotten upset, but thank you for clarifying everything.

I understand you gotta make money. I hope you make tons of it. You've got a great product. Please DO NOT OPEN-SOURCE IT! I'll probably get beaten for that statement, but whatever. I write software for a living and I know that it takes a LOT of work to make something work as well as Digsby works. STAY THE COURSE! STAY AWESOME!

i was a little weary at first when I seen all these toolbar and other adds trying to install but then I remembered every thing you install has that.

the joy of the internet is that you can make money off of adds
as well as the joy of television
the tricky part is , is making sure your adds aren't harmful to your users, if you want a good fan base.

seemingly by all of these comments, you guys probably do make a quite nice sum of money off the adds and other research hiddenware that may be in digsby

put emphasis on your donations
quit paying so many other people
save your money!

What are the guarantees that this "research" process, which is by the way executed locally, and has control over the PC not going to be used to take over people's computers, security is an issue, this feature makes digsby illegal by most corporate policies. (If you read your company policy it most likely says that the PC is to ONLY be used for that particular company's business needs, third party research, especially unmonitored does not fit the bill)

Option 1 is fine as long as the research module and any further crapware is moved to an opt in/opt out screen just like the current crapware so we know what we're actually getting. Burying it in the user license agreement that you know no one will likely read is disingenuous.

I just want to take a second to clarify about the grid computing option. It does not take 100% of your CPU, it actually only uses a small amount, less than a quarter of your CPU. Your fans shouldn't turn any faster, than when its idle. We also took into account if your using a laptop and if its running on the battery, in which case it will run lower or not at all respectively.

The announcement pop-up today was the first I ever heard of the distributed computing. Of course, I've been using Digsby for over a year, so if it was a new feature snuck in in one of the myriad updates, I wouldn't've seen it the original install...

Until I know what the research is going for and/or have the option to pick and choose between different choices, that is being disabled.

I use Digsby because it doesn't show ads all over the place. If it starting popping up ads, I'd have to investigate a different way to keep in touch with the few people I chat with on it - while it is a multiclient tool, currently I only use it for email notification and MSN...

I'm one of those people, though, that will pay for sites/tools for an ad-free version if it is something I use frequently (like LiveJournal or DeviantArt) even if adblocking add-ons to the browser normally take care of it for me, so I'd support a paid version of Digsby if the price were reasonable...

Well I too was unaware of the cpu being used in idle time and I see as I look it is on, A very popular thing these days ati catalyst software has folding at home as optional option to have installed with their catalyst video control software,BUT THE BIGGER THING i NOTICED IS ALL READY BEING A DIGSBY FAN FOR A SHORTER WHILE THEN SOME IS YOU NEVER SEE ANY OF THIS IF YOU ARE AN EXISTING DIGSBY USER AS DIGSBY UPDATES ITSELF COMPLETELY BEFORE YOU ARE TO SIGN IN ANYWAY.AND FOR ME THR SHARE CPU WHEN IDE OPTION WAS ON BY DEFAULT, GLITCH,OR OVER LOOKED OR???

I think it's pretty sad that this post is almost identical to the previous one.

Oops, caught again
we're sorry
won't do it again

we promise

Add a minibanner the size of the bottom contact list accounts (twitter/linkedin etc) and allow dissabling it, I for one would not mind a non intrusive banner there.

(Because I'm greedy like that...) If I can have all features available for free, let the ads fall where they may.

@C.S. McClendon, Technohazard, Nathan, Michael Allison, & Fireinme ... very well said. It's good to see there are people out there with a little common sense!

You are a deceptive, cheap, lying scumbag of a developer. Perpetrating adware and malware because your software is "free" and advertised as "free" is a scam, plain and simple.

I encourage everyone here to try out Pidgin, a real, open-source client that won't covertly steal your processor cycles. http://www.pidgin.im/

I appreciate all you do at Digsby. I am glad I now know about the research in the background. It's nice to be a part of something bigger. I definitely understand how some can feel upset that they were not explicitly informed about the background research process but, honestly, the benefits outweigh the costs. Digsby is still the BEST option for IM and social networking. I look forward to the Mac version, can't wait to get rid of Adium on my Mac.

Keep up the good work Digsby!

I wish you had disclosed the research module a bit better, not just because people were unaware of the opt-out options, but also because it's a wonderful business plan. Digsby, though it has been making mistakes, is truly innovative.

Pro-version software will just encourage people to circumvent it through illicit means, anyway. Many installers are packaged with ads for other stoftware these days, even Java! Personally I think it's a great plan and one that should be continued.

When there is a need for additional revenue, more creative options can be explored, but keeping Digsby both free, and ad-free, during use I think are important to users. I think the devs realize this, an I praise them for their hard work at making things more transparent as well.

Now, more bug fixes! *cracks the whip* lol

I'm surprised by all of the people who are so upset by this. To many people seem to be motivated by greed and expect something for nothing, but realistically, that's not how life works. You shouldn't be upset if you didn't read the license agreement - just because you don't read it doesn't mean it wasn't there or that it was hidden from you. People want to believe great software comes from some genius programmer sitting in is basement all day whose purpose in life is to make things for free for other people out of the goodness of his heart. Truth is, there are real costs & Digsby has every right to make money how they decide, as long as they advise you of it in the EULA. If youe don't agree, you didn't have to install it then and you don't have to leave it installed now. I think we could all use a healthy dose of realistic perspective in this situation.

I love this product. Excellent idea from the get go. Use it to it's fullest. But what really gets me is the number of people who whine, complain, and are incredibly critical of something that is FREE! It's FREE folks! F R E E ! Option 2! And be sure to make the Pro version with more features than the free version. Oh, and load the free version with as many ads as you can for all those "cheapo's" out there so you can get paid for all your hard work. That will really give them something to whine about.

I wonder how much more I paid on my electric bill because digsby was churning my CPU when I thought it would have been idle

I love the Digsby product and I can certainly appreciate the effort that has gone into providing an alternate revenue stream.

That said, I think that preying on the ignorance of the "average user" is not the best model. By this, I mean that "options" should be disabled by default with a request for users to consider them.

Making something enabled by default, or making the installation interface confusing so that people are more likely to install your partners' software is something i would consider to be ... unsavory.

You have an incredible product which provides people with an experience that they not only want to rave to their friends about, but would gladly pay for.

It seems like you may have had a disconnect between your goal of revenue generation and your experience not as a developer, but as a user. Think of it like this: Would you want your best friend/parent/significant other using the installer you've provided with the options you've set as a default?

I for one would gladly pay for this product. I would also be glad to enable research (on my home CPU, not work) if I am presented with that request. I'd even be willing to deal with ads! But no sneakiness, please. :-)

PS: If I'm helping with research, i'd like to know what, specifically, my CPU time is going toward. A model like Sony uses for the PS3 might be something to consider!

It's odd how when something is “free” people don't ask “what's the business model that allows it to be free?” Google's searches/docs/email for you aren't free, they are using the information you provide them to generate ads for their customers to improve the likelihood that you will investigate their customers products or sites.

The issues is that finding out that someone is making money or doing something without the user realizing it from the beginning can make them feel a bit cheated. And it just so happens this guy woke up late in the game and has access to a well regarded tech website. Then wrote a rather negative PR piece just because he isn't following the development or even has the common sense to read the Wikipedia article on your product.

And kudos to you Digsby guys for making the effort to clean up the mess. And asking us the users of how you can make it clearer to us so that way we don't get those “hurt/negative” feelings from using your product. And you know what if you want to hand out $1 per referral or $100 per referral, that is your call. It's your business model. If you're making money, well congratulations! That means your model is working.

And further to you credit, way to be innovative. Able to make it near seamless to the users. Here are some of my recommendations: Give the users access to some of the reporting of the research that is being done. Whats being researched by who? Because if you give us the option to turn it off or on, let us understand better what it means when the setting is “on”. Because you can rebound with some good PR saying that you're doing genome research to help find a cure for cancer (even better if they pay you to do it). Maybe allow for %CPU limits, or %ram limits. I'd be more than willing to give you the whole box sometimes, and restricted others. i.e., my laptop at home vs on the go. Maybe have a check box for when on batter power...but I digress...

And publish some of your usage statistics, number of users, avg # of chat/social accounts per user, % with distrusted processing enabled (I'd be interested to see the changes after this most recent article) etc. Since the word is really out now about your distributed processing aspect of your product, I bet that will gather the attention of potential clients. Making that easily available to them to understand their market penetration etc and or to the publish for bragging rights :). I've always been a fan of full disclosure and openness in business. Because if the end users have access to information to begin with, it helps cut down on these kind of issues.

Best of luck, keep up the good work, and thanks for making it free.

This is ridiculous, guys.

Digsby did absolutely nothing wrong and should not be apologizing. Although we'd all like free software, the fact of the matter is that money makes the world go 'round. I trust this post enough not to attempt to check on its validity myself, and if what is said here is true, this is the most user-friendly way for Digsby to make back the money that was put into its development and distribution.

I'm no more into crapware than the rest of you, but if clicking "No Thank You" on a couple of offers and having to disable a feature (you only have to do it once, and it only takes a couple of clicks) allows Digsby developers to further improve their software, then so be it.

That being said, Digsby's a much better track record with these kind of issues than any commercial application, and has twice the functionality.

Here is a novel idea, how about you have two versions, one with adds and this type of nonesense and one that I can pay $20 to get rid of all of that and just use an IM application?

Com'on, one of the developer was a shacker right? He should know people DON'T READ TOS, and yet the blogger still use it as a part of his defending argument. Shame shame.

I'd rather have a one-time fee, to purchase Digsby, than the other options. I don't like ads in programs, neither do I like bandwidth and CPU cycle stealing junk. I for one have an extremely high-powered computer, and when Digsby (or anything else for that matter) grabs the CPU, it can really jack up the power bill. Quickly. So paying for the app would be a better approach.

I think Lifehacker's post was a bit harsh. I think digsby is great and I wouldn't mind either of the options.

I can understand why others would want option 2 off by default. Maybe a better option to ask the user if they would like to turn the option on during the installation, because it if was off by default, many users may not even know it existed. I think another option would be to allow users to donate money.

I can't believe how many people are butt-hurt about this whole thing. I don't understand how people think you were trying to "hide" option 2 from the user when you explained it it that blog post earlier. I hate how some people don't think about the people who help put out a great product like Digsby. Bills need to be paid and people need to eat!

You guys are doing a fantastic job and in the end, as long as there aren't ads on the actual client I am happy.

not a fan of toolbars, but making it 100% optional makes the offers permissible (but there sure are alot of them in the installer) i like the idea of the research module. i just enabled it but i would ask that you add it to your privacy policy. just copy that wiki page on it (http://wiki.digsby.com/doku.php?id=cpuusage) and you will answer all but one of my questions. i just want you to be very clear and explicit that you are doing research WITH my computer, not ON/ABOUT my computer.

keep up the good work

I did not know of the researching module until after LifeHackers post. I think uninstalling Digsby was a little major, though I do protest that this kind of thing occured. I think you are a great IM client (I'd used Trillian for years before) and would hate to see you go, so you're not. However, I just want to express my opinion on the fact that I think you should have made it more public on the fact that the research module was there doing what it does. Yes, I understand that it was in the TOS but you and I both know, nobody reads those!
My suggestion: Keep Digsby the way it is.. I'd definately sacrifice less than a minute of my time hitting the "decline" button while install. Maybe add a one-time popup that has details on the research module so new users (and people who don't read the TOS, your blog, or Lifehacker) know what's going on when they're not around. No ads=happy customers and you are delivering that! Don't change that, just make more publicity on the research module!
Thanks for your hard work!!

I'm a relatively long time fan of Digsby. I love the skins, I love the feel and I love the overall handling of it. It offers many features that I won't find stock in another IM application. The main benefit of it for me though was the fact that it was relatively low on resource usage.

This newly implemented "feature" basically destroys my initial reason for using your product over another.

please, please, please, ONLY USE OPT-IN OPTIONS. companies which make hidden, piggy-back software a default-enabled installation on upgrade or initial installation are SHADY!!!! please don't become that type of company.

can we please let digsby be a company which is upfront in all disclosures. if you need additional software for revenue streams, disclose it prior to any install and ALLOW THE USER TO OPT-IN. please completely discontinue the trend of installing software behind the scenes without the user's explicit permission. you will end up losing a good portion of your user base by bloating your install with piggy-back software and deceiving your users.

I really like option number 2 and I will leave this option enabled. It is an approach that uses available and unused resources. Leaving a computer on when it is not being used wastes a lot of electricity, maybe one computer by itself does not consume a lot of electricity but if one pools all the unused computers that are left on and unused that amounts to a lot of wasted electricity. It would be interesting to see what the difference in consumption is between an idle computer and a computer running the research module. This sounds like a green approach to getting computer cycle and a revenue stream for you at Digsby. Congrats!

I'd love to see how many of the people complaining about Digsby's 'breach of trust' and demanding an 'apology' have donated to the site? Anyone?

The Grid-based computing app is an excellent and nerd-friendly idea, I just prefer transparency in my license agreement. If the Digsby dev team provides documentation in the installer with an option to disable, there's absolutely nothing ethically unsound about it.

Remember - unless you donate, you're using Digsby for free, and you have absolutely no right to DEMAND anything.

Like the devs said - they're a young company. This is a fairly easy mistake to make, especially if you're pressured into it by advertisers and the need to put food on the table. This doesn't excuse deliberately malicious behavior, but has Digsby really been malicious in the past? Quite the opposite - they've had opt-out 'adware' installers from day 1, and even the grid-computing module is (presumably) for anonymous contributions to scientific research.

In short - they've not done anything to deserve the torrent of internet-hate I see in the comments. I'm not going to uninstall Digsby, I'm still going to convince my friends to use it, and I'll leave the grid-computing app active. Keep up the good work DigsbyDevs!

Ok folks, I've read every comment on this page, and here's the bottom line as I see it... First, my answer to the question at hand... Keep Digsby just the way it is... I chose to use it -because- there were no adds in the program. Why? Adds suck up my ram, and beyond that, they flash, they buzz, and can contribute to seizures, thereby leading to physical harm. If you decide you simply must go with a paid version, please A:keep the free version as it is and add even more functionality to the paid version. B:make it a one -1- time cost... pay $$ once and receive this program and all its future updates for no additional cost.

Now... in response to all the whiners and complainers...

1. Stop expecting to get something for nothing... this is capitalism folks, and if the money isn't coming from you directly, than it has to come from somewhere.

2. keep in mind that Digsby in and of itself contains No bloat-ware and or crap-ware. Let me say that again.... No bloat-ware or crap-ware. Ie:its only bloat-ware if you choose to install it and then find no use out of it.... if you don't install it, there is no bloat. If you install it and find it useful, then again.... there is no bloat.

3.To all of you claiming that this was 'hidden' or 'underhanded' or 'sneaky'.. You obviously have not taken the time to either A:read the documentation included with the software. or B: explore the software itself to learn what you were getting into.

4. Now yes. All that being said I should very much prefer an 'opt in' setup to the current 'opt out' version, but do I think the digsby team has been at fault? No. Not in the slightest. It was my responsibility to read and make certain I understood every part of the documentation included with the application, as it was the responsibility of each and every one of you who have instead chosen to whine and moan, thus becoming part of the problem, rather than part of the solution.

5. To those who say you should be made aware of what research is being conducted on the grid which your computer has been made a part of... I strongly recommend that you Google the term "Nondisclosure Agreement" before continuing to make so much noise about something you so obviously do not understand.

In closing, to the Digsby team... keep up the good work, and please avoid pop-up and banner adds at -all- cost for the sake of the good health of some of your users. To those who -support- digsby... keep it up, your making a positive change in the world we live in. The the whiners and complainers, its time you get over it and move on, not to say that you don't have the right to your opinion, but quite simply.. we've all heard you, and speaking for myself... I simply don't care to hear anymore from you.

Good Day.

Release a pro version, i'll crack it myself, and upload it on mininova XD XD XD XD

I really dont mind using my CPU though, if its idle that is...

As someone who has used Digsby for a couple of years now, I must admit I was a little surprised to learn the information I did yesterday. I have helped to install Digsby for about 10 of my friends and have recommended it to countless others. I only have one complaint about the whole situation: the research module. I fully support the use of my PC for research while I'm not using it, but I didn't know that Digsby enabled this by default. I also take some of the blame myself for not reading the EULA, but think that it would have been better to be a little more upfront with how Digsby could use one's PC. I disabled the research module for right now, but I think that if the Digbsy team could find a way to allow one to choose what research was being done (think BOINC...) then people would be a little less mad about this situation, and I would turn it back on. After reading through the comments, I see a lot of different points of view and here's mine: I don't mind declining the additional software that is offered in the installer, but tone it down a little. 2 or 3 programs max. I have to help people install it because they're not that good with PC's and have NO idea what all the extra stuff does. The idea of a paid model does not appeal to me personally as I pride myself on using as much free or open source software as I can. (Which is why I don't use Trillian.) Open source would be a GREAT option in my opinion as it would allow a lot of smart talent take some of the load off the Digsby team. Whatever the future holds for Digsby has yet to be seen, but in the end, it's still the BEST multi-protocol IM client available right now for the average user, and I fuly suppport the Digsby team in whatever decision they make to continue work on this wonderful program.

I really love Digsby and I highly appreciate the way you're dealing with your users. Please don't change the model into option one. It's always better to listen to your clients ;-)

I'm don't care about programs you put into installer,i always carefully fallow installation but the way you implemented "Research Module" is really shameful.Most of users (including me) probably 99% don't read License agreement and you counted on that to sneaky pass this research module and you were doing that for 8 months..i don't care if you use my cpu when it's idle BUT I WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT!!! .When i installed Digsby 2 months ago i didn't get any notice about this!I'm in love in Digsby but i'm really afraid that you will do something worst than this.

Option 2

I don't really see any other way now with major news outlets now picking up this story it's never going to be the same again for digsby... real shame.

I love digsby, minimalist, simple, easy to use. The option one is the best.

Rather than putting a bunch of options for various crapware in the installer, why not instead defer that choice for a trial period instead? Put a notice like this in the installer:

"Digsby costs money to develop. We hope you will eventually consider making a small donation or helping in some other way to defray these costs. However, we want you to make sure you have the time to get to know Digsby and discover whether it's right for you before having to make that decision. Therefore, after you have used Digsby for 30 days, you will be presented with various offers for products or services which you can accept to contribute to Digsby's development at no cost to you. You will also be able to make a straight-up donation. If you decline to contribute, you will not be asked again on this computer by this version of Digsby (you may be asked again for major upgrades or if you reinstall). You can always contribute at any time by choosing Support Digsby from the Help menu."

When the offers pop up, the options should be to choose an offer (such as enabling grid computing, installing a toolbar, etc.), making a donation outright, or declining all offers. There should also be an option for "Not right now, ask again in a week." Ideally users would get some additional functionality if they contribute.

After reading all the replies to this Article, to date, I thoroughly can't believe how stupid & idiotic some people can be. I was completely shocked by how angry some of the users got. For 1 thing, the program that all of the people here have been using, is "FREE".

So the fact that you didn't make certain Business Models/Ethics completely clear from the start, but now you are putting right the wrongs from previous, whether or not you were beaten to the punch by another website is besides the point. Unlike numerous people on this Article, just because you never made it clear about the Research part of the program does NOT make me want to run & uninstall the program faster than rats trying to leave a sinking ship.

I wholeheartedly agree with the comments made from ppl like Angel & a few others, who can't believe the Whinging & Whining comments certain ppl have made. Those whingers & whiners, you seriously need to "grow up, & get a life".

You've made a brilliant piece of software, & what's more, you've offered it to your users completely free of charge. I remember a phrase from when I was younger, about never looking/kicking a gift horse in the mouth.

I thing I could suggest, is that make the references to your Research part of the program ALOT clearer, right from the beginning. I also think that instead of going through Next, Next, Next, etc... mouse actions to complete the install, all the offers/addons etc (inc toolbars, research, etc) are all displayed on 1 page, with a tick/untick box beside them, that will make it alot easier. Also, they should be set to Disabled/Off as default.

I absolutely abhore Adverts in my chat programs, whether they are in the Main Program Interface, or in the Chat Window. To the user who mentioned about the possibility of adverts based upon what your typing in the text window, what a crock of s***. Have you never heard of Infrignement of Civil Liberties/Invasion of Privacy/etc... There is NO WAY I would use a program that started using whatever I was using typing into the program, to give me adverts on that at the same time, that speaks volumes on spyware, or other such invasions & snooping.

I say go with Option 1.

For those who argue for the adverts, then what about the possibilitiy in the installer, you can put your 1-time only adverts etc, but also give the user the option that if they wish, to help fund your software development, the choice of having adverts in the chat window or the main program interface, but by default it is NOT Enabled.

Personally I would prefer the chat client to stay as it is, NO ADVERTS, EVER.

To repeat what others have said, to help with your software development & keep wages being paid, how about your own toolbar, but again this MUST have an option to Opt-in/Opt-out, default set to Opt-out (not installed). Also, I like the idea that if a user so wishes, he can click a link within the program, to help fund the software development of their much loved software, by clicking the "Donate" Button. I however think that this Button/Link MUST be located in the Drop-down "Help" Menu of the main interface.

I see nothing wrong in giving the user this option, so long as it's not blatantly in your face every time you load the program or go back to the main interface window. I'm developing a website at the moment, & while it's going to be completely free to any & all members, I will be putting a "Donate" Link into the site, possibly in the About or Contact Us section of the site.

What about a comment by another of the users here suggested, using small adverts on your website, not plastered all over the website, maybe just 1 on the Home page & 1 or 2 on the Download page?

What I truly love about this program compaired to all others I've used for the last 15+ years, is you regularly listen to, & take advice from your users, & we quite often see you've implemented some of the comments/advice/suggestions that people have made to you.

I like the new look you've implemented, looks awesome. The only problem I have, is not being able to use the File Send when in MSN, it just never seems to complete. I also haven't been able to figure out how to load up new emoticons, the same way you can with MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger. Although, It could be the various security programs I have installed, or just not read enough of the options yet.

Thank you for a truly awesome Multi-Messeger based Chat Program.

to what Martin said first they say it in the terms of servise if you read it maybe you'd know about it so dont blame digsby for your lazyness and its sad to see a lot of people dont want to support a REALLY good program such as this i say option 2 i dont mind ads on the window aslong as they dont install harmful stuff =D and if i had the money i defiantly get the adfree version =D

keep up the good work Digsby and thank you for explaining about the research thing =) i dont mind it running on my computer

I love your client and I would love to pay for a premium version. Regardless of which option you go with please offer a pay version. DeadAim offered a paid version which I gladly used.

You may have a PR problem going on with this stuff. While I am a fellow RITer, and I understand that you guys need revenue, you have some awful reactions spawning from the research module:

http://digg.com/d310giZ

Why use this garbage when you can use a clean program and support good people? Miranda IM or Pidgin IM client. No need for any of this mess to begin with.

miranda-im.org
pidgin.im

Can I order French Fries, becuz(and yes i know its "because") everyones bitching is as completely absurd as my prior question.

Do what it takes to survive and please please do not placate to the horde of "enthusiasts" remember the incredibly overwhelming majority of users 95% + have no idea or care about this issue. I believe this patronizing post is perfect to let the nerds vent then the story fades to black.

Do what you will digsby! I want you to survive at all costs. The more b1tchy nerds left behind the better.

I accidentally chose option 2, but I meant option 1. Anyway here are my two cents.

I do not like either form when they are not transparent, but as long as they are and completely opt in at both the install or as a preference setting. But the bundles do pray on people who just click next. I looked over that carefully, but even as a geek I skipped the ToS. A program that uses our own resources either for revenue and/or research needs to be disclosed prior to install.

Having options to enable/disable such settings under the Support Digsby menu was a bad call. I interpreted that menu to include word of mouth badges, widgets, which it does, but NOT features like the research. I have since disabled that feature but would gladly enable it once it is more transparent. I do not mind dedicating my resources for Digsby revenue or the research itself. I view it much in the same way as Folding@Home which will do protein folding simulations on a PS3 or PC. But transparency is key.

I would suggest even more controls, such as what time of day, what days, etc, you would like to run the research, and what idle time you prefer. This is especially needed in any areas where bandwidth and/or data caps are imposed

I think the research module should have options as to what kind of research it can do. I don't mind distributed number crunching but i don't want the web crawling bit associated with my pc/ip

I think this whole fiasco rather highlights the ignorance of the average PC user these days and how even the best of tech blogs can resort to tabloid trash reportage.

Personally I had no trouble downloading the crapware free version that's available on the download page, although not prominently, for obvious and fair reason. Had I downloaded the crapware version I'd have had no problem not installing the crapware. It's really not that difficult.

I don't honestly know how I became aware of the research module, but I was aware of it. I turn it off on my workhorse PC, I leave it on for the systems I have running 24/7 that are frequently idle.

Lifehacker were bang out of order with the tone of their article, utterly abysmal from such a highly regarded site, and they've roused a pitchfork wielding mob of hicks and retards with it.

I can only wish you good luck in trying to restore order, morons are hard to settle when they're motivated by their own sheer stupidity.

You can glady use my bandwidth, cpu cycles, ram, electric and whaever you need of my system. Like your young company, I need a way to supplant my young self sufficiency. ALL THESE ARE YOURS FOR A PRICE! WE CAN DISCUSS ACTUAL MY TERMS. I HAVE MY BUSINESS MODEL ALSO. not prudent gentlemen, really not NOT cool either!!

fail

Digsby, too little, too late. The rising star called Digsby is now Pidgin! Let's face it, you got caught, your reputation is ruined, and thousands have left you. Nothing new here, that's what's expected.

Now how the hell do you get out of this hole:

MAKE DIGSBY OPENSOURCE!

That is the ultimate level of transparency you can ever get. Allow donations, allow others to submit plugins/bug fixes. They will be working for free. Don't even think about putting ads. Since you got into this mess, you can't have any money for a little while. You have been tainted by way too many blogs, you don't deserve to get money with these shady tactics (yes, they are shady, you should have warned us when you were implementing this).

If you don't act on this, just watch, soon some other client will take the #1 spot.

















I hope that the digsby staff reads this comment and replies!

I would like to add my voice to the fact that it's important for your users to know exactly what the research feature is being used to do.

Until I can see somewhere what exactly my idle CPU processor power is being used for, I feel the need to disable that feature. Call me cynical, but the last 8 years of BS american politics have reinforce the notion that "trust me, I have your best interests in mind" should never be trusted.

Trust is earned. So clearly show us what you want to use our spare processor power for, and you may be surprised at the support it brings for certain endeavours.

"Idiots".........You are the idiot here.....and prove it.

"I am not affiliated with Digsby at all, rather a fellow entrepreneur who gives respect to this team for making a living off what they love doing. Yet am annoyed with the illegal downloader attitude that everything should be free and the way I want it to be. F*Ck off kiddies - grow up and live in the real world and contribute to society!"

I don't care with whom you are affiliated, if your attitude as a "fellow entrepreneur" is as you have presented yourself on this feedback forum, I would like it very much if you would also give the name of your business, so nobody, especially "newbies" gets misled by your lies that you feel is honorable. Even when paying for a product, the person selling it should be honest with the client. Freebie no different! Didsby offered their product as "free". Nobody forced them to do it that way. As many have stated here, they would be willing to pay for a good, clean product.

for a little over a week now i've come back to my computer to find digsby completely frozen and not responding, requiring a task manager end task and restart of the program. i had no idea what was causing this until now. your fucking shady invisible research module. you just lost a loyal user who's pimped your product to at least 5 other people (one of which notified me today of this shit, thanking me for getting them to install that research crap). i'm telling them all to un-install as well. you don't fucking touch people's computers without making damn sure they know about it and approve it.

Irony? The site that boosted Digsby's popularity (read the blog posts before this one) will also bring it down. Go LH.

LOL! Underhanded get rich quick scheme fail!

You claim "We want to make it completely clear to all users so Digsby is not doing anything you don’t want it to do." This is incorrect. Digsby is opting me into a program and forcing me to opt out. I don't want it to do this. I want it to ask me up-front, as you do for your other optional installs, whether I want your background code installed or enabled. Your opt-out model has pushed me back to using a recommending open source clients. Bye.

Trust is the issue here - after finding about this crap, I have no way to trust that something like this will not happen again.

Ill will is something that is very hard to overcome and those that feel burned by your practices will probably never come back.

The thing is you did what you did because almost no one would opt into something like this, you chose to be sneakey to earn a buck. Your efforts are too little too late...

"Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me"

One Huge note: The research is turned on by default (or at least I never turned it on). While I'm interested, this should be Opt-in, not default on.

I would like a list of what my research computing power is going to or the option to choose. I do want to support digsby, I never will with ads from install bars, and I would like to the research thing. However, I don't want to research things I find objectionable, like creating weapons or a zombie Apocalypse (or more realistically: analyzing the behavior of humans for better ad targeting).

Dear Digsby: Please feel very ashamed for supporting crapware.

Any business model that is based on unaware users clicking the wrong thing and counting on them to not become aware of what they are really installing, is completely despicable.

There are FAR better ways to make money. It is sad really you thought this was the best route. You swim with the pond scum and you'll end up being associated with them forever.

Disappointing.

Has the Digsby team tried opening a donation area? I know that a lot of online sites can now generate at least part of their revenue through donations, which would help increase the revenue for Digsby without forcing adds on people and forcing payment to get rid of them (like trillian).

And to all of you whining about the research? It's not shame on the Digsby team, it's shame on YOU (and me) for not reading the TOS. You agreed to it; it's your fault, not theirs.

Was unaware of the research module but am impressed with how ubobtrusive it is. I monitor my processes quite a bit and Digsby was never a concern - Tweetdeck is!

I trusted you with my account credentials and you breached that trust. You just can't move options around on a menu and expect to fix this. I've uninstalled.

the problem here is just we don't know how much this programs that Digspy runs on our PC is secured?

can Digspy company confirm this information?

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15. USAGE OF COMPUTER RESOURCES.
You agree to permit the Software to use the processing power of your computer when it is idle to run downloaded algorithms (mathematical equations) and code within a process. You understand that when the Software uses your computer, it likewise uses your CPU, bandwidth, and electrical power. The Software will use your computer to solve distributed computing problems, such as but not limited to, accelerating medical research projects, analyzing the stock market, searching the web, and finding the largest known prime number. This functionality is completely optional and you may disable it at any time....

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15. USAGE OF COMPUTER RESOURCES.
You agree to permit the Software to use the processing power of your computer when it is idle to run downloaded algorithms (mathematical equations) and code within a process. You understand that when the Software uses your computer, it likewise uses your CPU, bandwidth, and electrical power. The Software will use your computer to solve distributed computing problems, such as but not limited to, accelerating medical research projects, analyzing the stock market, searching the web, and finding the largest known prime number. This functionality is completely optional and you may disable it at any time.

got damm you digsby... I was totally in love with the green alien. Digsby reinvented the IM chatting, and is the best client for the facebook. You absolutely reinvented the IM again after ICQ did it in the 90's.

...but after I read this article today about the cpu usage abuse I felt betrayed, it was like sticking a knife to my heart.

Only now I realized why in the fuck hell my pc noises and the fan working extra hours. I kept blaming my new beta OS Windows 7, but now I understand that wasn't the issue.

shame on you digsby... I will disable this research support but I guess I will continue using this client simply because this is the best client ever.

I wondered what processes were running while my PC was at idle but digsby is such a great tool the convenience it allows me from not having so many IM clients running during the day I dont mind it at all and left it enabled.

It might be somewhat corny and underhanded, but what if you put a new topic under the "help" tab for example. The new topic could be named "disby sponsors" or "digsby ads" or something like that. If you click that topic, it would bring up a new list with all the ads you want on it.

if you did something like this, no one would have to look at the ads unless they wanted too, and it would still be revenue generating, because ads would still be there.


You guys are getting rolled by the users out there. Stay open with the community. Dont feel bad. You cant get something for nothing. That is something that the open source community often times fails to recognize. Open source is great, if you can afford to write code for free whilst still offering a great product with great support and userfriendlyness.

Honestly people need to just shut the fuck up. Stop whining, it doesn't affect your computer one bit and you would've never known about it had Digsby not told us or you hadn't read the lifehacker article. I'm glad that my idle work computer can actually do some good for the research project.

I swear, more than half the people posting on this are flat out retarded.

People use Digsby or Pidgin because there are no advertisements or other annoyances. If you copy your hated competition like AIM you'll end up being hated and you'll have no competitive advantage.

Option 3 - Why not create "Pro" calibre features that are worth paying for? If you want money then you have to offer something worth money. Tricking and selling out your users is the worst idea I've seen.

But don't take my advice. This is the last time I'll ever come to your site or mention your products. Good luck!

Lifehacker's article was off-balance, and was reacting to anger at not readily knowing about the grid computing. With the new changes to make that readily known, I am 100% happy about Digsby. Free, no adverts after the installation process, awesome program with active community and development. Sounds like a great model. Who wants to look at adds all year when you can see them once and be done?!?

OK first off I did not know about the Research Module, but in all fairness I typically do not read all of the info that comes out for this great product called Digsby. So even if it had been announced I probably would not have read about it, there was something in the announcement for this blog that peeked my interest so I red this one. Now that I have read the post I am glad that Digsby is looking for other ways to make money other than annoying adds.

@Most of the previous posters: I find it completely disturbing to hear all the negativeness in the comments to this. Your now on my banned software list, I have now removed your software and may not use it again, and so on and so on. Look people their a new company putting out a great product and mistakes about not letting people know some things are going to happen. All companies go through this and many new companies in the future will do this same thing. This is no reason to jump ship, accept that they realized that they were wrong in not coming forward sooner and forgive them this one transgression. I am sure this has taught them to be more careful in the future with this sort of thing.

Basically I'm saying get over it and move on this sort of stuff happens. If it happens again then you can get in an uproar about it but don't give up a very good piece of FREE software just because they had an ingenious idea to try to pull in some money to keep going with their product development. You guys complain when features don't get added that you think should be there, so give them the means to get more people working on it so they can fill your every desire.

@Digsby: I would say emphatically do not remove the Research Module. I have done some of the projects in the past and have no problem letting you use my wasted resources from when I am not using my computer.

With that said some info on the projects that you are using my resources for would be nice. Also, once you get your feet back under you and fix your oopsie then maybe putting a little more into the module so that the users have a little more control over what projects they would like to work on could be nice. And maybe some statistics (people are competitive by nature) as to how much work an individual has done and where they fall in with the rest of the users and such.

With some more work on this I think you could have a very nice addition to your product. Use Digsby to chat and help cure cancer or aids, etc.

Keep up the good work. Don't let the naysayers and negative, now ex users, get you down. You have a good product, you are thinking outside of the box, and I think you can come out of this will you head held high and having learned a little lesson from it.

I, like many others here immediately uninstalled Digsby after reading the LH article. I felt that I could not trust a company that operated in such ways. I had installed Digsby before the integration of the crapware model, but was completely unaware of the "Research" module.

I think it should be made much clearer what kind of research is being done and for what company. It seems people are eager to contribute to some legit scientific research, however, I am not optimistic that this is the type of research being conducted.

Hey Digsby !!!!! No hard feelngz for u...
ur still the best client out there..
i dont think wat other says...
if the don't wana use digsby again no prob...
cuz ican see the future of digsby..
the best brand in internet softs ...
ive tried a whole lot ov multi - im tools out there...
but digsby is the best...
oh yes but u should do us one favour... always make is clear to us ... that how ur software gonna work...
ur Appology accepted....
Love Ya Digsby...

You can bundle as much "crapware" as you like. Just turn it all off by default.

Don't even think about using my computer without telling me though. The crapware I can deal with. An app that is secretly selling my computing resources? No.

If you want to bundle in something like that, it has to be disabled by default and extremely clear what kind of research will be done. I may be willing to support something like Folding or Seti, but not other things.

I'll make you a deal. Patch Digsby before I get home today and set this feature to disabled by default. Include a one-time notice IM informing users that sign on that they can help support Digsby by turning this feature on. I'll turn it on out of appreciation of your efforts, maybe others will too.

Otherwise, uninstalling and going back to Pidgin, which works fine but is not nearly as dope as Digsby. :(

bunch of crooks

Nevery never put crapware in an installer. Here is why I think it is bad for Digsby to do so: Wider adoption of a tool like this will be driven by those of us that are into technology and the web. Although we might be find disabling options and choosing not to install crapware and toolbars - if this kind of thing is present in the installer we will NOT recommend it to "regular folks". We know that non-technical people will often do dumb stuff, AND they will hate being asked these extra questions in the install. That means we won't recommend Digsby to the rest of the mass market.

The "research" module is not acceptable as you have presented it. Anything that uses my resources needs to be VERY clearly defined up front and MUST be opt-in only. Setting anything like this up as opt-out is simply unacceptable. Frankly I'm not happy you put this on my system without my knowledge, and I'm going to explore Pigin or other options. I don't trust Digsby anymore, and that's a shame. I don't think you can get this goodwill back - but it would help if you realized the error and changed your approach.

Small, unobtrusive text-only adds in the product are fine. A search box from within the Digsby client that points to Google, or Bing, or whatever and makes you some $ is fine. Extra modules you sneak in without notification, "opt-out" modules, and bundled crapware are not OK and will be bad for Digsby.

I love Digsby! I do have 2 criticisms:
1) I would like Digsby to allow me to have several of my contacts in one chat.
2) I have gotten a few IMs showing that they are from one of my buddies and they have been an ad. Why does this happen? Can I stop it without blocking my buddy?

Good work guys. I applaud the hard work and the business creativity!

FYI My uncle does business incubation, and offers advice to young companies. Would be happy to put you in touch. He is funded by a state government, so all recognition for his organization is helpful, and he will frequently consult with people for free.

You have no right to sell my CPU usage without my explicit consent -- and that means a simple, clear _opt-in_ -- and I don't mean in the EULA. No one reads those.

According to your blog post, the research module is still opt-out. That's completely unacceptable. "Transparency" is a step in the right direction, but keeping this feature enabled by default isn't.

Opt-out is a cop out.

Step back and think for a moment what the average computer would look like if every application behaved as yours does: there'd be dozens of apps fighting to sell my CPU cycles (which, by the way, cost me money in the form of increased power usage and heat generation). What's more, while my computer may be idle, my internet connection may be being used by other computers on my network. As far as you're concerned, you can never safely assume that I have idle bandwidth for you to sell.

I like the research program, but it'd be nice to remove those programs from the install, or at least set them to automatically disable, maybe warn people with a pop up box right before they install them so people know they're there and why.

You could also have small bubble ads or something, kind of like youtube, that you can close when they come up and either never see them again or set them to a timer.... or something.

Welps, you pretty much blew it for me. Back to Trillian Astra :)

You can put some google ads on Disby main page and blogs, and I will click those ads. Google ads is a very efficient way to earn money!

I fully support the research module. I would prefer to know where my "money" is spent though, and have the option to select different options for the donation. I would suggest that you venture into the humanitarian avenue for research clients, and give back to the world with support for greater than thou projects. If there was an option to select from a marketing research vs. a scientific/sociological type of research I would most likely choose to support our world's knowledge empowerment vs. who likes what product and how old they are.

Have been using Digsby since the first days.

Option 1 is, of course, the best alternative. It's not everyday you use the installer anyway.

I had actually no idea about the research module, but I guess it doesn't matter. I'm glad if my computer does some good research while I'm not using it, as the same time I can get this wonderful piece of software for free :)
I will continue have it enabled.

But I must admit, the info about the research module have been really poor. I just found out through this blog post:
http://webupd8.blogspot.com/2009/08/are-you-using-digsby-you-may-want-to.html

Anyway, keep up the good work guys!

Wow- this was defaulted to enabled? I figured reading the initial license was good enough and any MAJOR CHANGES like using my computer to crunch numbers for you would be pointed out separately.

I guess I'll be installing Pidgin tonight. Thanks.

You'd be better off selling Digsby for $10 a pop. I would have paid for it.

Hi,

What Grid projects are being used by the Digsby model?
Will be able to read/view our work unit stats?:-)

As long as you guys keep ads off the actual digsby client, I will forever use your product.

"Proximo Said,
August 14, 2009 @ 8:56 am

OK,

I think everyone here can agree that we don’t like the fact that Digsby did not clearly explain what the app. was doing on our end. In fact, it seems that it was purposely hidden from us in a way that the majority would have never known their CPU power was being used without their knowledge.

As a young company you must realize that it takes a long time to develop a customer that is loyal, but it only takes 1 minute to loose them forever.

Digsby did not bring this forward until you got bad press and it was exposed to the masses. This alone makes us feel that you are now making this clear because you have no choice. You are afraid to loose everyone because you did not do the right thing on your own and was forced to do so because of exposure to the truth of what was going on.

So going forward, you must realize that this was wrong and you should apologize to the user base for it. This does not mean that we will stay because we expect honesty and integrity. But you owe an apology to all of us and let us decided from here if we will ever trust you again.

If you EVER want to become a bigger company, you need to understand the basic principle of honesty and integrity. You need to understand that coming forward only after you where exposed does not mean we care what is done from this point forward."

I AGREE 100% with Proximo, You guys published this "Crystal clear" because you got caught. After reading the LifeHacker article I was SO DISAPPOINTED at you guys for not mentioning this clearly to us(users) and if you(digsby staff) would've done it before the article I personally would've not mind your revenue method.

To be honest I can't trust Digsby with my computer anymore and i'm sure there are hundreds if not thousand users that agree with what we said.

:(

Do you people realize nothing in life can be free! People need to earn a living and if you enjoy something either pay for it or deal with minor annoyances of having your CPU used to facilitate useful research.

I am not affiliated with Digsby at all, rather a fellow entrepreneur who gives respect to this team for making a living off what they love doing. Yet am annoyed with the illegal downloader attitude that everything should be free and the way I want it to be. F*Ck off kiddies - grow up and live in the real world and contribute to society!

I didn't know about the research program, and in all seriousness I still don't care. I'd have to agree that you should add an animation to go along with it.

I'm not going to disable the research program because it hasn't affected my computer's performance yet and until it does it's not a big concern for me, just don't put tons of adds in Digsby.

Also the Digsby Announcements that lifehacker was ranting on about how it's just an add in disguise, that doesn't bother me, as long as you don't go overboard and start making an announcement every time i log in.

Option 1

Option 1. I will stop using Digsby if there are "small unintrusive ads in the product." It's the reason I stopped using Meebo. For those who never noticed that Digsby had your computer do research while it was idle, start reading. I've only recently started using Digsby (about 3 months ago) and I found out, by reading their site, that it did research when my computer was idle before I even downloaded it.

Don't stray from what works. I think people will love your product because it does a lot, and that's important. More important that viewing a passive ad in the buddy-list window. People say they don't want advertising, but at the end of the day, as long as it's not intrusive, they'll care more about the product's feature richness, and will respect that the revenue you earn from ad-media will go in part directly towards keeping the product feature rich.

You're crazy, get this crap off of my computer.

It is ok with option1.

I think Option #1 is the best. It's all optional, and it's not annoying unlike those ads on MSN Messenger. Besides, the research thing wouldn't have any negative effect on your computer really. It's not like it'd be using all of your power while you're doing something memory-intensive.

Free software or not, you still cannot violate my trust. As a new company, you should have realized that your most valuable resource is the trust and enthusiasm of your early adopters. You failed to recognize this, and by doing so have failed to keep me as a customer. IMHO, you should view my computer like my house. My PC is my private property. You just don't go sneaking around someone's house even if they've invited you in. I don't know many people that would allow that, no matter what free things they might be peddling.

I will now uninstall Digsby, cease to recommend it, actively steer people away from it, and find a company and a product I can trust, even if I have to pay a small amount for it.

It's a shame when a good product is imprisoned by rotten business practices and shady backdoor deals.

Grid computing: I like the concept - but only when disclosed clearly (with a link to lots more detail), and with a VERY easy off button. As @pat said, information on who you are contracting with for this would be great.

Installer: I don't *hate* the installer idea but I find them annoying and think lots of newbies end up with things they don't like as a result.

Love your service! I wish you'd been more upfront about things but I'm sure that was just a slip up.

1. Thanks for transparency, no one wants a sneak when it's being done to them.

2. Digsby has been one of those must have multi-protocol chat application. I've tried others and none compared to how neat and clean to Digsby's interface. And on that note...

3. Option 1 will be the best course. Ads displayed on the client no matter how small it is, is intrusive and will only compromise the client's interface. And the research module is a better idea, to use idle computing power, given the settings it is in: not used when in battery, etc..

4. It's understood that for a company to survive and thrive, one must generate revenue and profit from their creation, specially as useful as Digsby. I personally do not mind viewing a few ads on install, as long as its done neatly and does not prevent me from doing work in the meantime, and neither does the use of idle computing power. While I'm just like everyone who had not really taken the time to read all the lawyer crap for the same reason everyone have not, notices such as these helps us realize how much your company care both for your product and for the users that had come to rely on it by ensuring everyone take pause and take time to read announcements that leads to this blog post.

Overall, great job for creating such a great product and keeping honest, and because of that I think all users here who appreciates your product knows that you need to be compensated in someway while keeping it affordable -namely free or next to free- in order to make it worthwhile.

Yesterday I complimented the team on their great product but Digsby has suddenly lost a lot of its appeal. Nothing is free in this world, especially a product as useful as Digsby. Yet the underhand methods has put me off. There is no need to try to make us believe otherwise, the Digsby team knew how the public would react. Similar methods have been widely criticed so there is no chance the team simply failed/forgot to make it clearer.
Thank God for Lifehacker.Shame Digsby.

I can't support bloatware. I've been a disgby user for over a year, and my run ended today. Bad business model guys. Today is the last day I'll be using your product on any of my machines.

Well yes, it would have been nice to know that the research module was running, I'd be more likely to shut Digsby down after leaving work but leave it running at home. I have always liked the concept of grid research and find it harmless, but being aware would have been good. Thank you for clarifying the issue.

Go fuck yourselves.

Your app is slow as dogshit, and now you want to leech my resources without telling me about it?

Please die in a fire and have your kids raped by rabid dogs before your eyes beforehand.


Yours Sincerely,
Steve

Why not actually allow us the option to pay for a "pro" version of Digs that'll offer up some additional incentive to buy it (that's up to you guys to figure out what the incentive is). Some of us out here actually don't mind buying software that makes our lives easier (not many apps out there offer IM protocol integration as well as FB, MySpace, Twitter, etc).

Personally I hate ads of any sort in any location for any duration of the time. I also don't like the idea of third parties using my system resources as a mechanism for computational research. I can get past this except for the fact Digsby already leaves a pretty hefty footprint on my CPU usage.

Bottom line is Digsby is an excellent app. I believe the majority of the naysayers out there bashing it really have been spoiled by the catapulting of software functionality and don't realize how great an app Digs is.

/my two cents

I would say, if you can make it work, keep doing what you are already doing. You have my support in it.

I would suggest however that you advertise the Research Module a little more, just so we know its there. I had no idea about it. I am keeping it enabled, you guys do an admirable job of keeping it out of the way.

I'll go for the current Digsby or basically the option 1. I also a little surprised when I read this and didn't know that Digsby actually have that research module feature turned on by default. I can recommend you to turn it off by default or in the installation screen, ask the user if they want to enable research module feature.

Digsby is by far very good and one of the best IM client ever. Although, by doing things/adding this kind of feature withot telling the user is a great mistake. I was thinking to go back to open source IM client again, but reading this post blow away my intention, I'll keep Digsby and supporting you as much as I can, as long as this mistake didn't happen anymore.

Also, the reason I use Digsby -probably others too- is to get rid of crappy ads when I open my chat client, so I prefer not to go to option 2.

And, thanks for all of your effort by keeping it free and ad-free. :)

First, I must thank you for developing this product, but I severely need some clarity for my piece of mind.

First, it is really odd that so many tech savvy and close following individuals use your program, and yet so many were unaware of this 'stealth' process.

Please tell me:

1. How deep are your hands in my system, wherein you could generate these pop-up messages. Help me to avoid cringing
every time I receive one.

2. We are required to register with Digsby to access our preferences from other pc's or re-installation. Why is this mandatory, and how could now resume any sort of confidence that there is no possible violation somewhere? Personally, I have no need for this access.

All this crying sounds like kindergarten. Come on people. There are ads everywhere. How do you think Digsby is able to come up with such a badass product? They have to PAY the programmers to make this. Just like Pandora, Slacker, and all the other free software people use these days. Blah blah blah ads at install.. shut up. Hit decline, forget about it. Problem solved. All you OpenSource nuts... open source is nice, but come on.. they dont even reach the quality as a paid/financed program. Even then they badger you for donations. If Digsby became a pay for by subscription, I'd pay. It's a great program. Everyone is only looking at the way they want to pay their employees, get over it. Concentrate on what the program does for you. If they don't get paid, the program will be dumped. I manage different accounts for business this helps tons. DIGSBY, pay your bills.. do what you need to do, as long as the program works, I'm a life long user. Thank you very much.

So that's why there's been an incredible surge in downloads for Pigdin and Trillian, I originally thought it was somesort of internet blip.

Free is free, in this case Digsby is not free the cost is just hidden. Like a trojan horse that users pay for with cpu and bandwidth.

Oh well Digsby was fun while it lasted but I see the end is near, bye.

When Digsby is uninstalled, is all of the revenue generating software also uninstalled? Does the GRID program run even if Digsby is not running?

Using my "unused" cpu cycles costs me money. Doing it without telling me (nobody actually reads the TOS) is wrong. You've lost my trust and you're not likely to regain it. Digsby->uninstalled.

Lets face it, 99.9% of people do not pony up and support free software, there has to be money coming in from somewhere to pay for it.

I do remember reading about the research option at some point, it was a while ago. Figuring that I needed to turn this off since it a work computer not my personal computer the software is on. I am more then happen to allow the research on my home machine once you get the Mac version.

In the end the point is it's free software if you don't like the terms and conditions you can use something else. Me I would have the extra CPU given over to research and continue to use the product once I get a MAC version.

@Blueknight1st

Limited Hard drive space?
LOL, how big is your hard drive 1 gb?

*module

@ people saying the research nodule turns itself on after updates that IS NOT TRUE. I have NEVER had it turn itself back on.

Since you guys never bother to listen to us and include SAMETIME support I have already moved to Pidgin.

This fiasco is all over reddit/digg/lifehacker/slashdot now and you have permanently blemished your product's reputation with this deception. Good job!

>> "We want to make it completely clear to all users so Digsby is not doing anything you don’t want it to do."

Not so. By continuing to keep your "Research Module" turned ON by default, it IS doing something we may not want it to do. This should be an opt-IN feature, not a hidden, opt-OUT one. As much as I appreciate your post attempting to rectify things, until you change the default behavior, I refuse to continue using your product. Which is a shame, since I've been a happy and loyal user ever since the beginning and would have gladly paid to use Digsby.

Do whatever you want,as long as it remains free and these "features" are optional.
I won't disable the research module as it does not interfere with my work.

I don't trust the quality of a product that has to resort to ads and crapware side-by-side installs to survive. Thousands of open source projects manage to produce quality products that people are willing to pay real money for, as part of legitimate contracted sales; if you have to sleaze around with either of your 2 options, your product isn't worth having.

Options 1 or Option 2 - Yes. Hard fact of modern software - must monetize because it won't monetize itself. I support either models or both, heck even some new ones. Two things though:

- I think attention needs to be made to how the installer options appear, the idea with this stuff is generally to trick the lazy user as the Lifehacker screenshots show. The problem here, is I can't recommend it to my less-than-savvy friends if i feel they're going to end up with crap-ware. This is a suddle thing, but important.

- Please do avoid the thing where I have an ad showing on my buddies list all the time - I'm not going to click - end of stories. The cpm's have got to be horrible on it.

Once I was very excited about Digsby. Now I become more and more doubts if this is the right piece of software for me.

I requested several time a portable Version (I know there are some portable version out there, made by some other folks but no version is really portable. This point shouldn't be so hard to realised. But Digsby never responded to that. Now I get an idea why. With portable applications it is harder to make some hidden tweaks, which users don't want to have.

I know you have to make money. This is okay. But you will only make money with me, if I'm satisfied by your product. I become more and more disappointed. To early to switch back to Pidgin, but I started to think about it.

I like option 1 most.

Akin to another poster. I saw the lifehacker post and was startled. I saw your explanation and was not startled. I am left with the residual concern about the lack of initial transparency. Using my machine seems a little nefarious at first, but if the process is low priority, as you say, and it only activates when idle, then may be I can live with that.

I apprecaite the creativity of the idea and it puts my machine to better use when it's left idle, which is appealing, in its own way.

That said, I worry about any possible exposure to harm of my machine. Can you speak to the topic of whether or not the processes you run could be harmful to a system? How robust is the sandbox in which the application plays?

It's definitely not any easy decision.

FGS why did you have to do this? Don't tell people this was a "mistake". There was no mentioning of it in the changelog ever, you can't tell me this wasn't intentional. I really liked digsby, why not be upfront and ask for money if you so desperately need it?
Well thanks for the lesson: Auto-updating closed source software = no go. Fool me once, shame on me, you know the drill. Now I need a new IM client and that's annoying as hell. And I have to tell family/friends I installed malware on their computers, which is embarrassing. Ugh.

All of the above. Seriously, we're all spoiled to death with "freeware." We have to recognize that Digsby is a for-profit company and, as such, must establish a profitable business model. Have the ads on installation. Have the unobtrusive ads within the app. Have the grid computing system (brilliant, by the way). And, then have a for-purchase version that does away with all of the above. As soon as there is a for-purchase version, assuming the price is less than $25, I'm first in line to purchase. By the way, ad revenue is the "easy" solution, but I wouldn't bet on it. The more saturated web advertising becomes, the more difficult that solution will be in regards to turning a profit. My advice: have all of the keep-it-free solutions that you can imagine - ads, grid computing, what else? - and have a pay-for-a-great-app version. We, the public, should not expect great applications to be free.

Why not just do the sensible thing and change accept / decline to a checkbox that is unchecked by default like every other app in history (except for the unchecked part). Crapware should be installed by choice not forced and if users are gullible enough to fall for it then they kinda have it coming.

As for the ads themselves, since it cannot be avoided in our capitalistic society, why not do the practical thing and partner with those sites that you support and integrate with? Advocate the networks (FB, MS, Twitter, LIN) and advertise for them rather than letting others advertise their garbage through you that are only out to sucker users for a fast buck. All that does is make you (Digsby) look like a sell-out. The product is fantastic and it's sad to see it tarnished for the sake of money.

Of course, this principle really applies to everything in our society and is the reason we aren't all flying around Jetson style yet, but I digress.

Guys, your product is totaly AWESOME especially when you consider the price.

I completely understand that you have to make money somehow, unlike the morons who want everything for nothing and bitch about paying for things like electricity and nice roads but then would bitch if they didn't get them. Like the life-saving drug that cost $50 million and 10 years to invent is sold for $20 a pill, only to have the people whose lives it saves bitch about how much they have to pay for it.

I appreciate you being honest about how your making a living. Even if you guys have to go with a pay-to-prevent-ads model I will still use your product.

Anyone who complains about what your doing are totally f----g idiots, please IGNORE THEM and keep up the good work

Yikes. I'm a fan of the grid computing idea, but I wish I'd known about it before. Then again, assuming it was mentioned in the ToS, I accepted it by clicking Agree. I know people never read them (myself included) but maybe we should. As far as the ads on the installer are concerned, I'm fairly used to seeing them on any freeware application I install. I'll generally uninstall it if there are lots of ads within the application (banners, etc).

As far as paying for Digsby? I'd like to vote with my wallet, but I'm a poor grad student. It would have to be pretty inexpensive for me to part with my hard earned cash. Although I very much like that I can log my Facebook chats with Digsby, since Facebook doesn't seem to care about this.

Oh, and concerning grid computing...I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit skeptical of it. However, I also love science/tech and the whole concept fascinates me. So I say keep it up as long as you tell us about it first. :-)

There needs to be a way to disable automatic updates. I'm sick of you product updating every other day and not being able to tell it no. It's very rude of you to think that just because you have a new version of Digsby that everyone must want it. Disregarding the fact that every update is bigger than the last and each time it takes up more and more of the already limited hard drive space that some of us have. This is something that you need to fix ASAP.

even though I didn't know about the CPU usage of Digsby for grid computing, I don't mind it much. the way it's handled is great, turning it off even if the laptop's running on battery. the next thing I'd love to know is just how much CPU is requested by Digsby.

what I hate are the installer ads. back when I first installed Digsby (June 09) I disagreed to all ads, and then the installer failed. It just wouldn't let me install Digsby without at least installing one of the ad-wares. That was annoying as hell. Ever since then I'm using the small "installing to USB drive" link and tell everyone else to do the same.

Having to walk on eggshells to make sure you're not installing something along with a perfectly good program (something that usually turns out to be a pain to get rid of again afterwards), seeing all those ads first thing when you're trying to install a new program for the first time... that's really, really bad. Just because "other programs like Java do it too" doesn't mean it's a good idea.
And that's not even taking into account all those people out there who have no idea what a "google toolbar" is in the first place.

I wouldn't mind being able to choose between
- pay
- pay less, and use one of your revenue options which the user decides is the least intrusive for them (and maybe being able to switch between them from the options menu)
- use the revenue model of Digsby Team's choice which might be a combination of options, and don't pay at all

You're on the right track. Just make sure that everything is transparent and users know about, and how to turn off certain options, such as research. If there was a native audio/video chat option, I think that would warrant a pay/pro option to be included, but if that isn't necessary, the model you are using now is just fine. I remember when I installed Digsby for the first time, the weird installer thing froze up on me when I hit cancel during the install. The app installed properly, however. The reason I switched from Windows Live Messenger is because it didn't have an easy way to remove those ads and video carousel, so I'd be happier if you kept the adverts out of the application.

I think adding the research option to keep digsby free is a great idea; however, I read that the research covers topics like: Help Conquer Cancer, Discovering Dengue Drugs, FightAIDS@Home, and The Clean Energy Project. As a person concerned with how my computer and time gets used I would very much prefer the option to select which research my computer could be used for. I realize this may not be easy to program, but if there could be check boxes for each research type with a link to that companies website to further explain how the research is used would make it much more appealing to me. It would be upsetting to find out my computer was used to support research for something I didn't agree with.

I understand the need to generate revenue; however, My biggest complaint with MSN IM and Yahoo IM is the annoying ads at the bottom. This is one of the reason I originally selected Digsby as my IM of choice.

I appreciate knowing about the research option and absolutely love the application.

Possible idea for revenue: The IM has the ability to create groups that expand or contract when the group is clicked. When you add email or social networking it creates a link in the form of a group but is not expandable and is only a link to the email or application. How about offering the ability to add a group bar that is expandable to offer services like Viigo on the blackberry for many different types of services that people would actually use and you could possibly get paid each time someone uses one of those services like: Shopping Ads, Local Interest, Movie Tickets, Deals of the day, etc. This way the deals could be hidden, shown, or expanded and you could generate revenue each time one of the services was accessed (that someone was actually interested in).

Where can I see who is using the research grid? If I pay to use your research grid what are the capabilities and limitations on the information gathered?

the grid computing thing sounds neat, but are you going to let us know what our computers are being used for?

Because if not, then it stays off.

you are the best!!!!
thanks for the great program..

Could you guys incorporate the grid computing aspect into B.O.I.N.C. (http://boinc.berkeley.edu/)? When I leave for the day I don't leave Digsby running, but I do run B.O.I.N.C. on this and other machines. If the grid computing project can also be added to B.O.I.N.C., I could run it most of the time rather than a scant hour/day when I'm at lunch. Thanks!

Why do you think you could expand into the Mac world? Adium is a far more polished and streamlined application!

I currently avoid the installer and use the old one linked from the download page to get past the annoying download stream installer.

Currently I don't yet know if I'll continue using Digsby because neither of the options you lay out suit me.

I don't mind, and would enable, the research option most of the time. But there are times when I'm doing CPU intensive tasks that that take hours without any mouse or keyboard use, and it slows those tasks down. Not acceptable.

I've tried other clients and this one works the best for me, and keeping it unobtrusively free is a good thing. But I'd like the research mode status to be visible, and one I can turn on or off depending on my tasks at the time. Most of the time I could leave it on. I want it to be easy to enable disable without going through menues, and to tell if it's running or not.

Also, I don't think it stops using CPU power once you do start using the mouse or keyboard. I've had to stop digsby to get my cpu power back. The app itself needs some fine tuning in this respect.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if both models were employed. Ads during installation are minimally invasive. And I would only have apprehension about using CPU cycles for computation if the computations were for unscrupulous projects (like making better land mines). It would be nice to see what project you were currently a part of. Beating cancer = good. Beating humans = bad.

I love Digsby!

-Brandon

Oh, I forgot to mention in my first post....Interestingly, McAfee Site Advisor on my system is "marking" this very site(http://blog.digsby.com/archives/693) as "yellow" and warns that "tests of this site show some downloads from this site to change system settings". Is there more that we don't know about. I have a feeling there is.

I actually wouldn't mind having to click past a lot of offers in the installer - if the ones on offer weren't the complete and utter pile of **** you currently have in the Digsby installer. Can any of the people at Digsby honestly say that they would ever in a million years have recommended the stuff in the installer if they weren't being paid to?

I'm sure there is some really excellent software out there that has affiliate schemes that mean Digsby could profit - Maybe they don't pay as much as the stuff currently in the installer, but if it were stuff I thought was actually useful I might actually take time to consider it rather than clicking straight past it saying "yuckkk" like I currently do.

RE the Research model - I actually did know about it because I follow the digsby blog, but when I read the lifehacker column the other day it reminded me how hidden it was - I commented on the blog post announcing it ages ago that you had it too hidden and it MUST be moved or else it was completely unacceptable and I thought you only had it there temporarily till you tried it out for a few weeks. The lifehacker column reminded me that you hadn't moved it and makes me think it's intentionally hidden and I'm afraid I have lost a lot of confidence in Digsby.

After reading both posts from here and Lifehacker, I think of Digsby no different then I did before. It is one of the best programs that I use. It is on all of my computers. I guess it would of been nice to know more upfront that there was the "Research" going on in the background, but the fact that you can very easily disable this feature makes up for it, and I plan on leaving it on as my computer isn't really affected and I do want to support Digsby if I can.


Ever since I found Digsby, it has only gotten better. It seems like they listen to community and have the goal of creating the best instant message/email/social networking client which I think they have done.

Having to view some adds and to use a little CPU power when my computer is idle is such a minuscule price to pay for such an amazing app. I think anyone that commented on here that they instantly uninstalled Digsby because of how Digsby decides to make money and are going out to find something else will have a fun time trying to find something that even comes close to Digsby and the things that it offers and you will probably come back to Digsby.

The fact that Digsby came out and acknowledged what they were doing and their intention is proof enough to me that they are a honest and respectable company that I trust will not do anything malicious to their customers.

Like I said before, being given the OPTION to install and very easily decline some other software on the Digsby install and using your processor when idle are VERY SMALL prices to pay for such an amazing app in my personal opinion.

Just my thoughts.

Drew

The spyware I can live with it trying to install, i'm not stupid enough to install it, however the whole it using my computer while i'm not there i can't. I am glad you mention how to disable this however this probably all should be under preferences. It does change it for the digsby account not just that computer so that is nice. Overall ditch the CPU / Bandwidth stealer. For more detail you can check out my post over at my blog: http://www.waynezim.com/2009/08/digsby-come-back-from-the-dark-side/

Start -> Control Panel -> Uninstall Program -> Digsby

If you want money, ask for it. Don't do it behind our backs.

Would you like it if I "slipped" into your house, used your computer for surfing, refrigerator to cool my beer, your wife for pleasure, your car for travel? All in the name of a "revenue model?" I use free and open source software not so much because it is free, but because it allows me to be "free". Free from all the crapware, free from all the ads, free from intrusions lurking everywhere in my system.

I appreciate the eventual transparency and honesty that you chose to submit here, but it should have been done without another making all of us aware of it first.

I like Digsby very much, but I will more than likely dump it now and go back to Pidgin. You need to write another long letter and explain that you goofed and after an update Digsby will in fact be free and clean of all Orwellian programming. It is fine if you wish to include checkboxes in the install to include toolbars etc. At least we know what you are offereing.

I like the installer ads and the research module as revenue stream options much better than ads I'll have to look at constantly. It's very easy to opt-out of the stuff during installation. And I'd have learned about the research module if I'd read the terms of service (but I didn't).

hello

Option 3 would be just fine if I knew who the research was supporting. If it were a religious organization that is a problem. If it were a flu/aids/cancer research tool, that would be cool. Maybe you can allow us to opt in to which research project would be allowed to use our unused CPU time like BOINC does.

I've been trying to recommend Digsby to friends, but unfortunately the number of "would you like to install..." prompts has been a huge turn-off. I think people who have the early adopter mentality are used to it and don't mind, but the average user is put off. It would be OK if it were a simple process - one screen with very clear language and radio buttons to choose what you want - but it's a grammatical nightmare, and several screens of clicking.

Only one of my friends has installed Digsby, and de-installed it shortly after because they couldn't hear any of their IMs. "AIM may have ads, but at least I can hear when I have an IM" is how he put it to me. It's been an uphill struggle to promote my new favorite IM client.

I did know about the research tool, and I am not happy... this has been the major reason none of my recommendations fly. As soon as I mention that Digsby uses CPU processor time to process research, that's all she wrote. Before even being annoyed that Digsby doesn't specifically mention what it is doing, as soon as I tell them that it doesn't tell them what research is being conducted, they are done. I can't blame them... I have disabled it for the same reason.

I vote for monetizing Digsby. I am tired of defending it, and you haven't done a good job of being up front about your alternate funding methods, so there is not a lot of trust there. I've actually been thinking of giving up, myself. Who knows what hidden item is next? I don't have time to read through blogs to find it.

After reading the blog posts from Engadget and Gizmodo yesterday, practically calling for everyone to uninstall the app, I'm not surprised to see this come up today. Kudos for not putting this off till it became a bigger problem.

As far as a revenue stream, this is definitely not a way to go. As an IT professional, there is a well known virus that does exactly the same thing you are doing, albeit in a more intrusive manner, but still... With that said, I say stick with what works. Users are used to this model and it works. Unfortunately, thats a reality of doing business online - freeware is abound, but don't underestimate user's ability to see value in a good product!

Correction, changed my mind to option 1 after reading a few of the other comments...I'd rather give a bit of my CPU power up, rather than have ads in the client.

I too was unaware of the research module, but have since made sure it's enabled.

The recommendation I would make is to actually let the users modify the research module's settings to let it work more. Personally, I use BOINC and it's always active using ALL my computer's unused cycles, even when I'm using the computer. If Digsby would allow it, I'd be more than happy to let it have all that power instead -- and I'm sure there are others that would be happy to let it start working sooner as well.

Option 1, I'd rather see a small toolbar of ads rather than give access to my computer for whatever research.


Everyone here demanding an apology are morons and get butthurt far too easily. You guys are providing a great service, and as far as I know google has been doing something like that for years without people being aware of it. People need to be more proactive and understand what they're putting on their computer, instead of having absolutely everything spelled out multiple times for them like babies.

I disabled the research module as soon as I read this post, but then turned it back on after realizing I've had it on for who knows how long, and nothing bad has happened to my computer. Also, want to keep digsby ad-free.

option 3: pay something....

i am switching between trillian astra and digsby, have both installed, some days i prefer digsby and somethimes astra.
with digsby i can see who send me a mail on my hotmail-accounts, with astra not. thats for me one of the important reason to stay on digsby.

i never would have the original clients installed (msn/icq/etc), don't like them.

I LOVE DIGSBY!!!
I believe option 1 is the best right now, I hate those ads (they are ALWAYS intrusive). I understand you need to keep the lights on and pay salaries but I wouldn´t pay for Digsby since there are other options out there and there are other ways for you to make money... well my conclusion is:
OPTION 1 and then if it isn´t enough create another version with more stuff so you can charge for the new one keeping this one free and if that doens´t work do the ads, but try to make it the least intrusive possible.

The research module was one of the reasons I chose Digsby in the first place. Not that I can remember where I first read about it, but at that time, it wasn't even implemented. I'd like a built-in BOINC client, if it's not too much to ask. :)

I ditched Trillian because for my $25 I hadn't had a single major update for several years and that's just not reasonable. If you can make adverts relevant and interesting, I might live with them.

/ Per

I would say option 1, to keep digsby how it is now, but I also agree that a paid version of digsby may be in order to keep those who are complaining happy. You don't have to add more features to a pro version, you'd be paying to get the ads and research off, which is what you guys are complaining about.

I say if you want them off the installer, then pay digsby to do so, otherwise stop complaining and leave digsby the way it is.

I would stop using digsby if they started putting ads everywhere, but at the same time, I can't afford to pay for digsby, I am unemployed and am looking for employment currently. In the meantime, I've been trying to get by on Social Security Disability while I find work, so I wouldn't be able to pay even a $1 a month.

Personally, I don't mind the ads in the installer. They could put more in there for all I care, so long as I can continue to choose not to install them, I'm perfectly fine with that, but if you guys want those out, and the research, then fork over the cash for a version without them and stop complaining. end of discussion. lol otherwise don't mess it up for us who love digsby just the way it is! :)

I think it is a good indication of a problem when power users, i.e. the type of people that read Lifehacker regularly, are almost universally unaware of an aspect of a piece of software that they use heavily on a daily basis. It's a bigger problem when that particular aspect of the software has no relevance to the functionality that the software is intended to provide. The problem, that being said, is not necessarily the functionality itself, but the way it is presented to the user.

The people that truly appreciate the nuances of Digsby that make it the best instant messenger around are also the people who will most vehemently not appreciate any presumptuous usage of their computing resources for purposes they did not explicitly agree to, regardless of whether they support the cause behind said usage or would otherwise be willing, or even enthusiastic about allowing such usage.

I, for one, read the lifehacker post, and did not for even a millisecond consider ending my usage of Digsby as a result. But I did immediately disable the research module, and until I know exactly what research it supports, and learn that the feature is comprehensively presented as an optional feature that is disabled by default in the installation process, and not re-enabled when Digsby is updated, I will remain vigilant to ensure that it stays disabled. Had I simply been asked if I wished to support the feature, I would almost certainly have been more than willing to do so.

The point I'm trying to make here is that Digsby has a userbase that *wants* to support the efforts behind it. There is no need to bury something like this to ensure that it is effective. The only thing that accomplishes is jeopardizing the continued support of a userbase that is uniquely emphatic about your software. The most effective approach will always be the most transparent one in cases like this.

I think most will be able to look beyond this particular episode, but it should be taken as a very important lesson.

Good luck, good work, and great software.

-Aaron

Perhaps you could:
a) When the user opens Digsby and any new emails / notifications are shown in pop-up panels show ad panels that can be ignored the same way (i.e. right click.)
or
b)Whenever the client is open and there is no activity (user interaction or new messages) for a specific period of time, you could have a semi-transparent ad panel appear from the side of the window and sit on top of the main window. It could sit there until the user either right clicks on it or clicks through to the link being advertised. With this I think there should be 2 periods of time before the panel can show up again. If the user dismisses the panel it could be 5 minutes and if they click through make it 30 minutes therefore increasing the likelihood they will click through.

Hope these help.

I applaud your efforts to find alternative revenue models.

I love Digsby...please leave it ad free. The ads in the installer are fine. You only see them once and how long does it take to click through and disable them? Maybe 60 seconds...not a big deal.

As far as the research, if it was included in the license agreement before, then anyone that is having a problem with it now it is their own fault. I think it's very cool that you can enable/disable it. I'll keep mine enabled hoping this remains a free product.

Thanks Digsby!

Absolutely unacceptable for these functionalities to be "hidden" from the plain view of a normal user. I have sent the Lifehacker article to all my friends, most of which had ALREADY begun using Pidgin because of Digsby's system resource abuse. Epic fail for what could have been a decent future for the product. *strong fist-shake of disapproval*

As a developer I understand the need to make revenue. People always want thing for free and well even beer is not free.

Having said that the options that have been implemented we clearly explained and documented so it should come as not surprise what the Digsby guys are doing. If you don't read the release notes / instructions for software you install then shame on you.

I would not mind the single ad / ad free pro-model for the reason that I do not think the optional installer ads would not work because nobody would install them making them useless for revenue generation.

This is an excellent tool and we should show our support by supporting it's development.

All things considered I appreciate that you folks have to eat and pay the light bill. It's why we all do this thing called a job. I do grow weary of whiners who demand you just open source it. Sigh.
OK, that said I vote first for option one, but why not just include a completely add free installer with no grid computing for a fee? After using Digsby for this many months I've got to say I've gotten used to it enough to be willing to pay for it. In fact I'd rather pay than enable any toolbar or Google searching.

Roundup: For the freeloading cheapskate in me I pick option 1. For the guy who recognizes a good thing when he sees it in me, I'm willing to pay for an add free installer with nothing else added.

Along the lines of more transparency, it would be nice to know what projects you guys are using the grid computing resources for on my computer. When you show me ads, I know who the party is on the other end. Seems only logical to have the same information for the research module.

I'll just chime in and say that it's not the ads and research module that has inflamed users, but the perceived lack of transparency in how they are executed.

I'll also add that having a distributed computing client with no simple method of disabling it (i.e. through MSI command line options) will make it very difficult for Digsby to gain traction on corporate and government installs because the app will likely be red flagged as malware.

This would be unfortunate because Digsby can be a powerful marketing tool. Being able to sell a "Pro" corporate site license to SEO, PR and marketing firms could be a great revenue stream you folks should consider!

Why not add a paypal donate button to the support section along with all the other options. Sure I know most people won't use it, but omitting it seems silly. You may just as well have a place for people to give money should they want.

As far as the grid computing feature is concerned... I would like to have more options as to it's use. 5 minutes is a good default, but I do use Digsby on computers of modest power and sometimes I need to actually set the priority higher on the video player. It would be nice to adjust when Digsby starts its grid computing rather than 5 minutes.

What about subscriptions. There are many news subscription services on the internet. Perhaps a partnership program with some of these sources may be a good idea. Something like "If you subscribe to this premium RSS fee, Digsby gets a kickback out of the recurring subscription fee. This would be completely optional to the user, and You are essentially reselling subscriptions to services a user would have paid for already.

I agree with Angel - stop whining. Every few months I try the latest pidgin, and it sucks. It is lame. If you want pidgin, just go for it, and stop trying to play 'good IM, bad IM' against each other. Geez, do you people listen to your 'threats':

'If you do this, I will take my zero investment in your product, and go use someone else's resources without compensating anything but their ego.'

Do you have ANY idea how lame of a threat that sounds like? You all sound like spoiled brats who have been given a free ride by 'daddy', and now are out in the big world of grownups and are told they have to pay for their own lunches. Infants.

I prefer option 2, but I agree with people who want to chose which research they participate in. In fact, having this choice, I believe, will get more people to take advantage of it, instead of the idea of 'some random anonymous research is being performed with your CPU cycles'. Let me know and choose how I can help make the world a better place, and my buy-in will be very gratefully expressed.

I also agree with those who suggest 'branded' versions of Digsby, especially if they were packaged with an IM server, like laconi.ca. I think many companies would LIKE to take advantage of IM/Tweet features, but do not want external exposure. If they had a system they could install inside their firewall and be self-contained, they would go for it. Think of the SameTime system, which I hate, because it is so far behind the times.

The main thing is not to put ANYTHING on my system without my express, explicit buy-in. Hiding it in the T&Cs is a way to lose my trust. If you are going to use my CPU cycles, ASK explicitly, do not make me go search to see if you are doing anything 'behind my back' as it were. Again, that seems to be the main reason why so many express a loss of trust. There should be a dedicated dialog during installation that explicitly asks you if you want a given feature enabled. For use of CPU cycles, give me opt-in capability to select the research projects to participate in - even allow opt-in by category, - medical, etc.

Thank you for a wonderful product!
Noel

I'm still not sure about Digsby - it has the most awful spyware insallation program I have ever had the misfortune to use. I wouldn't ever reccomend Digsby to a friend unless I send them the cruft free installer.

Ads would be OK - hidden distributed computing is not.

However, the software is good enough to make me think long and hard about uninstalling it. So far it lives on on merit, but theres not much good will left.

I would happily pay for the software.

Well,
If you make a paid version, there will be cracks available. So what's the point! Better you find a good way for making revenue.

I for one am very pleased at this write up. I didn't know about the research module and while I'm not sure whether I want it enabled or not yet, I don't feel like it was a breach of my computer's security or something evil and underhanded. It's a good idea. I really want disby to stay ad free. So ads in the install and the research module are just fine by me as long as I don't have to deal with ads popping up on the actual client. I love digsby for many reasons including that. Don't listen to all the ignorami out there that demand you remove the spy ware from their computer. You're doing a great job.

The Digsby team might like to take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digsby

The article uses very dubious terms when referring to the way Digsby operates...

Seems like there are a fair number of whiners here - apparently, they either have jobs that pay a salary, or aren't old enough to understand how one applies their efforts to satisfy a community and in so doing, makes money to pay the bills.

You need to apply revenue models that work both for you and the community. I installed Digsby quite a while ago and I researched it before installing. It was 100% clear that you had the grid computing component in the product and anyone that did not know that did not do their research!

I don't have any issues with the optional installers, nor do I have any issue with the grid computing. I would likely have a problem with ad placement - primarily because it has a potential to reduce my privacy (assuming the ad is coming from a 3rd party server, they get my IP address). Not a huge issue, but I tend to be somewhat careful of things like this.

Contributions are a possibility as well - I pay for other services (like electricity, water and internet), I pay for my other software titles, why not have a donation option.

I also would not have any issue with a free-ware version that has ads and a full version that doesn't.

There are a number of competing products out there - I've found Digsby to be well designed, integrates with the systems I use and I'm quite happy with it. There will be a number of folks who recognize that value and are willing to pay for it - I would be one of those people.

I don't see why everyone has a problem with the adds on the install. Sure its annoying but its one time. I do think its a bit over board, what like 10-15 adds? But its not that bad. Its one time, not like a banner. But using CPU power without notification? That's wrong. I was mad and was going to uninstall digsby until I read that you could disable it on lifehacker. My trust in you has shrunk, but luckily you make a great program. Keep the updates coming, keep it free, but don't use your users.

Hey Guys!

Alright, first off, I'd encourage you guys to read some of these comments with a grain of salt. People saying "OmGz U wAnT $$ nOw I dOnT wAnT 2 pAy N dOnT wAnT aDs N dOnT wAnT u 2 UzE mY pR0c3sS0r Ur EvIl!!!11one!!!eleven!" are welcome to grab a copy of Visual Studio Express and code their own IM client and give it away for free and see how many thousands of hours go into coding something like Digsby and then see how they like it when people explain that they need to keep the lights on and the bandwidth bills paid. Here is my two cents:

1.) I wasn't aware of the grid computing thing either. Personally I don't mind, and while I understand some of the privacy concerns, but I think that many of them are overrating it, being as 90% of people never really put a load on their CPU (except for the dozen trojans they got off Limewire). As long as it is only working when Digsby is active, it is a lowest priority process (I don't want After Effects competing with Digsby if I left it up by accident during a render job), then I don't have a huge issue with it. I would, however, like a little more information as to what it is processing though. While 90% of it is sheer curiosity (I love the 3D molecules in the Folding@Home app), I would also like the ability to have a little control over it as well, for example I might want to prioritize certain things that I'd like to see progress in (for example, being as I have friends with Lupus and MS, I prioritize those jobs on Folding).

2.) If an ad-based version ends up being the way you go, then I'd like to see a page in the prefs to address the ads. It seems to be the best way to appease both sides of the fence in regards to ad targeting. Personally, I like ads that show me new, exciting products that I simply haven't heard of yet. At the same time, there is a significant amount of people who wouldn't want their IMs data mined (If I IM my friend regarding her decision to work at a strip club, I don't want to see hooker ads lacing my IMs for the next month). By putting ad preferences in the prefs box, it is the best compromise for everyone. People who want targeted ads can fill out every qualifying question, while people who endear their privacy can deal with completely random ads.

3.) If a Trillian-like "Freemium" model is what is decided, then I personally prefer version-based purchasing instead of a subscription model. While the Digsby team has been among the best with regards to squashing bugs and adding features, I think that it's all too possible to loosen up when income is guaranteed. Additionally, a feature added in Digsby 12.0 might not be useful to me upon its release, so if version 10 suits my needs, I'd like the ability to camp out there for as long as I'm happy with it, and pay for the new version when the new feature is worthwhile. SwirlyMMS has done similar; their 1.x versions were very good, but they added a whole slew of features that made a 2.0 upgrade worthwhile for some people, without pressuring 1.x users to upgrade.

4.) What might be a nice compromise for the installer would be to have just one or two pages of all the different toolbars, etc. and have checkboxes for each of them, under the banner of "support Digsby!". This way, they are all clearly opt-in, users who install a particular app are more likely to generate revenue (vs. the 'default installers' who will likely end up having it removed via Ad-Aware or similar anyway).

5.) The one thing in the lifehacker article that did strike me is the 'announcement' system, which I hope will not become just another means of advertisement. So far, you guys have been good about it, and I'd like to see it kept that way.

6.) Whatever you guys decide, don't repeat the mistakes of history. While there were RealPlayer and CometCursor that blazed the trail, I'll venture to say that the app that flung the terms "adware", "spyware", and "malware" into public vernacular was KaZaA. Everyone who installed it pretty much got an announcement buried in the EULA that "hey, we're bundling Cydoor into this" and that was that. That spawned the ad-free Kazaa Lite (whose EULA I loved, because in the first paragraph it said "using this software is illegal") as well as other unauthorized FastTrack clients. Between the adware, fake/virus laden/misnamed files, and it's near constant presence in one court or another, ultimately the open-source Limewire took over and KaZaA is now a relic of the internet past. My point is that there is a tipping point where some people will consider 'free' too high a price if it's got enough strings. A few unintrusive ads and/or some CPU cycles and/or version-based purchasing is one thing, but be careful that the line doesn't slip too far.

7.) If you do go for a paid version, realize something: Digsby Pro *will* end up on a torrent tracker with a keygen. It is a fact. DRM is *not* the way to combat that reality. If anything, perhaps some sort of authentication would work (tie the key to the Digsby account that I log in with), but that is the dealbreaker for me - the first time I see anything that remotely resembles SecuROM or something similar is the day I stop supporting Digsby. The reason for this is simple: DRM doesn't affect the pirates, it affects the people who *did* pay for it.

Alright, I'm sure you're sick of reading this (it was probably a little more than two cents), but that's where I'm at. I appreciate your response to the lifehacker article, and I do give them props for sensationalizing the story; don't take it too much to heart. I would encourage you to send the writer of that column a link to this response; if he's any kind of reporter worth reading, he'll take what you said and edit his article accordingly.


Joey

Option 2 bothers me.. its letting someone into my computer that I have no control over. And it looks like an easy way to get hacked. Personally I would pref option 3 then 1.

I've used most other IMs and I just replaced pidgin with Digsby. Not even close in features and ease of use. As many have suggested, doing things without the end user's knowledge is a bad idea. And the EULA isn't a place to stuff this information. Hiding things in the EULA is what crapware/malware/spyware vendors do. Keep your customers informed, do everything out in the open (outside the EULA) and give us options. I haven't seen what kind of "research" I'm supporting. Either let me choose or tell me what your doing so I can choose by participating, disabling that feature or removing Digsby. At least then my decision is informed, not based on fear, FUD, or conjecture.

As far as the revenue models go, I like #1 as long as the installer is clear that the offered programs are optional and that they add value not gimmicky optimizers and weather modules with a sorted past of being malware. Your treading very close to they way malware/spyware vendors conduct business so tread carefully. Also, guilty by association so choose your partners wisely.

I think that you would lose less users if you haven't made this announcement :) Not many people go to that site and it would take more time for this to come to forums and everything will be fixed once we read that there... Another wrong step.
What else are you hiding :)
Yes, computer is idle than, and it doesn't affect on us, but you should tell us. It's not big thing but this could lead to something worse...

I was furious when I read the LH article. I have an old, slow machine and I don't like anything taking my CPU when it doesn't need to (especially when watching movies, which should stop this grid search from working as well, please fix this).

However, I'm going to give you guys a pass on this because of the immediate response. I know that not all companies can be open source freeware stuff. I used Pidgin for years (way back when it was in the early phases of Gaim), and it was alright, but I needed something slicker, more pleasing to the eye, and more robust, and I still do. Stay transparent in the future. DO NOT 'test out' a new revenue option without more clearly informing your users (like in this little popup). That's a terrible move. Learn from it.

I'm still your customer for now.

And finall, QUESTION: I'm getting a new work laptop soon which is more powerful than this old one I use normally. I wouldn't mind that machine being used for background research. If I have it disabled on one installation will it be disabled on all installations? Digsby is the only chat client I know of where I can see this being problematic.

I am amazed at how people think that your practices are "unfair". I agree, you probably could have communicated the CPU usage research item better in the past, but you have clearly corrected that and communicated it here. As for the optional components shown in the installation - I am amazed at the passion beyond some of the comments - having one or two optional items is "fair" but six is "unfair"??? Some people (including myself) find it annoying, but it's hardly "unfair". And while I admit that it's annoying, I only install Digsby once. If you showed ads every time I used the product (all day, every day), that would truly be annoying. Keep going the way you're going - you have a fan here!

Huge fan of the product and it's current revenue model. Grid technology is fascinating and a very unique way to make this products look and feel fantastic without banners being thrown every few minutes at the bottom of it....and we're helping people! I've practically removed most of my existing IM just for Digsby. Thanks again and keep up the great work!

-duff

Please go for Option 1. I want my favorite IM client to live. After reading this blog post I specifically checked my "Support Digsby" options to ensure that the "Help Digsby Conduct Research" option was turned ON.

Still, I would have felt happier if you had chosen to show users the option of Turning the research feature on or off upfront.

Hoping that this story also hits the Digg.com front page:
http://digg.com/tech_news/Digsby_Answer

Go Digsby!

Just be open and honest about what is being done in your software. Make it easy to opt out of items. When updating, make it clear that options have been added. Have a clean, paid version. It's secretly adding items or making it difficult to understand what is going on that really has people ticked off.

How about an option to either have the research module or unobtrusive adds, Give people the choice of either or, but not neither.

option #2 :D, and thanks for this great IM

First I would like to say that this is the best IM I've used. IM and email in one makes managing my work more efficient. I just have a couple questions. Is there a way that you could post the grid computing projects are are currently being worked on? I'm not sure if this would be a banner at the top, or how to operationalize it, but I'm currious to see what projects are out there. Also, do you keep a list of past projects you have participated in?

There are a lot of comments here, so I can't promise I'm not repeating someone else.

I didn't know about the research module either, but it doesn't bother me. A suggestion: Let us know what Digsby is doing research on. I trust you guys, but it may comfort more users to know that we're doing research for MIT's Folding@home project or SETI@home or something of the like. It doesn't have to be one of those things, and it's probably not, but I think we'd all be more comfortable knowing what it is that our CPU is doing.

Also, now that I've mentioned MIT's Folding@home project and SETI@home, how about offering those things as options? I'm not sure if this is practical, though, because I don't think they would pay you for that, which would of course defeat the purpose, and hinder rather than help your revenue situation. But it's something to keep in mind.

All in all, I'm happy with Digsby. I have a few issues now and then, but nothing that makes me want to go elsewhere. I've used Trillian, and I'd rather not go back. Digsby is the best IM client available AND it's free.

I'd totally be willing to pay for it, though, if you decided to go the second route.

I too have been a supporter of grid computing for several years now, and I completely agree with Johan.

AND what's more is that I love you guys. you rock.

Not enough people are aware of grid computing, and how it can help research projects, so making it more visible using simple language and examples of research projects that benefit from this would be great. "hey- wanna help with cystic fibrosis research? explanation and more examples, yes no...etc."

I'll be un-installing Digsby. GOOD BYE

A) I think the Digsby team has apologized and explained more than enough at this point for their mistake. I'm getting more tired of the incessant criticism of it now - we all get it; they messed up, they're sorry! :)

B) I do like the grid-computing research revenue model if it works, and users know about it. I also have used this kind of thing before and gotten nothing in return.

C) What about offering users the option to sign up for instant sale notifications from companies like Newegg, BestBuy, airlines and whoever else - like the updates we get from Digsby when there's a new release or important blog post. That sounds like something companies would pay for. And if I could just pick a company or two I'm interested in, I might actually find it useful (depending on the kind of notifications they send out).

I'd just like to take the opportunity to thank you for this clarification. I was not aware of the research module, but wholeheartedly support it. I think the way you're running now is brilliant and I'm more than happy to let you guys make some money off my computer while I'm not using it anyway. If this is a sustainable business-model then I'm all for it. However, your product has made my day-to-day communication so much better and easier that I'd be happy to pay for a pro-version if you decide to go that way. Keep up the good work :).

I've been a user of Digsby for over a year. I've appreciated the blog updates that accompany many of the updates and the fact that you actively release fixes for known problems and do so in a timely manner. That being said, the revelations on Lifehacker were exactly that to me: revelations. And not good ones.

I understand that you're not doing all of this simply to provide me with conveniences for my internet life and that you, like me, all have families, mortgages, etc. However, let's be honest here, NOBODY takes the time to thoroughly read every TOS they come across. There's a certain amount of trust inherent in the relationship between you, the service provider, and me the user. If I like a product or service (especially if its free), I go out of my way to recommend it to friends and colleagues to uphold my end of that relationship. In the case of Digsby, I have personally secured dozens of new users for you via my enthusiastic recommendations of Digsby, and who knows how many have resulted from those people doing the same.

What I take issue with is the fact that you're relying on people to either read the TOS or to read your blog to find out about the research module. Even writing about it on your blog is not sufficient, unfortunately. The part that is most troublesome, is the fact that the feature defaults to 'enabled', and it is buried within the Support Digsby menu option which, while accurate, is NOT where people would look to modify such a preference. It smacks of trying to bury it where nobody will look, and as a software product manager myself, I'd never consider placing a feature setting like that in that place. It belongs in preferences period and to place it where you have comes off as trying to sneak it in under the radar.

I will reevaluate my use of Digsby, but this was a serious misstep on your part. Placing it where you have doesn't help the arguments you're making about transparency at all.

To be brutally honest if you start showing ads in the actual client then someone will just make a patch to remove them as they have done with WLM and Yahoo.

I'm all for the grid research model but we need to know exactly what it is that is being researched.

As someone else has already stated the installer is the first thing people see of your product and all the ads/programs they have to decline before getting to install Digsby is likely to put them off.

As to a pro version the question is what will you offer? Trillian 3 only allowed meta contacts and plugins in the pro version. In Trillian Astra they have disabled some of the Astra services/features. What is it you offer that no other client offers? All I can think of is the email checking/sending so you could possibly ake that a pro only feature.

I would happily pay $10 (as opposed to Trillian's $25) a year. That is once you have a client worth paying for and for me, at present, the main feature you are missing is protocol based smileys so that I see Yahoo smileys for Yahoo users, WLM smileys for WLM users. This is a feature both Trillian and Pidgin offer.

Actually having looked at Trillian again the info bar they have above IMs isn't to intrusive and sometimes contains interesting things. A lot like the ad bar at the top of Gmail just without the ads for dodgy software/sites that Google seems happy to allow.

Hi, please keep ads in installer! We install this application only once and we will never again see those adds and it isn't difficult to click on Decline, isn't it?
The most stupid thing is that you make one free version with adds and one paid without, than you will lose many users and the only thing that you'll do is to make cracks leek in net.

The problem is that the research module is located in an area where no one would ever look. Very sneaky.

I'm not entirely sure that moving the whole "Support Digsby" section to "Preferences" will solve the problem either. No one who would be interested in turning OFF the support features would think to click on "Support Digsby". Only people looking for ways to offer support would click there.

It would be better to name the section "Toggle support features", or something like that, so that it's more obvious that some features may already be enabled, and that this is the place to go to switch them off or on.

I have used digsby for a few years now. I tell everyone to ditch Trillian and others for Digsby. I feel embarrassed for telling people to install a program that is labeled as "Malware." The moment I read the article about the "Researcher" I closed down the Digsby process, and went on a search for something new. I also notified those I recommended your product to. I am disappointed in Digsby and I don't think I will be back, regardless of the option chosen.

Like some other commenters, I vote for a paid pro version so long as this version has more features than the free version. Paying for an "advertisement free" version will just not be compelling enough to purchase.

I also agree with @drew that the research module should be completely transparent on what it is researching. Researching scientific endeavors such as finding cures for cancer are great but I would hate to be contributing to "marketing" research.

Hi,

I'm not overly concerned with this whole 'deceitful' business with the research module. Whatever. People get too riled up about things.

How about revenue model #3? Ad-supported that the client can customize - as in targeted ads that I may not mind so that I'm not spammed with stupid gut-busting weight-loss ads. I wouldn't mind seeing tech- related ads at all, ie: from bestbuy, etcetc (Canadian ones would even be better). On top of that, it would be nice if you followed the model that BoardGameGeek does. If a user pays $25 a year, they have the option to disable the ads entirely. Now Digsby might find that a lower $ number to be better, ie: $10/year or something, but I'd happily pay that.

Oliver

Hello there! I think that as long as your product doesn't open the possibility that someone else steal my personal information or damage my computer in any form, I am happy to use it.

And my opinion about people who don't read the terms of use or the information product (not just Digsby but any kind of product) are fools. If anyone try to make a legal complaint, they couldn't proceed because as the saying cites: "not knowing the law it doesn't make you free of guilt".
e.g. If I've never read the law from another country and I am there and do something is banned to do on that place, I am not free of their legal system and I cannot excuse myself saying: "you must think in your tourists that they never read the legal recommendations to visit your country, so it's your fault that I did something wrong". The same is for this case, I cannot blame on Digsby staff if I don't read the legal terms of use if they are there to be read.

Were you out of law? I don't think so... did you do it on purpose? I think I'll never know but I just expect you will be very careful next time before something like this happens again.

Go ahead and try be the best in your job incluiding being the best in social values... =)

sincerely, Sareli.

I'm using it and I'll keep on using it if you give me an add-free program. I'd pay a little for it, just not 19.99 euros or more (there're too many free client to pay a lot for this - sorry folks but that's the hard truth :/)

Anyway it's a good program and I like it. The new skin is great BTW :)

If everything is option, then there is no reason to uninstall Digsby. Digsby is a great tool and anyone who thinks that it should be totally free without optional software add-ons or an opitional digital computing should try working at their job for free without pay. Those who have complained after reading the rants and not the EULA's are making rash judgements. You should work for free and try to pay your bills because that is what you are asking Digsby to do. Think people, please, get the full picture of what is going on and actually give it some thought before a knee jerk reaction of stupidty.

I wouldn't mind paying a small fee to keep Digsby ad-free and not conducting 'research' using my computer. I support other software that I use, and Digsby is good enough for me to do the same. I've been using Digsby for over a year now, and I'm pleased with its performance.

Purely out of curiosity, were you to consider coming up with a Pro version, approximately what price would you sell it for, and for how long would the purchase be good for (a subscription by year, until the next major upgrade, etc.)? I'd be more than happy to support you guys so long as the price is reasonable.

I'm amazed at the anger on this post. First of all, you are REQUIRED to read the terms of service. I realize they are lengthy and a pain, but this is what happens when you click without reading. Second, they are offering an easy way to not be part of the research - just opt out. So you can have free, ad-free Digsby service without the research if you are offended by it, with a simple click of the button (you know, like the one you clicked when you said you read the terms of service?). People have to make a living, and they are trying to do it in the best way possible for their clients. Good job, Digsby!

I'm disappointed. I've been using Digsby since early in the private betas and was extremely happy. I've brought many people into the world of Digsby, and have made a point of individually contacting them and letting them know about this change.

It's sad that such a great product must now fall onto my list of "Banned" software because of such a small thing, but that's exactly what has happened. I do not remember any notification of a change in the ToS, which is a requirement for me to re-read it and learn of new "features" being added. Had I been aware of this change when it was made I may be able to continue using Digsby, but as is now your company has lost all of my trust.

I don't believe you can call your product Ad-Free anymore, because there are certainly advertisments in the installer now, and saying that there are not is 100% inaccurate. I don't know when this feature was actually added to Digsby, but this is despicable and I agree entirely with the LifeHacker post.

I have no problem with you trying to make money, that's the whole point in doing work. I do have a problem with using sneaky and underhanded practices to accopmlish that. I would have been more than happy to have paid for a "Pro" version of Digsby.

Good day, and good luck with Digsby.

Wow - so no apology for misusing your user's trust? *Uninstall* Tsk, tsk at unethical developers...

Wah Wah, let's complain more because something that is free has adware that can be complete passed up during the install.

I'm really surprised at all the people complaining. Digsby is FREE, deal with it or don't install it. Simple as that. I for one love digsby and believe it is way better than Pidgin or Trillian Basic. So what if it uses CPU cycles while I'm away, I'm wasting power anyway when I leave my computer on and I'm not using it. At least the power doesn't go to waste with Digsby's research

Option 1 looks fine...

But I want to know what kind of research my idle processor is helping and how much of it the process is taking.
So, I'm disabling it until it's not clear for me...

The install ads are better than all time ads (Live messenger Sucks).

Thanks for the app, it really rocks!

Still not sure why people are making a big deal about the revenue models, it's a free product for f#!k's sakes.

1. Make the bloat-ware opt-in instead of opt-out.
2. Make the research module opt-in instead of opt-out.
3. Offer a paid version.
4. GET GROUP CHAT OUT THE DOOR!

Great product, I think everyone understands you have to keep the lights on. If you guys ever got group chat working I'd gladly fork over some $ for a paid version.

>>2012 dez Said,
>>August 14, 2009 @ 8:14 am
>>Why don`t implement non disturbing advertisments into digsby >>chat, maybe contextual ads in a small textbox with a small >>picture.

Good lord, someone please take digsby away from this person. Irritating jumping flashing banner ads is exactly why i don't use the MSN client anymore. This is the single most intrusive and irritating revenue model for ANY bit of software.


>>#
>>Angel Said,
>>August 14, 2009 @ 8:24 am
>>You bunch of ungrateful whiners. You’re using someone else’s >>hard work, for FREE, and then complain when they try to get >>compensated for it? What kind of an economy do you think >>we’re in? I’m so sick of all these open-source NUTCASES who >>think everything should be free. People work hard at this >>stuff and it they should be compensated… handsomely when they >>create awesome apps that are truly useful.

HUURAH!! At least there's one person here who isn't posting their neo-conservative crap and seeing the reality of things for what they are. If you people want open source stuff, then GO FIND SOME. There's no shortage of it out there. Quit trying to force every software developer on the planet to close up and hand over their work to the masses.

>>Chris Said,
>>August 14, 2009 @ 8:32 am
>>Remove the crapware — the only people who are tricked into it >>are inexperienced users. And then friends like me have to go >>and clean up their system for them. I don’t appreciate you >>attempting to capitlalize on that. It’s dishonest.
>>Second, just frigging make a pay option. Stop being all Web >>2.0 moral. Who the eff cares. You’re a business. Out to make >>money.

Yeah, Chris really missed the point of everything. Having to PAY for software in a segment as crowded as IM/social media would be the end. There's far too many free options out there.

#
>>Alfie Said,
>>August 14, 2009 @ 8:42 am
>>You said you DIDNOT intentionally hide the reseach model?
>>I’ll pay anyone who can find any mention of it in your >>changelog:
>>http://wiki.digsby.com/doku.php?id=changelog

This one kinda made me sad, Because it's not in there. I can only think, that when you were all sitting around the table going through your bugzilla or whatever else you use to track changes and bugs, that it was a concious, thought out decision to omit that from the changelog. Bad Digsby, BAD!

However, kudos on pusing out a notification to everyone, and not just burying this in some press release or develloper blog.

>>JP Said,
>>August 14, 2009 @ 9:07 am
>>@Scott
>>I agree: folding@home is a worthwhile cause, but SETI seems a >>little bogus, IMHO.

Your I wouldn't have to be so H if you just did a little research... SETI was the second ever released distributed computing project, and the first that was designed to actually learn or discover anything. The first was an attempt to defeat the challenge of breaking a 56bit RSA encryption key and win $10K... If you don't beleive in E.T., that's one thing, but don't attack the validity of a decent scientific research project unless you have a clue.

#

I just hope that Digsby is participating in a few worthwhile projects, at the same time as doing stock market analysis or anything else that is just gonna put cash in someone's pocket rather than try and advance humanity.

All in all, a 3 way revenue stream wouldn't be a bad thing.

1. Offer a "slim" version in return for whatever you feel is a fair donation. No crapware, no research module, just digsby in all it's glory (and occasional failures).

2. Optional offers. Annoying, yes. Make them clear on install, and explain briefly why they're necessary.

3. Reearch module. Fantastic. It's unobtrusive, it can be turned off, and tbh if you put in a fun little graphic or menu option in there so we could see what it was doing and how far along it was, it could be considered an optional "feature" as much as a source of revenue.

Butyeah... for not disclosing you were doing that at the beginning? Bad, bad indeed.

I do like the "research" option; however, you would then be "tied" to whatever research that firm is actually doing. If you were to allow the "research" for say socially responsible companies, "green" companies, or perhaps poll the users to decide which companies were acceptable, then the idea is terrific! Just think of the PR and popularity ramifications of doing research for a company that then turns out to provide more "big brother" like software, or the company also develops weapons, biotechnology that fails, etc. Conversely, if the company was a "green" company, the boasting and general "feel good" the user base and Digsby would have is unmeasurable!

As an IT Manager at a business where I've been recommending Digsby to all my users, I'm pretty disappointed with this new development. While part of me thinks the onus should be on me to read the TOS carefully, but at the same time the grid computing option should be more apparent. I had to remove about 200 Folding@Home clients from systems on our network that an ex employee had installed and now I have to get about 50 people to shut off this feature. My fault for implementing a freeware/ad driven app in a business setting...up to a point. Anyway, my anger has receded from this morning and I'm willing to give you guys another chance.

I must have installed Digsby a long time ago, because I never knew about any of these "offers," and I certainly never knew anything about a "research module."

So what's the business plan here, guys and gals? Ad revenue and toolbars? I've been a Digsby evangelist from the very beginning, but I have no intention of supporting a program that takes advantage of its users' good will. And, honestly, I think you have here, and I'm very surprised.

This blog post pays lip service to transparency, but bundling a distributed processing module into software that is, clearly, NOT a distributed processing application, is just underhanded - regardless of options to turn it off, or mention of it buried in your terms of service.

I want an IM client, I don't want to participate in your revenue model on a daily basis. I would never have even thought of looking in the TOS for something like that. It's an IM client, not SETI@Home. I use Digsby at work - you're telling me that you've been using my company's bandwidth for your own purposes, and I was just supposed to know to look in the terms of service for that? Legally you've covered your bases - of course I was supposed to know and be familiar with all aspects of the agreement between us. Socially? You've abused my trust.

So I ask again, what's the business plan here? Are you just going to casually add toolbars and additional software (or "crapware", as everyone else seems to be calling it) to your program? Or are you going to make something great? Are you going to settle for just making some money from some ads that no one really wants, or are you going to make this new company of yours differentiated, worthy of some investment, and endowed with a grand vision?

Truly, I think you've made the best IM client around. I really do, and I'm pleased to say it was born at RIT. I've got some insight into your company today, however, and I admit I've lost some faith in where you're taking it. Both options 1 and 2 strike me as tactical, somewhat lazy ways out. What's the strategic vision?

If you have to choose between option #1 and option #2, by all means choose the ads and a "pro" version that doesn't have any of this junk. I'll pay for it. The "research module" thing is just disingenuous.

Thanks - looking forward to hearing some good PR.


-David

I like the idea of the research module, with the option of selecting which research projects to participate or refuse to participate in. And statistics for the user on how much they have contributed to a given project.

Having it fully disable-able is a must, as some company's prohibit the use of their computing resources for anything other than company business. While IM may be included as legitimate company business, running another company's research certainly isn't included.

Whatever you guys do, don't do the Free/Pro model. Trillian does this, and most of their Pro customers actually have it cracked for the full version. I'm not sure if Astra does this, since it's server-synced and would need to verify the account you're using, but you can't stop crackers.

Honestly, I'd suggest keeping the same business model you have now, but just be a little more transparent about it.

Keep up the awesome work, guys. Don't mind that LifeHacker writer. Not sure what his problem is, but remember that LifeHacker initially supported you guys nonstop in the beginning, and I'm sure they'll continue to do so once The How-To Geek pulls his head out of his ass and realizes that Digsby is easily the best instant messenger app available.

I think that the grid computing option should be presented very clearly in the installer package and if someone decides to not enable it, it is not even installed with Digsby. I don't mind the ads in the installer so much because everyone has them these days but the grid computing should definitely be a dedicated page in the installer with a description of exactly what it does. I would prefer for it to be DISABLED by default.

Uninstalled. I'll be setting up pidgin again as my main IM client.

The fact of the matter is yes, you did put it in your TOS. Buried within pages and pages and pages of legal mumbo jumbo. For those that think it's the installers fault, spare me the witty banter. If I read every TOS for every application I've ever installed, I'd still be reading TOS at this very moment.

It's dishonest, it's deceitful and you've completely lost my trust.

If you need a "revenue" model, why not have faith in your product and sell a "pro" version?

Signed,
Completely disgusted.

OK... I read, I voted and I really wasn't going to put my two cents in until I read the garbage post that Lifehacker printed.

First off... that post was just unnecessary and rude. I've always found you guys forthcoming and I remember reading the posts when you talked about the "research" option. I didn't mind then, I don't mind now. Developers need to eat, OpenSource is not always the answer; period...

But I guess what made people angry was the fact that they have no control of where they would like the idle cycles to go. When reading through the comments they kept mentioning (and seemed stuck on) the web crawling "research." So, maybe there is a way to give users an option on what type of research they would like to support? I don't know how much coding/headached it would cause in the back end. But maybe you'll find that users that don't want to support something like web crawling, will be all for things like Folding@Home or SETI (bad examples I know, since they don't pay people for using their systems) and feel less "offended" by the research engine.

Just a thought...

Me personally, I don't care about the "annoyance" of Optional Software. As you'll be hard pressed to find any non-commercial software out there that doesn't have it already. Hell, even commercial software has it. And for what I do in a day... Your CPU usage when conducting "research" is minimal and it really doesn't prevent me from doing what I do.

I think if there is an Option 3 model I would support, I like the one that Ardour developers have adopted(http://ardour.org/development.) But I guess in the end, you're just going to find people that want everything for free and just want to complain about Devs trying to make an honest buck.

I don't really have a problem with the crapware at install. That is, it annoys me greatly but it is pretty much par for the course. Digsby's functionality is worth that annoyance.

The research option is all well and good, provided that it is either extremely obvious (which it is not) or set to be disabled by default (which it is not). More important than that, though...which projects is my computer supporting through this option? Whether I'm actively using them or not, those are my resources being mined, and I'll disable this option until or unless I actually know who's benefiting from them. Again, it's not the concept I have a problem with - things like the SETI@home project are, in my opinion, worthy of my support. It's the lack of transparency that I'm not comfortable with. There's certainly no requirement that Digsby disclose that information, mind you - if you feel it's a good choice to keep your clients confidential, that's fine - but more transparency about who's benefitting from these research resources would make me far more likely to participate.

I wasn't aware of the Research Model, you can be sure that I'll enable that as we have wasted CPU time that can go toward good causes.

as always thanks Digsby!

I'd take the transparency a step further and detail exactly what "research" entails. It sounds more palatable if you're talking about scientific research which we're helping to complete in a faster timeframe. But if it's "researching" the way I use digsby or behaviors or any sort of marketing analysis, I think a lot more people would have a problem. Maybe a running list of projects that are leveraging your compute infrastructure?

Getting the message that I should really *read* the revenue model information was really good of you. Hearing it from you, rather than from an angry blogger, allowed me to get a really well written, understandable presentation that your service (which I love) ain't free. Do I have a little spare processor power to exchange for this? Why, yes I do. Fair trade. Thanks for pointing it out.

Yay! I checked my preferences, and I've been supporting the research module. I think that's a fantastic idea and I'm happy to be a part of it. Also, a bunch of ads at installation is SO MUCH BETTER than constant ads over the lifetime of the product.

Go Digsby!

Please keep us informed. I love youre software, i've been using it for more than a year but when I read these kind of articles, I pisses me off...

The Lifehacker article had it's fair share of FUD and Digsby has taken the right approach in addressing the concerns as well as changing their code. I think the effort should be applauded.

Having said that I think Digsby is good enough to pay for and I'm voting 2. I've always supported _GOOD_ shareware providers (I was a paying user of Trillian for many moons) and Digsby is definitely in that group.

I am all in for a grid option.
I am highly against the paid ad-free version, coz--

1. I am under 18, dont have a credit card.
2. 5 dollars a year may be cheaper in the west, and may not be as cheap somewhere else, say Sudan/Zimbabwe.

3. Most importantly, i am sure, since the popularity of digsby is so high, someone will be able to crack the pro version, and upload a torrent, on thepiratebay, for everyone to use it for free.

So, yeah, imo, for your own good, go for a user friendly grid modal. :)

to get funds you can sell banner space on your home page

I switched to Digsby to escape the ads in Messenger. I love the twitter integration and like the fact I can chat with Facebook friends. I like the mail notifiers but think they need to work better (and please fix the Live mail one) but .... while I'd maybe pay a few bucks a year and I'm happy to run the research client (as long as it's smart enough to turn off when I'm running on battery power) the moment ads appear in the client itself I'm hitting un-install

Just let me pay you. Whether it's subscription-based, licensed, or donation-ware, just let me pay for the product. I don't want ads, toolbars, or tricks; just let me give you money.

From the "sketch" perspective the installer sent up red flags immediately and caused me to do research on the web about your legitimacy. I didn't like the multiple offers, the new single offer installer is better but not perfect.

One of the things that has killed desktop software is the fear of blowing up one's computer with unwanted software. You need to be uber-sensitive of this when you build desktop software and clearly you weren't.

This clear explanation of what you are doing is perfect. I HATE the notion that software should be "free" and think the whole open source is a rather ridiculous concept. I am a software engineer and realize how much blood sweat and tears go into writing good software. To suggest it should be "free" is something I find offensive to the many hours of hard work us engineers put in.

So with that, I'd GLADLY pay you guys for this software as it is excellent and if you wanted to create 2 versions, one that showed ads and ran research and one that cost me $10-20 and didn't I'd gladly take the latter, while some would opt for the former.

Sean

I personally don't have a problem with any of what you are doing, and I can forgive a little bit of "growing pains" when it comes to your hasty implementation. Some feedback:

1. I never install supplemental Toolbars. I don't mind if they're in the installer as long as I have the option to *not* install them. I just find all of them useless.

2. I actually think the Research Module idea is cool, except that I want to know what, or for who, my computer is working. I don't mind adding my computer to a cluster when I'm not working on it, but I do want to know what it is being used for, and that isn't clear even in this blog post.

3. I'd like to be able to donate or subscribe in order to give my money directly to you. When I find a product I enjoy and use regularly, I frequently go out of my way to pay something in the hopes it will still be there years from now. I don't even need a lot of fancy features, either; in fact, I'd donate and still keep the research module on if it was for something beneficial to humanity, like genome folding or something.

Keep up the good work, and thanks for the update.

Guys, you SHOULD have known that stuff like that will not stay hidden and should have been very upfront to the community about why and how.. you would have gotten WAY LESS grief about it, then you are getting now. Digsby is a GREAT solution, work with your community.

In general, I like the research module approach. I would like to see you publish some guidelines about what types of research might be conducted. Not everything is palatable to everyone.

I have to be honest, the other stuff is never going to be anything I turn on so you really won't be earning much, if any, revenue from me on those things. All it really does is annoy me on those rare occasions that I have to reinstall.

I Think digsby is a great software.it have many facilities.i love windows 7 skin its superior.but sometimes digsby not showing facebook online friendz. its very big problem if you can please solve it.

I've been using Digsby since the beginning. I've promoted it to friends. I've been arguing why Digsby is so much better than other multiprotocol IM-clients.

However, the "Research Module" is a major breach of trust. If you just had asked for permission in the first place, I'd say yes, no doubt about it. But doing this in the background, whithout users knowledge... sorry, but you have screwed up.

I think the KICKER for me is the fact that even if you make things more prominent, you set the "research module" to on BY DEFAULT. And, if there's an update and you've switched it off, it AUTOMAGICALLY switches itself on even if the user switched it off manually. That's plain deceitful!

I have recommended Digsby to MANY people (I'm what you call an influencer). I have no problem continuing to recommend things like CCleaner because they are TRANSPARENT. You lack this integrity currently and will have to regain our trust. In the meantime Astra will be getting attention from me.

Why are these mutually exclusive revenue models? Why wouldn't you want to do BOTH? I am fully in favor of your making both attempts to earn income in support of your free product SO LONG AS you are open and honest about what you are doing. I agree that the research model was not at all transparent prior to this latest post...and it is critical that you are honest to your patrons. BUT, once the new release comes online, I see no reason why you can't get income from both of the models.

Sorry. Still not acceptable in my opinion. Ive removed digsby and until you can all of that crud I wont be coming back. Id be happy even to just pay a small fee for a pro version. I just dont want extra tons of loop holes to turn off deeply hidden things such as this, nor uncheck several optional softwares during install. Unacceptable. Period.

I don't see how everyone can be so upset when it's clearly written out in the EULA. Sure, most people don't read it, but technically and legally we're supposed to and when we click on the checkbox saying "I agree to the terms and conditions of the EULA," the blame is on us.

Not only does Digsby tells us about it in the EULA, but they make a very transparent blog post about it, explaining exactly why they're exploring the option AND they even ask you for your input (not too many software companies do that). They don't even need to give us the ability to turn it off.

I left the research function on, mostly because I like the idea, and I don't notice it unless I look for it (unlike ads, which are really distracting). I like to think of it as a way of giving back to Digsby for a great product and to help out researchers for numerous good causes. Who knows, maybe Digsby will help cure cancer =) (hey, it could happen)

Last night was the first night I've had to do a fresh install of digsby and I almost cancelled it because of having to hit decline so many times.

I didn't even know about the research module until the announcement popped up this morning when I turned it on and I clicked into this blog post. I generally don't read them, but for some reason I did this one.

Yes, you kindly told us that you were going to start using our CPU cycles for research... What research? For whom? For all I know, you could be allowing foreign countries to use my computer to break some other foreign countries encryption algorithms. Far fetched, I know, but I do not trust companies anymore. It's nothing against you guys personally, but there are so many dirt bag companies today (perfect example is buy.com giving credit card numbers to a 3rd party whenever you checkout), that I just don't have faith that any company would use this kind of revenue model in a way that I would approve.

Quite frankly, ads are annoying and so are one time clicks of decline in an installer. I like digsby, but pay for it? Why? I can chat with other programs for free, and open source ones don't have this need to annoy their users with spyware, adware, or ads. Since I haven't had to reinstall digsby in a long time, I've been pretty happy that I haven't had to deal with any of that because when I did install it, I only had to decline 2 things. Last night it was a total of 5. And now there is this research module that I have no idea what it's even being used for.

I think I'm done with digsby. It was great while it lasted, but I'll vote with my usage and just not use it. There are many alternatives that may not look or act as pretty, but they are usable and not trying to make a viable business off of a chat client.

Love the new build of Digsby, I would suggest a nominal subscription model (maybe $10/year) that would allow me to maintain a digsby account which could span multiple computers. This is one of the big reasons I use digsby to save preferences between my work pc, home pc, and home laptop.

I really don't see what the fuss is about. This isn't the first installer to ask if you want other bundles, and certainly not the first product to use the CPU for grid computing (Google Desktop does the same).

People should be less brainless about clicking "next next next" and actually know what they're installing.

From Digsby's side a bit more elaboration would have helped, but either case LifeHacker blew this into epic proportions

I think Digsby should be open source and can be edited and distributed by anyone

Sorry... Like my father said, it takes a lifetime to build trust and a moment to destroy it. I'm going back to Trillian. And I'm going to email the friends I referred to Digsby and let them know about this lack of transparency. Sorry.... you know better.

And in case you missed it at business school, you first need to build a rapport with customers before you reach into our wallets.

Wait, I'm a doof and didn't read carefully, you can already turn it off the grid computing, sorry.

^I just noticed Jeff's comment afterward when you addressed him. Thank you for the clarification!

I'm conflicted about Digsby. On a pure application level this IM does everything I want and more. It is the only IM (that I know of) that not only supports most major IM protocols but also the major social networking sites as well.

With that said, the lack of transparency and "opt-out" way of disabling the research module really goes against everything I believe a reputable software company should behave. I don't begrudge you wanting to make money out of all the hard work you have put into this piece of software, but the way you have gone about it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. I really dislike when companies install or enable anything without my express permission to do so. I believe opt-out strategies should be illegal. Opt-in should be the only way of doing things.

I've been using Digsby from before the installer changed. I'm worried that all the autoupdates might have installed something without my permission. At least I have not seen any tool bars installed.

It's mostly the installer's fault for not reading what they put on their own computer. I knew about this and I chose not to install all the "special" stuff. Digsby is all I needed and still use. After reading Lifehacker's article, I didn't uninstall it just because they whined about it.

btw, i'm for text ads in conversation windows much the same as WLM, nothing else... if that helps

@Digsby.
"@Chris. It is enabled. To disable it, just switch it to “Disable”"

What the hell?! you do realize that beside Chris who has this problem most of the other people who read your comment saw the B.S. in it?!

@That Next Door Boy

That wasn't the intention. While responding to the comments, I answered the question incorrectly.

I'd buy a pro version. Digsby is a good product and I don't mind paying for good products.

Also, If you have any user useage analytics data, I'd be stoked to see that too.

Peak IM usage hours, most popular services, what third party apps people use most (yammer, twitter, facebook, etc), how many users you have, demographics.

If you made the analytics available only to premium subscribers and maybe distributed them with research reports it would be super valuable.

-M

Also, one more thing:

I know some people already stated this, but many people outside the States, like me, are charged for their internet based on their upload/download quota, and the extra payment for going above are disgusting. So as someone said above, please, please consider giving us the option to turn off the grid computing thing!

Option 2.

I'd easily pay for Digsby if it meant no ads and no crapware in the installer. It is a great app (even though I really hoping for group chats on XMPP and a better way to search old conversations), and I think your reputation would be a lot better if you got rid of the large amout of crapware in the installer and made a pro version.

I like the idea of charging just a few bucks and then going after as many users as possible with the perfect product.

Yes, it's 100% optional -- it's also 100% opt-out. This should be an opt-in only feature. As in, I'll turn it on if I want to and should not be expected to search it out to turn it OFF.

Hey Digsby Team,

Great explanation. As a big fan and long-time user at both work and home I was unaware of the research option, but I'm definitely going to leave it turned on, on both computers. Toolbars and bloatware are annoying, but so are ads, and in a world where you need to make money to survive one of those is a necessary evil.

Do you get money on every toolbar install, or every time the option is presented? I'd like to do whatever I can to help support Digsby's financial needs, but I don't think I'll be installing too many of those toolbars. In light of that perhaps 2 is a better option. Whatever will make you the most revenue without any secrets is my pick.

Thank you for addressing this issue clearly and quickly. I'm always impressed with you.

@myrridin
Tom

@Digsby: I'm looking forward to any improvement and more transparency, but for a lot of us this is comes a little bit too late. The optional offers, even if installed accidentally or on purpose, are just a minor inconvenience.

The "research" module actually costs us money, maybe even more than you realize. My PC is up almost 24/7 for various reasons, that's why it was build with energy efficiency in mind. But having my CPU work at maximum performance due to Digsby would (and actually did) cost me more money that simply purchasing a commercial alternative like Trillian.
You must understand that with modern PCs you aren't actually using unused resources, you are wasting the users money in form of electricity and putting unnecessary wear on expensive hardware.

I don't really have a problem with the ads during installation. They look tacky, but, hey, you guys have to pay bills. However, what drove me to uninstall, was the fact that I was not told during installation that my computer would be used for "research." Shame on me for not reading the TOS. I do not think something as important as that should be buried in the legal mumbo-jumbo. If it had been clearly stated up front, I don't think I would have uninstalled Digsby. It is the omission that gets me. When my kids do it, we call it lying.

Also, I find it interesting that many people feel like "RESEARCH" is automatically something good. Like they know that the research model is looking for a cure for cancer or HIV or something. May be it is. It also could be researching how many times I searched for the words "bike parts" to send more targeted crap to me in the little ad boxes that pop up from Digsby. By the way, those did bother me.

I don't think that Digsby is trying to pull one over on us. I do think you guys could have been more up front and have really tarnished your public image with this.

I believe that the first option is the best course. I have no problem lending a small percent of my CPU power while I'm not at home. However, I absolutely loathe every app for a computer that advertises within itself. I cannot and will not continue using a product if it implements advertisements. The reason I like Digsby is because it is clean and convenient. Also, I honestly can't justify paying for an IM service. Yes, I know people need to get paid. But as a college student (As I'm sure much of your market is) I can't afford to fork over $20. I think it's great the way it is, and I hope you only continue to improve it!

I was a little miffed after reading the LH post and was going to uninstall Digsby and revert back to Pidgin.

After reading this post I've had a change of heart and will continue using your great product. With an open explanation it doesn't seem so bad... even though I will be disabling the research module on my work laptop.

If I give you the OK to do research in my computer, will that also allow you a way in to my data, past my firewall etc? What research do you do for whom? Military weapons? Corporations that pollute, cheat, exploit? Rightwingers?

I hate obtrusive ads. I don't mind unobtrusive ads, of the Google type. That type doesn't seem applicable to Digsby. Do market research to see what might work for you. What I do not like is 1) having my concentration interrupted or 2) having my screen cluttered and busy or 3) being pested.

I say make the research module as visible as possible - if you can include an animation for it, all the better. Hell, I'd even include an option to make it use CPU time when the computer isn't idle.

A lot of grid computing projects are run by amateurs, and while I wholeheartedly support them it can be a hassle when projects are in flux or use too many system resources (I'm looking at you, Cosmology@Home). For that reason I actually feel better about having a company decide which research project we should give our resources to, because I know you don't want to inconvenience us.

By the way, I hope the option to disable participation in the research is system-specific, rather than being applied for every system I log onto. My desktop is rather unstable at the moment so I'd rather disable it for the time being, but I'll gladly donate my laptop's cycles.

What about having a single ad pop up every time we log in? Something similar to the pop-up ads Orbitz and so many other website have. That wouldn't be too intrusive and it could just be a one time thing every time we log in. Some people may find it slightly annoying, but I personally wouldn't mind that if it helps you guys.

First, a big shout out to everyone and anyone who had anything to do with making Digsby happen. Thank you for this program, and thank you for giving us an opportunity to speak up about its future.

I would personally hate having to see all those ads in the program every time it loaded. Also, people are becoming more and more paranoid about anything "third-party", and for good reason with some of the security loopholes and crafty hackers out theres. I don't mind having to hit the "decline" button several times during the installation process to avoid having to seeing ads a thousand times for a year whenever I start up Digsby.

I say keep option 1 and, for want of more revenue, add even more offers in the installation. Sure, it's a slightly extra annoyance to have to hit "decline" a few more times, but for me, it'd be completely worth it!

I don't know if this is viable or not, but here's another idea I just thought of to make everybody happy and get Digsby even more money. How about making both an Option 1 Digby AND an Option 2 Digsby available for download? With a complete disclosure of everything involved, people can then choose what is best for them, Digsby gets more revenue, Digsby stays free, Digsby's reputation for user input/choice will help attract more users, and there is happiness all around. Anyone see anything wrong with this idea initially?

My only problem with Option 1 as currently implemented is it is misleading. When my wife installed Digsby, she didn't understand that to NOT install all the adware and special offers you had to decline. Many other installers have gone the route of a checkbox with "Install XXXX Toolbar to blah blah blah" -- disabling the option is more intuitive.

Perhaps this design decision was on purpose to increase the number of installs.

I am a huge fan of lifehacker and of Digsby.

I think the Lifehacker post was way overboard and I think Digsby hasn't been transparent enough.

This article clears things up quite well. I think these are necessary actions that probably should have been taken sooner.

With that being said, I look forward to the continued development of Digsby.
Thanks!

loving the new build guys, keep up the good work.

I think it is very hard to swallow that you were planning to make the grid processing more clear and you just "didn't get around to it". Especially since when someone finally called on it, you were able to make the change immediately. Also hiding behind the defense that all of these things can be declined or turned off is also bs, clearly you want people to install these toolbars and the grid processing because that is how you earn your money. If it was crystal clear no one would install any toolbars and you would be back at square one. Finally you have to make it clearer what type of research is being done, lifehacker made it sound like much less noble research than you are making it out to be.

I love Digsby and I can't believe all the people who are so quick to complain. Great products aren't usually free and I for one really appreciate the work you put into and the way you treat your users. I like the research option, and I will keep that enabled (hey, it's my work computer anyways :D).

@Digsby: Let me get this clear, if it says "Enable" right next to the text, it is enabled? If it says "Disable", it's disabled? It doesn't make it clear, as I would automatically assume that the "Enable" button is asking me TO enable (whereas had it said "Enabled" I would know it is on), etc. There should be subsequent text letting you know if it's actually enabled or not, not just some vague possibility of it being one way or another.

@Rosemary It is enabled if the button says "Disable", asking if you want to disable the option. If it is disabled, it will say "Enable", asking if you want to enable the option. Sorry for not answering the question correctly.

digsby team, there should be no 'option' to make transparent, ditch it, you guys aren't listening to the masses, just pretending to listen

I am probably one of the rarer people who would prefer to just pay directly for the application. If you have a trial or a function-limited version people can use for free and then buy if they like it, that works out well for me.

I am a former Trillian user and liked some of what they were doing with Astra (I was a beta tester), but overall think Digsby is doing a better job at merging IM and social networking, email, etc. I'm eagerly awaiting group chat, and I'd definitely pay for this great program. Keep up the great work.

I really like the idea of leveraging grid computing! Frankly, I didn't notice Digsby had this option, but its a great idea. Love Digsby :)

I agree with a lot of other commenters that I don't mind having the research module run on my computer when it's idle, but you should have been clearer that it was happening.

I've used for a little over six months and overall I like it. I understand the necessity for ads to support cost. Toolbars such such as Yahoo or the Weather Channel are one thing, but some of the other software could be considered malware. At least it's up front.

I think option 1 is good for me, i don't like MSN messenger because ads.

Chris said
"Ok if the “Help Digsby conduct research” button says “Enable” is it disabled or enabled? I don’t get it sorry :/"

Digsby said
'@Chris. It is enabled. To disable it, just switch it to “Disable”'

but this didn't answer Chris' question.

If the button says "Enable", then it is already disabled. So, if you want to enable it again, click the "Enable" button. Then the button will switch to "Disable" and if you want to disable it, then click the "Disable" button... (and of course the button will switch again and say "Enable"). Just remember the button is telling you what the action will do. Enable or Disable the feature.

@Jeff Thank you for clarifying that for @Chris

The ads in the installer don't bother me, they just require that you be a little more attentive during the installation to be sure you don't end up with anything you don't want. You see the same thing with Java updates, jZip, and several other apps. It's no big deal and people are going overboard in making a big deal about it.

I hate the grid computing thing though. Like most, I didn't know it was there. It just feels kind of dirty knowing that someone else is using my CPU to make a buck. But, now that I'm aware of it, I've disabled that feature and will continue to use Digsby because it blows the socks off of Pigin, Miranda, and every other IM app I've used.

Thanks for the great app and for coming clean on the grid computing issue.

I don't mind the exploration of options so long as they're clear and above-board.

I would rather you LOSE all people complaining about the installer as "customers" than be forced to endure in-program ads. Here's a tip: Mashing the next button until it says finish is NOT the right way to install applications. RTFM.

As to the specific research module? My laptop battery drains too fast as it is - I just can't risk stuff like that running. The desktop at home? No problemo. It'd also be nice if there was some feedback built in to the module. Maybe a nice little website you can check to see how much you've contributed, etc. Although with $$ in the picture that may be a bad can of worms to crack open.

Is it possible to know how the computational application is located and how is called ? Just to erase all the traces for to be sure. I have an ooooold cpu so I prefer to don't weak resources when my Pc is on waiting for me to moove mouse or keyboard for long time.

Thank you

hi everyone!

first of all: yes - regarding the features - digsby is probably one of the best (if not THE best) free chat-im-social-media-mail-notification-etc.-all-in-one-software there currently is. but i have to agree to many other users here that already said: it is absolutely inacceptable to introduce something like the grid computing "in the background" without officially telling your users first! this should (no matter if your intentions were good or not) never happen again!

i know that you are a young company with few people and financial resources but some of your methods to make money seem too desperate! and your lack of pr experience makes it even worse! i think you have lost a lot of users today and you should seriously learn from it! many people already have stopped using your product because they requested features over and over again and all they ever got was "we have like two persons that are currently working on that". and yes i know that this stuff in fact is a lot of work and for example api changes steal away your time but on the other hand: you made a new skin or plan to introduce the link shortening service digs.by but haven't had time to fix issue xyz?

this strategy really hurts your credibility guys! if one reads your blog posts over the last months one clearly gets the impression that you are really struggeling with your finances and are just trying to delay turning digsby into a non-free product. if you start to request any payment for your software at least 90% of the rest of the digsby users is going to run away too! because, despite the quality of digsby's capabilities, let's be honest: people are going to go back to miranda, trillian and what not. well yes, they might not offer as many features as digsby but they are working on their code too!

so in conclusion: the digsby client itself is a great piece of software that could (re)gain a lot of online reputation if you continue developing it and offering it for free. that however doesn't solve your financial problems. grid computing - if announced and may optionally turned off - is a good idea (although not for people like me who have a monthly traffic volume limit), the affiliate program is another. but taking money for the software (in your line of business) or adding adware or banners to it is really just NOT the right way! please don't make that mistake! i'd rather see ads oder google embeds on your homepage / blog than within the client.

you've made it so far - please don't throw it all away now! i've recommended digsby to many people and i'd hate to regret it! please make a specific statement about the future of your application and stick to it, so users know what they're dealing with from now on.

Thanks for your work so far and keep up the GOOD part of it!

By the way, it's not the optional offers in the installer, it's the hidden "research" feature that keeps several of my friends of even trying out Digsby after I honestly told them about Digsby and its features.
There is just an aura of sneakiness and untrustworthiness about this behavior that is hard to ignore. Not even really making clear what kind of research is actually done by our PCs is not helping either.

Option 1 is the better of the two proposed, however, I would like a direct "Paypal" option so that I can make my own donation to support you rather than fund "research" that you haven't been very specific about what that research is. If you won't disclose it, I won't be using the module and would prefer to support your efforts in other ways.

First, I don't mind the multi installer though I would say it needs to be more clear that declining one of the "optional" components won't kill the install. Second, I have no problems what-so-ever with how this has played out. If by agreeing to the Terms of Service, I agree to let you use my computer for research purposes, then I feel you've done your due diligence to notify me. It's my responsibility to read the TOS and I have to say that I have to install the software. If people don't like what's installed on their computer, it's their own fault for not at least skimming through the TOS.

Just a note:

Remember that the people that are happy with the product are the people who will never say a word. Just because you're getting a lot of lash-back about this background task doesn't mean that everyone hates it.

Option 1 sounds fine. Heck, you have to make something back for all the work you do. I had no idea that the research option was in the program so I will probably use that to help you out.

In today's economy, its hard to justify spending extra cash on an IM when there are so many other free options. Although, I'd look at the options if you were to offer that.

Please keep up the good work and thank you for talking about the options.

@Dan
"While I was not pleased to find out about the research crap, it absolutely does not change my mind about using digsby. I do however wish that the option to disable it was made clear up front.

How-To-Geek and Lifehacker are just milking this crap for publicity ($$$). How-To-Geek wrote up an article last week about how to clean up the crap installed by digsby and other opt-ins. There was no big stink about it then, so screw them!"

As a fan of lifehacker I felt the need to reply to this. Do you not see the irony of attacking Lifehacker in the second paragraph after admitting in the first paragraph that you did not know about the research module until (presumably) reading their article? They aren't milking anything. They reported news about a program that their readers are interested in. It struck a cord with users of the program who are now submitting feedback which Digsby will take into consideration. In a roundabout way you have Lifehacker to thank for any further transparency and improvements to digsby that comes of all this. SO I wouldnt say screw them if I were you. I would say thanks for alerting me to an issue and fomenting change that may not have come otherwise.

I wonder why people always go after anything that is free. There are paid products available and if they think that they are in a super secure environment, they should pay for their own safety.
Having said that, I believe that using the idle power of the CPU is infact a great idea, organizations like SETI survive on this since the last century.
I have installed Trillian, VoxOx, Pidgin, proprietary messengers (YIM, WLM, GTalk, Skype) and finally decided to stay with Digsby because it is easy, it has everything that I need and it doesn't cost me anything.
MSN & Yahoo show ads in the client. GTalk may use the chat data for something, I have never understood their privacy policy. When Google and Facebook can make mistakes in their disclosures, I believe Digsby should be given the advantage as well.
I seriously think that you should stop worrying about what people have to say and concentrate on GOOD PROGRAMMING because that is what will ultimately count. I don't mind ads, installers, toolbar, using 'idle' CPU etc, till the time it is a solid product and that too for free. Everyone has to make ends meet and you guys are no different.

People - Digsby is free. Period.

my 2 cents.

Being a Digsby user almost from day one I still consider the "Research Module" one of the biggest blunders in Digsby's history. Making it opt-out instead of op-in and actually only telling me weeks later after an enormous amount of electricity was wasted by this feature still makes me upset to this day.
The fact that the user is not clearly informed about the research module and it's a "feature" that is hidden tremendously well (users don't expect options in the "help" menu) still makes me wary of Digsby.
All that said, "Option 2" is still the lesser of two evils, as much as I like Digsby, I'd probably switch clients immediately on the first non-optional ad. Yes, it may be selfish, but I'm simply honest and there are enough actually free (as in beer and as in speech) alternatives out there so I'm not willing to pay any price for the comparably minor added convenience Digsby offers.

@freibooter We realize our mistake and we are working to make the option more transparent

I love Digsby. Keep it up. I don't care about keep or remove the Research Module buut what I always do when installing a app is learn what it has and offers. I know about the Research Module there in the Digsby at the first day and I have been kept it enabled.

Thanks for providing such a great app. Keep it up

Thanks for the clarification on this. I know you guys have your hearts in the right place. :)

It's important to remember that we still get digsby for free!
If that requires a couple of ads in the installer which are completely OPTIONAL it's not a big price to pay.
Just decline and continue to install.
Who cares about a bad "taste" in your mouth after installing, you will just install once and use the app ad-free. Don't be too spoiled.
Give the installer a few minutes and you'll have a superb IM-client, for free, without ads...

Although, it was wrong not notifying the users better about the research module. And while it has been explained an apology wouldn't hurt.

I'll still support digsby for being so good! Keep up the great work!

Don't you DARE insert contextual ads or display ads in the program window. During the install process, fine. During normal operations, no. The main reason I used Pidgin on Linux (where's your client for that, by the way?) and Digsby on Windows is because the official clients for AIM, Yahoo and so on were too bloated and contained really annoying or distracting ads and the fact that Digsby stores my info and preferences centrally for everything is extremely nice. The moment you do this is the moment I return to Pidgin, those nicer features be damned. I don't mind the research module, but being that I have a fairly slow laptop I'm opting to disable it completely.

From now on, you should make it very clear to you users EXACTLY what you are doing either through those little message pop-ups or in those Digsby update windows that alert us to new news or update posts.

When I read the LifeHacker post I wasn't very happy, but decided I would literally sleep on it first. I wake up and find you've (more or less) apologized for this and are being proactive in making things better. However I still have a bit of a bad taste in my mouth over it. You, as a business, need to realize that a lot of users don't read the Terms of Service on almost anything. We, as users, are way too conditioned to these days to skip over those things as they are almost always full of huge, long blocks of indecipherable legalese that we practically need to hire a lawyer to translate for us. Furthermore, your Terms of Service are not readily available online or viewable through any menu option in the program. This needs to be corrected.

Getting back to the users-not-reading part, you should take a page out of the Creative Commons book. Make a human-readable, easy-to-understand Terms of Service that tells in very simple language everything that's going on and provide a link to the full legal terms of service. Second, take a page out of Mozilla Firefox's book. Make a little thing pop up that won't go away (until you click) that says, "Know Your Rights" which leads to this simple-language Terms of Service that links to the full text, of which both will explain very clearly exactly your intentions.

How about offering a Firefox addon like Meebo and letting that have ads or letting users log in from Digsby website and that has ads?

I installed Digsby myself and went through each screen and I am guilty of not reading Terms of service so I was definitely surprised when the science research angle was presented by LifeHacker. You guys really messed up here. I messed up by trusting you enough to think all your TOS was legal jargon and you guys messed up by essentially hiding the disable option in the help menu. I'm glad the article caught that. I had no idea this was going on the whole time. What research has my computer been doing? I have no idea. Shouldn't we be told?

I love Digsby but when I don't do auto install and I go through every screen there is there should be a clear item to disable this. Also, offering ads on installer is fine...just don't do the jerk company thing and have the opt-in already checked for each offer. Have the opt-out or Disable button more prominent.

You guys let us down. Shame on you.

@Scott
I agree: folding@home is a worthwhile cause, but SETI seems a little bogus, IMHO.

More details/transparency for the type of research being conducted would be a welcomed addition. Even better would be the ability for users to choose what research they would like to support.

But ultimately, I support the idea of using spare CPU cycles for research, particularly as it doesn't affect performance.

Free model for software will rarely succeed in a long term. In few years, who will pay for displaying ads that nobody clicks?

My suggestion: introduce free and paid versions. Paid version should add some value (not just to remove ads), and considering great job you've done so far, I think you guys won't have problems with this. :)

Keep up a good job!

There is no scenario when something as significant as a 'research module' should be enabled without a very specific opt-in.

Nobody cares about you making money. I'd have gladly paid for Digsby - the product is great. This approach, however, was not acceptable. Do you expect users to believe that the slight and default enabling of this option was unintentional? An oversight? No, I've worked in product development long enough to know that was a decision to maximize it's purpose - revenue. It's an insult to your user base. Goodbye Digsby.

I like option 1, as long as for the ignorant user who just clicks "Next" "Next" Next" (or presses Enter) the product installs without those options.

Equally important to your revenue model is privacy and how you treat our data (particularly our passwords). As clear as you're being with the revenue options, you need to be equally clear that you're not storing our passwords in a usable form, that they get encrypted & decrypted locally and that it's impossible to decrypt (other than by brute force attack, of course) with only the information stored in Digsby's online DB. And if your system doesn't work as I just described, you should consider it a fatal security flaw and divert all resources to fixing it immediately. Remember the first rule of secure computing: as soon as you trust anyone other than yourself, you've compromised yourself. Of course if we didn't trust you we wouldn't be here, but even with the best intentions occasionally bad stuff happens on the interwebs.

Thanks, and keep up the good work!

You guys do a bang up bloody job on Digsby! I've used trillian...and, even experimented with Astra a few months ago. Not gonna happen again, as it screwed up MY facebook chat protocol, as well as many others using the plugin that was made by them. When i made the switch back to Digsby, it was because i LOVE it! Not that i'm "forced" to use it or anything...but, honestly. I've never minded the installer - i remember the old one, and then the new one with all the "ads" in them. The new one is a little more clean...and, more precise. Hell - it even shows ya how long it takes to install lol. Small, i know.

I would DEFINITELY support you guys at Digsby if you decide to make a model that charges a "Small Fee" - but, as long as it's not a year to year thing - you have no problems with me. Maybe down the road, that might be a way to go...but, many users buy software programs for the reason of buying it once, and receiving the updates for it long term.

HOWEVER - i wouldn't resort to what IM programs like MSN, Yahoo and ICQ have done. Plaster them with ad's, or useless junk. What i would do however, is keep the installer the way it is...and, then, work on features that would only be in the "paid version" - or, a more advanced set of features. Something like Trillian does with audio and video chat, among other smaller things.

The ad in Digsby would just...clutter everything. IMO anyways.

Ok if the "Help Digsby conduct research" button says "Enable" is it disabled or enabled? I don't get it sorry :/

@Chris. It is enabled. To disable it, if the button says "Disable," click it so it says "Enable"

(edited by Aaron, directions were reversed)

Transparency is the key. Digsby is a wonderful product, and it have a great user base which is very passionate about the software. Over a million users seems to be a small figure, but in fact it's a magnificent number when you consider that most of it has been achieved by word-of-mouth. Why is that? I guess we feel amazed of how much Digsby imprved our online social media experience... for free!

I didn't install anything but Digsby at install time (which, by the way, was about a year ago). I DID unintall all other IM I had has they became simply unneeded when Digsby arrived. And I never looked back.

I didn't know about the research module, and I really don't like the fact of not knowing about it until Lifehacker's article. But guess what? I went down to the Support Digsby window, and I left the option enabled! I said to myself, "What the heck! I've been enjoying the benefits of Digsby for so long. These guys are a small company and they only do this program (as far as I know). They make some money by using my computer while I'm not using it. Why not!?". It's true you enabled the research module without notification, but I truly feel it was just a honest mistake, and I hope you learned the lesson. Transparency is the key!

Regarding what business model to take, I will suggest you go on having a paid version and a free, no ads version with some pro features limitations (altough I can't decide which is pro and which is not). I will go for the paid version and I have the feeling that many of us might pay a reasonable amount for Digsby just for the gratefulness we feel.

Another suggestion (and a very profitable one) is exploring other platforms. I know Mac and Linux users are crying out loud asking for a DIgsby version for their OS's but in my opinion it makes much more sense to focus in the mobile market. There are millions of iPhone and Blackberry users that will like Digsby's ease of use and integration on the go! Having a iPhone and Blackberry client with the reputation of Digsby and asking, say, $2 for it (at least in the Blackberry world, $2 is ridiculous price for good software) might prove to be a great business model. And again, there's NO IM client in either platform that comes close to Digsby on Windows.

My two cents plus taxes...

Why not remove all crapware and bundle programs users would actually WANT to use.

Doesnt google compensate for bundling their toolbar or other product installs with software? I know its a fine line but i would rather see an optional google desktop, google search engine change, or google toolbar install than some of these blatantly spammy, sometimes hard to uninstall, useful to no one, adware partners you have supporting you.

if this was an open-source project you would get a lot of help, wouldn't have to pay salaries and still have a "donate" button or something. but i understand that you wouldn't make much with that so go for option 1 but inform people better.

PS: when my pc is idle i sometimes have some programs that need cpu power(transcoding videos and all...) i don't know if you took it in consideration but i leave the thought.

Thanks for this note.

Hello,

Some companies embed these kinds of features into their software and not tell you, so it is big of Digsby staff to inform us of this, and try to make this information available in a more visible area of the application.

They are well within their right if it was in the EULA (something that we all are supposed to read, but no one ever really does :-;). Thanks for letting us know of it in a more detailed and open manner.

Brian

OK,

I think everyone here can agree that we don't like the fact that Digsby did not clearly explain what the app. was doing on our end. In fact, it seems that it was purposely hidden from us in a way that the majority would have never known their CPU power was being used without their knowledge.

As a young company you must realize that it takes a long time to develop a customer that is loyal, but it only takes 1 minute to loose them forever.

Digsby did not bring this forward until you got bad press and it was exposed to the masses. This alone makes us feel that you are now making this clear because you have no choice. You are afraid to loose everyone because you did not do the right thing on your own and was forced to do so because of exposure to the truth of what was going on.

So going forward, you must realize that this was wrong and you should apologize to the user base for it. This does not mean that we will stay because we expect honesty and integrity. But you owe an apology to all of us and let us decided from here if we will ever trust you again.

If you EVER want to become a bigger company, you need to understand the basic principle of honesty and integrity. You need to understand that coming forward only after you where exposed does not mean we care what is done from this point forward.

@Proximo There were plans to make the options more transparent and visible to the user. The Lifehacker article pointed out that we need to move much faster to implement the changes.

We shouldn't be thinking only about ourselves. The people here are doing a great job and they deserve some compensation for it. That's why I think both the installer toolbars and the small ads on the app is a good choice. That is OPTION1 AND OPTION 2 TOGETHER. No one will get hurt by viewing some ads on the messenger but the hackers behind this, will get their energy's and time's worth.

I have used Pigeon and a number of other similar products. Digsby, by far, is my favorite. I hate ads and I'm cheap, what can I say? And just as an earlier commentor, girls dancing around selling insurance is just plain annoying. But what amazes me as much as any technologies is people who leave comments that are just plain rude. The make themselves sound like complete idiots that can't even express themselves in a somewhat intelligent manner! Grow up folks!!

Why does revenue need to be so "creative"? Do whatever you want to do with this "free" version, but just put out a clean unobtrusive, crapware-free paid version and move on. If you gave me a version of Digsby that would never have any crapware options during the install/update, never showed me an ad, and would never hijack my cpu cycles for random processing (which by the way I don't even get to control what projects my cpu is specifically used for and that I may or may not agree with), I would gladly pay $20 a year for it or something.

Free is not a revenue model, stop pretending that it is.

I and a number of my friends LOVE this product. Seriously it's ingenious. Anything that takes something as simple as consolidating multiple social networks is gold in my book. So far Digsby is the only one that does it right.

I'm behind Digsby and whatever model it decides to use. I'll continue using it regardless.

Wow, so much misplaced anger... Upfront about it? Seriously, if you knew what was only disclosed in EULA agreements of a lot of other software you used, you would most likely become irate. Installing ads, based on what you chatted about, how very weird. Not only then would you be wasting uptime bandwidth, but in essence selling your conversations, which above all I would like my IM client to protect not farm. I would be interested in seeing the statistics of bandwidth, memory and CPU time for the grid computing (just out of curiosity).


Maybe you could implement some sort of points system. Users could say set there search on their browser to Digsby search (hyped version of yahoo/google/msn) and earn a small credit for each search. Or install the grid computing as a separate utility and earn so much per hour/minute that it runs. Or if the user wants run desktop weather or whatever, so much for however much that is running. Once the user earned enough credits they could free of their client of ads or allow them to download an ad free version. This would separate the payment from the service and unhinder the use of Digsby.

your software should not do anything other than advertised on front page. period, end of story

nobody signs up to have their system used and abused by any software, do you think you would have any users if you plastered in a note on the front page what else may be bundled with digsby and changes it will make to your system by default? not likely

either free the product from the crapware or free the code or some other small company will come along and wipe digsby out

i've supported you guys from day mof*ckin one, you introduce a paid version for a reasonable price, one time payment for all future versions and i'll grab it, if the software is clean of course.

you could eliminate half your costs by chucking your server and making digsby a client like all others, i don't care about syncing my preferences, i just care that my contacts are at my fingertips

change your model like smart users have told you to do in the past and the $ from a paid version should do enough to help you develop the product

Whilst I think the research module _could_ be a good idea, it would be beneficial to know what sort of stuff you are using my computer(s) for.

Whereas searching for extra-terrestrial life (ala SETI@home), or testing drugs for medical research are something that I would like to help with, I would not like to participate in stock market analysis or web search tools.

I think you should make it clear exactly _what_ sort of research my computer is going to be used for.

I have disabled the grid computing option for the moment and will watch the blog for further announcements.

This just proves that people should read everything before they accept terms and conditions. You cannot be mad at Digsby, they told you what they were doing in the terms and conditions. Why do people trust everything on the web, would you sign a mortgage document without reading it first, oh wait that happened, that is why we had a mortgage crisis.

Digsby is great!

Add up all the folks who say they'd put up money, during this unstable economy, and I bet you're not going to be able to go that route.

You all are doing a wonderful job and Digsby is a great FREE (to the consumer) product. Let's keep it that way.

I support the research module, but there should be some additional development in this area. I also had no idea about the research module. You should add a checkbox to the install about this, and take the opportunity to inform the user as to its purpose. You could also add some sort of badge or indicator to the UI that indicates the research module is currently working.

I have no problem with your current model. I'm not a fan of crapware, but you gotta make money somehow, and it's clear that it's all optional. People who installed it "unknowingly" are idiots who need to pay attention rather than blindly clicking through installers!

While I was not pleased to find out about the research crap, it absolutely does not change my mind about using digsby. I do however wish that the option to disable it was made clear up front.

How-To-Geek and Lifehacker are just milking this crap for publicity ($$$). How-To-Geek wrote up an article last week about how to clean up the crap installed by digsby and other opt-ins. There was no big stink about it then, so screw them!

Oh and I'd like to hear what you think about that (Digsby) so do please reply (via comment or via email). I have experience as a sales manager so I may be able to help you in that area. :)

Option2 is fine. I couldn't give a crap if there are ads on the buddy list. I would prefer that rather than secretive stuff happening when my computer is idle.

the bestest messenger we can say for Digsby

Hi there. First of all, I think this blog post & responses to comments is a great example of the way we wish a lot of companies treated us. High five for great customer service.

Second of all, I voted #1 but have follow up comments: I would love to know what kind of research it is. Also, I like the installer option, but I think you could possibly find other companies that want to pay you to do this other than weatherbug, which is a terrible application.

Well, Trend blocks option 1 so good luck

I'll type here what I typed in the pool: why not use the search box to search the web like FireFox does? Read that they (Mozilla) get loads of money from google ads.

About the Research feature, if it was not written in the blog I would never now. You should make part of the installation process, not hidden in one obscure menu entry.

I am totally fine with the advertising left as is (option 1). Like others, I am curious to know what sort of research is being conducted with the research mode. Perhaps you could keep a page going detailing the project, or link to information kept elsewhere?

The main problem people have with the installer is not that it has ads, its that it has really unsavory offers which are considered spyware, with more legit offers in the installer it would help fix this, and many people hate that the research module is enabled by default (but from the blog post it looks like you will address the research module soon)

Option 1 preys on uninformed users or users who think they have to click next to install. While this is certainly a fault of some users, I've been around in the support business long enough to know that most people still think they have to click "next." Seriously, the number would blow your mind.

ANY toolbar / offers in the install is unacceptable, unless the offer to opt out is made clear and even highlighted with text like "I would not like this offer (you still get Digsby!)" in a large green button.

Similarly, using users' CPU when idle is a pretty shady thing to do. It can cause everything from heat to higher electricity to wear-and-tear on the computer that a user would prefer not to have.

-------------------

However, I don't like to rant without at least offering a solution or two. My attempts:

One answer would be to announce the ability to donate more often, put it in a more prominent place in the menu, remind users about it when more features come out, etc. You might even want to be public with your stats ("we have x number of users, x number of dollars to raise annually at least, and that's x per user").

I love Digsby, and I love that there's no "paid" version with better features, so I'd ask please not to go that route. However, if I had to pay a dollar or two to keep using Digsby, I absolutely would.

Or, maybe if users donate x amount, there's a way you can find something cost-effective to give them in return? If you can incentivize the donations, it might be more effective. (I know, you already give incentives with a great product, but sometimes it needs that extra push).

I will try to keep brainstorming and see what I can come up with.

Hello there !
Keep the good work !!!!

You said you DIDNOT intentionally hide the reseach model?

I'll pay anyone who can find any mention of it in your changelog:
http://wiki.digsby.com/doku.php?id=changelog

I've had Digsby installed for I guess a year or two now... I'm pretty sure that I installed it before you included the adware with the installer. I don't have a problem with the adware in the installer, it's easy enough to decline to install it.

However, I don't EVER remember being told that the Research Module was installed as part of an update. That's sneaky, and is the very reason that I'm uninstalling Digbsy and going back to Trillian (Pro). I know I can disable it, but from what I hear, it re-enables with each update. NO THANK YOU. I have no problem paying Trillian $10/yr for Pro, and I would gladly pay you a similar amount for a completely clean install of your program.
Please think about it.
I had recommended Digsby for a long time, but as of now that will end. As a matter of fact, I'm going to make sure that everyone I know that has it installed is aware of your adware and research module. I'm sure most of them will not be happy about it. This doesn't make me happy... I really like the software, but I cannot condone this sneaky behavior.

Digsby should make it's own toolbar and generate revenue from the searches that it creates and by selling space on the toolbar to other companies that can provide real value to the toolbar. Ex: sell a button to a url trimmer for fast url trimming. Ya, I know there's digs.by now but you get the idea--basically you'd only sell space to services which would give real value to the toolbar, no traditional ads.

Option 2 please, I'm tired of explaining to people (novices and experts alike) that Digsby is only bloatware if you install all the options presented in the initial installation. Most PC novices are so used to clicking "next next next accept accept accept" that I don't blame people for assuming it installs a bunch of $%^@ on your PC. It's an amazing app and should speak for itself, but its voice gets lost in the crowd of additional products it presents.

Maybe if people start paying for an add-free version their "give us Skype" voices won't go unheard either :P

Like many others I read the Lifehacker article and felt a little cheated by the Grid stuff. I don't mind it so much as was upset it was on by default. I think your fast and open response to this is refreshing and honest. Everybody makes mistakes, you've admitted that and for that I commend you.

It is hard in these times to make money from software. People are so used to getting things for free these days on the internet (either legally or illegally). I think transparency and openness like you've shown today will make many people sympathetic to your cause. I think to continue as you plan is fine, but here's a couple of other suggestions.

Somebody made the valid point that the first thing a new user sees is all the ad-ware in the install. That leaves a bad first impression. Perhaps take that all out and then after 10 (or maybe 30 days) have a pop up along the lines of "You've been using Digsby for 10 days, we hope you've enjoyed using it as much as we enjoy making it. However, we have to make a living so we can continue to improve Digsby." Then on there show options for installing ad-ware and the Grid module.

I'd also include on there a PayPal button. Plenty of old and new users I think would be glad to support the program with a simple donation. No need for multiple versions, just keep it clean and simple and people will appreciate that and reward you for it.

Thanks again for a great program and your continued honesty.

i won't pay for an IM client unless it fully supports all features from the protocols it connects to. Without cam support, i'll stick to a free version even if i have to suffer some ads.

As for what "free-ish" revenue stream to use barring a pay version, i say option 1. It's a hell of a lot less annoying to uncheck a couple boxes or click "Decline" than seeing ads every time i look at my contact list. Just make sure they come from reputable companies. i still don't trust stuff like Weatherbug.

Lastly, it would be really nice to know what KIND of data is being processed with Research Mode.

Mistakes are made, I appreciate the way you are handling this. Long live Digsby!!

@Digsby: It shouldn't be a matter of disabling the research option after the fact. Many new users, especially those who are computer-illiterate, won't know much about changing preferences. That will prevent them from disabling the option even if they don't want to be in it. It should be something that the more experienced users, knowing what it is, should opt in. Or even explain it clearly during the installer and allow people to opt in or out then (but never have it automatically enabled). It's still deceptive.

Remove the crapware -- the only people who are tricked into it are inexperienced users. And then friends like me have to go and clean up their system for them. I don't appreciate you attempting to capitlalize on that. It's dishonest.

Second, just frigging make a pay option. Stop being all Web 2.0 moral. Who the eff cares. You're a business. Out to make money.

I'd like to exchange a shiny $5 bill in exchange for your program. How about that? No ads, no number crunching, no batshit crazy installer, just a good application in exchange for $5?

We gotta deal?

I've been using Digsby for a long time and didn't expect this would happen to my favorite IM app. I was shocked that you didn't make that research module more "visible" to us but I will not be quitting Digsby because of that. Not yet at least. I'm gonna give you guys another chance.

I voted Option 2 by the way. I'd rather pay for an ad-free version without all this stuff. Yes, even if the research module only works when my computer's idle.

Guess what... This is FREE software, so no free lunch people. I totally don't care if they want my spare cycles of my CPU. Crapware is everywhere (heck Java installer has it!). Just don't install it!

In the end, yes, being more transparent would be nice. But you're a free rider, and it's you're fault if you don't read the terms of use!

Don't like this? Start you're own project, or ask them to make it paid software. I for one don't mind clicking a few buttons and think Digsby is the cats meow.

My preference would be for you to offer a paid version without all the installer/research stuff. You have a great program, and I am happy to pay for great programs to do exactly what they're supposed to do and no more.

That said, I can't say I really have a preference for 1 or 2. They both have their pros/cons. The installer bloatware offers gives a really poor first impression and will scare users away. The research project will require serious transparency / communication with new users, which is tough.

I've been a long time tech user of Digsby and have advocated it as the best integrated program for IM/Mail/social networking. Unfortunately however, I don't think I can do so any longer.

I hope you guys are aware of the massive negative press generated by your so called "ad free methods" and "research model". While it is noble that you make it possible to disable the option, the fact that it was implemented secretly for current Digsby users reaches a new low for any software developer.

It has been a great journey, but my stop has already arrived. I have uninstalled Digsby from and will be using the open source Pidgin. Ironic really, as I've just donated $20 to it's development.

How about a "Donate" link in the "Support Digsby" menu?
And keep option #1.

Andre

If the research module just uses CPU power during idle and does not send back info from my laptop, it sounds fine. Interesting and creative approach.

The multiple toolbar installation prompts during install were inconvenient and annoying, forcing me to carefully read each prompt to ensure I didn't install some unwanted crapware. But it was just once and I'd greatly prefer that over constantly-running ads in the Digsby client, now that you've explained it.

I doubt that a registration fee would work well; there are too many free options for multi-IM clients, and the social-networking feeds aren't really a big plus to me, just kinda fun.

Cheers -

You bunch of ungrateful whiners. You're using someone else's hard work, for FREE, and then complain when they try to get compensated for it? What kind of an economy do you think we're in? I'm so sick of all these open-source NUTCASES who think everything should be free. People work hard at this stuff and it they should be compensated... handsomely when they create awesome apps that are truly useful.

as long as the ads are not intrusive,changing the experience of using Digsby or the the computer, or so large that my computer is affected b them. I could care less about them.

If you are going to work on the ads, also work to maintain a good product.

The "Research" Module needs some more clarification and some options. the ability to choose which organization gets your cpu power is a must. i dont give 2 craps about seti but folding@home could be a worthwhile investment of spare cpu cycles.

i chose option 1 but i think there's too many "offers".

i agree with above comments of inking a search engine deal if not done already. i didnt even know there was a search bar in the program until digsby loaded up and stole window focus as i was typing something and it entered it into a google search or something. that search bar is great. i would use it much more if i knew it was supporting the program.

also i havent seen any donate links anywhere and i know some of us would gladly donate a few bux.

i'd also pay for an ad-free version if you went that route assuming the fee was under 10 bux.

Digsby is my favorite IM client and the new update makes it look even better. Pidgin isn't bad but I like having facebook, gmail, and twitter all in my taskbar. Just google "digsby installer without ads" and you'll find a link to the actual digsby installer that the crappy one downloads after you jump through their hoops.

Please go with Option 1.

If you go to option 2, it will be just like trillian and I will have to find something else to replace it with :-(

I love digsby as it is.

Option 1 isn't a bad option, but make it very obvious that the adware does not need to be installed to accept the program install or you'll put people off.

The research module is a good idea, but you need to offer more options within that path, what are people researching? How much hard drive space will it consume and internet bandwidth?

I already use the world community grid to do my part for research though, so I probably won't be using the digsby feature myself.

A good revenue stream as mentioned previously would be offering corporate client side support and service for internal networks. Offer a network meeting side to it, well skype perhaps, and some way of logging conversations, or logging a interactive white board so groups can conference and scribble out what they are discussing in a interactive manner would be a massive seller for many companies.

Oh and if you do option 2 make sure the ads are small, like 100x50 pixels maximum. Seriously small. And on the buddy list window not on the actual IM windows.

If only you include this article or something similar, albeit much shorter, in the installer. There would be no gripe from any, and you might even get a few people installing some of the support software.

Option 1 is great because you can opt out. I think you should stick with this.
--------------------

However, option 2 is not bad either. There are a few considerations with option 2 that I hope you'd take very seriously if you were thinking of going to option 2:

A. Ads should be targeted somehow so they're more relevant. I actually click ads sometimes, if they interest me. You could have people check off their interests or type in keywords that the ads could use for targeting. During the installation process I mean. But if you target ads by gender, make the gender question optional. Also, don't use what people actually type in their IM conversations as the material for targeting ads, because that freaks people out if they're talking about buying a new car and suddenly car ads pop up. That's too big brotherish.

B. You should be able to say "never show me this ad again" on any ad that shows up, because people who are horrified of spiders don't want to see spiders in advertisements (this happened to me on facebook before) and also advertisements that make noise are NOT ok. AIM did this once, with a horror movie ad, which was really uncool cause horror movies horrify me, and I wasn't in the mood for that at the time.

C. If there is a paid version without the ads, it would be super nice of you not to put other, actually useful features behind the payment barrier. In other words, the paid version should ONLY be ad-free, and unpaid users shouldn't be missing out on any functionality/features that paying people get. Moving existing functionality from unpaid how it is now to being behind a payment barrier would also be rude because you'd be taking away something people were already used to having. So basically, you should set up the paid version to be like $2 for a month of time without advertisements. People might be willing to pay $2 a month, that's not a ton of money. And if it was monthly, it'd be a recurring payment they could pay a few times and then decide not to renew.
---------------------------------

So yeah...option 1 is probably fine...*I'll shut up now*

option 1 is ok,

but dont use nasty usability design tricks to fool people into installing software they probably dont want! make absolutely clear (in a huge fat bold kinda way, instead of some tiny text in your installer) that the offers are 100% optional and not needed for digsby! make it opt-in instead of sneaky opt-out.

offer other revenue models on an opt-in basis too. people may want to support stuff like that, but just honestly tell them!

i ofcourse also didn't know about the research module. and i'm very disappointed about it.

you make good software, don't ruin it by going sneaky

It is always hard for a young company to find the right business model, to be fully transparent about it in the first time and to keep the trust of its community.

Digsby is a great product in itself, integrating unintrusive / unobstrusive ads in the product doesn't bother me much. I think the research module revenue model is quite good as long as it's clearly presented (and the purpose of the researches as well).

I wish you good luck.

I also didn't know about the research module, but I double checked that it was enabled before continuing to read through the blog post.

I personally always choose to send anonymous usage statistics and opt in for these little extras that companies rely on to survive.

If Digsby went with a pay system, I would be all over that as well. I purchased Trillian Pro twice because I was so fond of it... and because the year and a half of free upgrades was juuust inside their year and seven months development schedule, but I sucked it up at the time ;)

An apology for the lack of warning is in order. Changes need to be made.

Option 1 is my preferred option

That sounds nice. I didn't had a clue about the CPU usage. These things should always be clear.

I paid for Trillian Pro for years before switching to Digsby, and would be happy to pay for Digsby, too. As long as there's continuous development, support and innovation going on, I'm happy to vote with my wallet!

Not sure how your post represents a very good business response, will need to let it digest. I know however that Digsby will no longer be on my system for the time being, hope you can respect this decision.

Ad-ware options during install are common, even among Java, and Adobe products. They are disappointing (because if I wanted a yahoo toolbar... I would download and install a yahoo toolbar)... but expected almost.

However with the research module I do not feel the same way. This is more hidden, sly, and not as well known. Its not like the SETI program application where it was obvious (that was the point of the screensaver). It bothers me that you (Digsby) believe you can indirectly use my computer (i.e. its resources)for your own purposes. Once again, I installed a chat program.... not to be part of a "grid research project" which may or may not be commercial in nature. This just seems to not go along with trust... and no, I do not read every blog post that comes from every product of technology I use (nor should I).

Do you expect me to monitor my webcam's "blog" so I know when they install a small module for "national surveillance system research". The idea sounds crazy... but it isn't too far off yours.

The research module is "optional"... but it is also "deceptive" in nature per my understanding because it is not clearly made an option during install like the AD-ware. You take permission to initially run it, not ask for permission. Do you agree?

In my opinion (and reading reviews on sites like StumbleUpon) I would say that the multi installer is letting the entire application down. It is just perceived as a dodgy thing to do, despite the best of intentions.
If you decide to continue using that installer then you should be a lot more transparent about what it will install. Also, the usability when going through that installer isn't that good.
I also wouldn't mind small areas of the application being used to advertising, but as I have a lot (70+) contacts it shouldn't take up too much room.
Although the application is very good, I probably wouldn't pay for it, unless it was only a couple of £s. However, there is one exception and that is if you released an iPhone/iPod version. I would snap that up!

I was fully aware of the research module and I think that it is a better option than the traditional add banners. Firstly, the research module will not distract the user or hinder the use of a PC in any way, and secondly, it will not occupy desktop space like the add banners do. I really like the clean, sleek look of the Digsby UI.

Ugh, this is absolutely the least of my worries now and FOREVER. I can't say that I'm internet savvy, but I know how to get around things that I won't benefit from when it factors into my PC running slow or running processes that aren't necessary. I use Digsby for AIM and it's other capabilities - I could careless about anything else. What matters is that the program works. Plain and simple.

I highly recommend to think of your users. To have a kind of "spyware" in your messenger will make people disinstall digsby.

Why don`t implement non disturbing advertisments into digsby chat, maybe contextual ads in a small textbox with a small picture.

If people people are chatting about cars, offer car advertisments, companies would love that.

kind regards,

Digsby is a good product, I would gladly pay a reasonable fee to have it without strings attached.

Regarding the "research module", I think it is something that's fair for you to do if only you had been more upfront about it.

Anyway, although I'm not happy with what has come to light, as a user I appreciate your responsiveness to the issues and will keep using Digsby.

I think you should continue with option 1. I love Digsby, and realize you have to cover costs in some way. I also didn't know about the research module, and you do right by displaying a popup. We must know about these things (but I'm not disabling it).

The most unintrusive in my opinion, is the already used option 1. But if that doesn't cover it, you could also go with option 2. Just don't add features only to the Pro version! Then I would probably stop using it... And...keep it cheap ;)

I wouldn't pay for Digsby at this time, you need to do some modifications/improvements first. So my advice is option 1, and then later if the costs aren't covered, you could switch to option 2 :)

Keep up the good work, you have an amazing product!! :D

Regards,
Frank from Norway

The grid computing module is an excellent revenue model and I fully support it. I have supported many grid communities over the years and never received anything like Digsby as a reward. I have two issues though.

1. I would like to see what my computer is doing and have the option to not participate in that research.

2. The module will not start while I'm using the keyboard/mouse so if I watch a movie it will start. I know that it runs as a low priority process and on a multi-core cpu (that most computers are now) I probably won't notice it but then again. If it shouldn't run when I'm using the computer it shouldn't run when I'm watching a movie.

option 1 i would say.

@Martin: You are 100% correct and we are sorry for not disclosing it more clearly, which is why we spent all night working on this explanation and fixing the issue.

@Paula: Yes - we get a revenue share from Google of the money they make from the ads shown next to the search results but it is not very significant.

@Kahn: If you disable it, Digsby will remember that preference and you do not need to set it again.

@that next door boy: Oops - Polldaddy preference set incorrectly. Poll results now open to all but they say it may take 10 minutes for it to propagate to our website.

I don't mind, really. I'm glad you are up front about things, and I'd prefer that you use my CPU when I'm not using it as opposed to seeing ads all the time. Digsby is by far the best IM client and anything the community can do to help support you, I'm all for.
There should always be good, well organized competition in this business or we'll all end up using AIM and Internet Explorer with no other options.

As I understand it, that research stuff is enabled after every update. I think if it's a one-time thing where you disable it and Digsby remembers and respects your decision, that'd be nice.

When I first read lifehacker's post I was infuriated, uninstalled digsby as soon as I finished my conversations, even sent you a RT of lifehacker's tweet and started to look for another multi-protocol IM client. I think I found and tested all of them for windows but none were as great and easy to use as digsby. I can manage around a few lines of code but that doesn't mean it's appealing. So i reread lifehacker's post, comments included this time, and your post explaining and assuming the blame so I decided to give our friendship another try as long as in the future you remain crystal clear about your plans.

On a side note, it would have been nice of you to have made it possible so that we could see the general poll result after we voted.

To support Digsby I use the digsby search homepage by google. Does that help at all?

this app can't be multiple account? cuz in my FaceBook 2 of that are same if i update my stat

Use the one, its more easy !!

I read the Lifehacker article. I was angry. I read this post. I am completely not angry. Well done you guys and keep up the good work. Digsby is still the best there is!

I'm always careful not to install any toolbars, I don't like them at all. Most/many IM clients have built in ads, I'm not a fan of those so I'm happy to pay a modest amount for an ad free version.

That said, if given the choice of:
1) free with ads,
2) free with Research Module or
3) for pay,
I'd probably chose the second option first and then the 3rd.

I really don't mind giving back and I think the Research Module is a pretty creative revenue approach. Some stats about the bandwidth it's using would be good though.

BTW if the pro version enabled me to be logged in on multiple machines with windows live messenger I'd be onto it in a flash.

Wow! I really like the idea that Digsby is helping with research. It actually makes me feel even better about using Digsby. Thanks for explaining it.

There are too many ads in the install. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth after installing. Remember, thats the first experience users have with your client. Be careful how you use it. As for the research part, Im 100% for it, and Im glad its been made more visible.

Option 3: An ad and/or grid supported version, and a $10/year (or similar) subscription version with no ads or grid stuff (or at least the grid stuff turned off by default).

btw, having the Research per Default enabled, without informing the user anytime during download/installation/first run is unacceptable to me. i know you need the money, but this is just exactly what will drive users away from a perfectly good product.

I, too, knew nothing of the research module, but I'm all for it! Great idea!

Makes total sense, though I hate the fact that I didn't know your program was using my CPU power to conduct online research. I would much rather go through a couple ads on install than deal with them throughout the day asking me to refinance my mortgage with some girl jumping around. Your IM is the first app that starts on my work machine and is on all day...and just disabling the research option eases my mind. Settle down people, they still have the best IM client out there.

Wah wah wah. Get rid of the crap or I'll switch to Pidgin. I'd rather you open source and and let the community take over and offer it for free than to deal with all the crap/bloat.

Even though you claimed last year, that CCleaner and others also have adware-pollution in their installers, i'd like to remind, that ccleaner always offers a CCleaner Slim Edition with no adware at all under "Other builds". If Digsby could be so nice, to offer several builds, including a slim one, i don't mind if you see a need for advertising adware with rogue-techniques to make money even though you know that all customers hate it. I'd prefer some other way of monetizing...

You could make deals with companies like Google for the searchbar. I know Opera makes tons of dough on that, and Microsoft with Bing, and Yahoo, unless you've already done that.

You can also offer customized versions of Digsby to companies that lack a chat-client of any kind, offer integrations to pro websites, companies, or OS-developers.

Hi, thanks for the clarification. As many people already said: it is not so much about the revenue model itself but the lack of transparency in your communication regarding the research module. You really should make sure something like this never happens again.

You did not even include a minor apology in your announcement, which I think is a mistake again.

I too was unaware of the research module within Digsby. Once I send this comment to you, I'll be searching it out within the menu options and enabling it if I haven't done so previously. It's a good idea and your post here explained it exceptionally well.

option 2. right now, is not-usable and i'll not install it again until you remove all that crapware away.