Comments on: Apple invites Windows users on Safari

Mac maker announces a free public test version of its Web browser for Windows users. Is it destined to be another crossover hit?

[Rover8]

DO NOT USE iTUNES OR SAFARI ON YOUR WINDOWS VISTA OR WINDOWS XP COMPUTER

DO NOT download or use APPLE's ITUNES, SAFARI OR QUICKTIME FOR WINDOWS VISTA OR WINDOWS XP!

The saying "There is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch" couldn't be more true in the case of iTunes/Quicktime from Apple Inc.

iTunes & Quicktime for Windows contain Spyware -- software used to track usage of your computer and alter its operation. In addition, running these programs on Windows Vista can often crash your computer.

Personal information is transfered by Quicktime/iTunes, without your knowledge, to Apple computer Inc., and its marketing partners, over the Internet.

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE iTUNES OR QUICKTIME INSTALLED ON YOUR NEW DESKTOP COMPUTER OR LAPTOP YOU CAN REMOVE IT BY GOING TO THE "PROGRAMS AND FEATURES" CONTROL PANEL (in VISTA), OR IF YOU ARE USING XP, BY GOING TO THE "ADD/REMOVE SOFTWARE" CONTROL PANEL.

How Apple's spyware scheme works:
Since at least the year 2000, the Quicktime (and now iTunes) installer from Apple copied several programs, without the user's permission or knowledge, which permanently altered the user's Windows system.
Removing some of the components did not help. Each time the user visits ANY Apple or related website that uses"Quicktime", something installed by iTunes causes at least two invisible background processes (qttask.exe and ituneshelper.exe) to get installed in the user's computer's Startup Programs list which get automatically launced. The claim for "ituneshelper.exe" is that it "required" for burning CD's, but it does not make sense why you need an INVISIBLE BACKGROUND PROGRAM running on your system 24 hours a day just so you can burn CD's once in a while. No other CD burning software has such a requirement.
The other program "qttask.exe" is also spyware with apparently no other purpose.
WHEN THESE PROGRAMS AUTOMATICALLY CONNECT TO APPLE'S SERVERS, BEHIND YOUR BACK, APPLE USES YOUR IP ADDRESS AND OTHER INFORMATION TRANSFERRED TO APPLE FROM YOUR COMPUTER, TO PERSONALLY IDENTIFY AND TRACK YOU ON THE INTERNET FOR MARKETING (AND OTHER) PURPOSES.
APPLE INC. HAS A HISTORY OF SUCH ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS CASES WHERE EMPLOYEES USED THE INFORMATION (GATHERED FROM MILLIONS OF COMPUTER USERS) TO STALK PEOPLE THEY KNOW.

I have since switched to alternatives (see below), but I was still stuck with Apple's spyware for weeks before I was able to remove it.

ALTERNATIVES TO APPLE'S QUICKTIME/ITUNES SPYWARE
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IF YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO PLAY QUICKTIME (AND OTHER TYPES) OF MOVIES, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD "VIDEOLAN" FROM http://www.videolan.org/
VIDEOLAN PLAYS QUICKTIME AND MOST OTHER FORMATS IN EXISTANCE INCLUDING DVD, MPEG ETC.

As far as music downloading service goes, there are many many alternatives including MusicMatch.com, Rahpsody.com, etc...