180 Solutions and CDT take the train to Bittorrent land

Yes, that's right - 180 Solutions thought it'd be a great idea to not only pursue Bittorrent installer bundles, but kind of mess up on the "this is what's included" front. Hmm....because the last coverage of this kind of thing generated so much good publicity, right?

Same old, same old? Blame the affiliates? Bore us all to death with a "whoops, we got them" and a "same time next month"?

You bet. So come with me and check out the latest great bit of kit in Bittorrent land...

Oh wow! Tiny white teen! Yeah, the tinier the better!...

Is it just me or does calling your bundle that seem somewhat dubious right from the getgo? Mind you, the last one was called "Super Young Hottie gets Fucked" so maybe it's part of a trilogy. Will I be able to get it on DVD? Anyway, running the thing presents an installer that is somewhat similar to the MMG effort, except this time round there seem to be even more omissions with regards anything approaching proper disclosure. For example:

Mediagateway is installed with no mention. Not even a whisper. As Dave Methvin over at PCPitstop.com mentions, this is now the responsibility of 180 Solutions, as it is a byproduct of CDT, a company they bought in March 2005.

Belarco's Shopathomeselect (mouthful alert!) has been bundled in with pornographic content - again. Last time, they had a good moan about this but didn't actually seem to do much about it. They have been informed of this bundle by Dave Methvin, but simply trotted out the same "Oh, that's awful! You wascally wabbbits, you!" line. Well, excuse me while I blow up some balloons and have a party. If they cared so much, would they not contact the distributors immediately and start screaming the place down? I know I would. Who knows, they might be doing that right now. Though I suspect they will do nothing until the next press release when it turns out they have been bundled with - you guessed it - more hot and horny hardcore. Again.

Isn't 180 Solutions supposed to have stopped bundling all non-180 Solutions products? Here is a guy from 180 Solutions. Watch as these words spill out of his mouth:

"One of the challenges with the business model in our space, where we work with distributors and affiliates, is that we don't have as much control as we like," said Todd Sawicki, director of marketing for 180Solutions. "This will give us more direct control over how our software will be downloaded."

Yeah - because this looks like direct control!

Did you buy them out and forget to put someone at the helm who might have thought this was the suckiest install ever? What's the point of buying a distributor of yours to cleanup dodge, when in reality dodge is being bulldozed and turned into a multistorey carpark with optional stains in the elevator and "interesting" smells?

Whatever happened to the code of conduct? Did it get stuck in said lift with a homeless guy and a bottle of the good stuff?

Anyway, back to the installer. Last time, you didn't actually have to agree to the licence to get your hands on the content. This time round, the force is strong and their Jedi skills have grown beyond the levels reached by MMG. This time - get this - you actually have to click "yes" to get the file! What a mind job. However, all is not well here. Upon install, all the products hooked themselves into the test PC, but my hornyporn seemed strangely absent. Where was it? Was there even any included?

Well, after some frantic digging, I finally discovered my Mpegs had been buried in a My Documents folder. Phew! And look - lots and lots of movie files! Value for money? Well, you know this is going to end badly. And this is how it went down. Click the image, spot the problem and win a coconut...

AAARGH! So let me get this straight - I installed all your stuff to make you some money, and I can't even watch my damn porno?!? Why do none of the files work? How come the advertising software runs without a hitch? Why are my porno Mpegs stuffed in some random folder I have to go looking for? Why isn't it plastered all over my desktop (Warning - exposed boobs and bums), where I can get a good look at it? If you're gonna' do it, at least do it right for God's sake. I demand fully working, easy to find hardcore pornography for all the family!

Is this a case of me having to jump back into the world of P2P? Of having to dig up more wonderful examples of how not to do things?

You bet. Polish the guns, get the horses ready and prepare to ride out. My gun is big, my horse is scary and my attention is focused on something new to play with. Heed my suggested words of wisdom and pull these things now, while things are still quiet.

I said some time ago that a Revolution was the Solution. When politicians, Governments and the other people you rely on to make things right let you down, the only thing you have left is a public voice. When that voice is amplified by the masses, you will instigate change in a way you never thought possible. Move those mountains, drain those oceans and make way for a shuddering blast, haymaker style, of overhelming public opinion and agreement. As long as we have that, the power to effect change will always remain.

This Revolution is now in full effect, and while the revolution will not be televised, it does not need to be. A few slabs of HTML will suffice. Make your banners, cover your faces with rags and step into the world of fighting the powers that be. Like the poem goes - this revolution will be no re-run. This revolution will be live.

And if Dave Methvin gets no answers from 180 Solutions or CDT?...well, we know what happened last time. Do we really need another few weeks of kicking ass and taking names? Massive, ugly revelations of things that should never have lumbered off the operating table?

Of course we don't.

So do us all a favour and finish that tombstone off, before I get my chisel out and set to work.