Microsoft "SiteFinder" Quietly Raking It In 176
An anonymous reader writes in with the news, which isn't particularly new, that Microsoft's Internet Explorer sends typo domain names to a page of pay-per-click ads. In this endeavor Microsoft joins Charter and Earthlink in profiting from the dubious practice that Verisign pioneered but failed to make stick. The article is on a site whose audience is, among others, those who attempt to profit by typo-squatting, and its tone is just a bit petulant because individuals cannot hope to profit in this game on the scale Microsoft effortlessly achieves.
Even if it is from Microsoft... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Even if it is from Microsoft... (Score:5, Insightful)
Sitefinder was implemented with a wildcard DNS record. This means that any typo gets resolved anyway. So suppose there's a mail server running on that machine for some reason. Now all the mail you send to the wrong domain name gets sent to that server instead of failing directly.
In this case, two things may happen, both of them very undesirable:
If it bounces, then that will confuse many people as they won't realize they made a typo and think they got the account name wrong, or that the person cancelled their account. It also results in your probably private mail getting sent to some random server for absolutely no good reason.
The more evil possibility is that the server will accept your mail, which would be the exact same thing they do for websites. Then maybe it will reply with an ad, or perhaps just keep it. Anything can happen in this case really.
This is the problem with sitefinder: DNS isn't just for websites, and it would break quite a lot of things.
On the other hand, IE sending the user to some page with ads is perfectly fine. It's IE specific, it doesn't interfer with your mail or anything else, and it's probably a configuration option you can disable. And you certainly won't get it if you don't use MS software.
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MX-records are optional - SiteFinder really evil (Score:5, Informative)
In the absence of an MX record e-mail gets delivered to the A record — MX records [wikipedia.org] are optional. If none is found, the request is made for the A-record, and that gets used instead.
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As was explained before, when we were all worked up about the SiteFinder itself, the mere existence of a DNS record can be a decisive factor in a number of applications.
For example, an anti-spam filter can lookup the domain of the (alleged) sender to weed out some spams. Servers using SiteFinder's "DNS" would then va
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Yes, but usually only after the relay server has spent a week trying it, in case the server has a temporary problem that's going to be fixed.
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A records are all that is required for mail. Most mail servers I've seen will use the A host record for the domain without a hostname assuming that the destination server would route the mail accordingly. I ran a domain that way for a short period of time and it mostly worked. There were a few issues but it works in a surprising number of cases. The MX record is only required if the destination mail server is different from that of a root server which hopefully is most cases.
I could have been smoking crac
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Re:Even if it is from Microsoft... (Score:5, Funny)
You did. And if you had prefaced it with "you can mod me down for this, but ..." your post would probably already be +5 Insightful. :)
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I'm sure
obligatory (Score:5, Funny)
Typ0wned!
Re:obligatory - Don't you mean... (Score:4, Funny)
Don't you mean: TyPwned
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Were you looking for Typ0wned?
We did not find any results for Typ0wned.
Other searches you may want to try:
Other resources that may help you:
Oops !! (Score:4, Funny)
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Re:Oops !! (Score:5, Informative)
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Or set the useragent so the website would send them the page instead of a IE required nag page.
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And Google (Score:4, Informative)
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Firefox? (Score:2)
Of course, an option should be available for users who do not wish to use the service.
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Also with going to groups from the Moz/Go page. I think the Moz/Go links are set to an older version of the google main page.
off-topic sig comment... (Score:2)
Re:Firefox? (Score:5, Informative)
No, Firefox is not doing this! When you type in a domain name that doesn't exist, you get the following:
(Note: "domain name" means something in the form foo.TLD, not just a word. Words get interpreted as search terms, which do get sent to Google.)
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For some reason, individual words get interpreted as internal (usually nonexistent) servers within my university. Which really annoys me.
Its a feature of WINs. Im guessing here that this university network has a microsoft domain setup, and you have WINs resolution turned on on a Windoze box. It will automagically try to take the hostname you provided and match it to a subnet in its control. I hate it, since the IT support people where I work rely on this, and build links on their support webpages using that feature. It doesnt work so well with MACs unless you can get it to sign in to the domain (and even then Im not sure, as the domain ser
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Unexpected Advertisements (Score:2)
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This isn't even in the same league as SiteFinder. (Score:5, Insightful)
This is basically just a bunch of advertisers and domain squatters getting upset because Microsoft and Google are making money and they aren't.
Re:This isn't even in the same league as SiteFinde (Score:5, Informative)
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Re:This isn't even in the same league as SiteFinde (Score:4, Informative)
That's not true. If it actually looks like an address to Firefox (i.e. it has a period in it and no spaces), then you get a "Server not found" page with the "Try Again" button. The important thing (to me, at least) is that Firefox leaves the url alone when this happens, so you can just correct your mistake and hit enter. IE makes you delete the long address they put in there and start over.
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Compared to leaving it in the address like Firefox does, IE's practice of forcing me to copy and paste it back from the search field is incredibly (and needlessly!) annoying.
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Tools -> options -> Advanced -> Scroll down to "Search from Address Bar" -> [*] "Do not search from addressbar"
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Oh, I don't bother with that -- I just use Firefox instead.
Incidentally, that still doesn't match the functionality of Firefox, since you lose the ability to search from the address bar. The only way to really fix it would be to not have a URL for the error "page."
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Incidentally, that still doesn't match the functionality of Firefox, since you lose the ability to search from the address bar. The only way to really fix it would be to not have a URL for the error "page."
In IE7 there is a search bar right next to the addressbar. But that said, I don't bother with searching from either, I just goto google and type in my search. Same on Firefox.
(BTW: I use firefox as well)
Re:This isn't even in the same league as SiteFinde (Score:2)
Firefox searches for you while Microsoft dumps you on an advertisement. Which do you think the consumer appreciates more?
This is short term cash for long term losses.
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Cheers
Re:This isn't even in the same league as SiteFinde (Score:5, Informative)
Oh, and the consumer likely appreciates Microsoft's approach more. Stop spreading idiocy.
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I have to agree with the parent. More than likely, people appreciate Microsoft's "help".
The real losers here are the domain squatters like pool.com
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As I recall, Microsoft was already doing this back when Verisign put SiteFinder in place. Maybe it wasn't loaded with ads at the time, but they were redirecting unresolvable domains to MSN search or something. It was widely held up as the right way to do it -- in the one application for which it was, well, applicable -- rather than SiteFinder's wrong way, which changed the response for every
This isn't SiteFinder. This isn't news. (Score:5, Insightful)
I type "Lexus-Financail.com" into my address bar and IE automatically routes it to a Google search that suggests Lexus-Financial.com. Whenever IE doesn't find a server that you type in the address bar, it redirects to a search using your default search hooks. Mine are set to Google and it uses Google to search. If IE just showed a blank "Server not found" page it wouldn't be broken, but it could easily be argued that using your default search provider to try and find your intended server (in event of a "not found") is useful behavior.
At the end of the day, this isn't "evil" behavior. They aren't preventing people from accessing a legitimate site, they are providing relevant search results instead of a generic error screen. They may garner some ad revenue in the process but they haven't programmed the browser in a way that they are the only ones who could benefit from the behavior. And unless the user is paying their ISP per-bit at an extremely expensive rate, there's no monetary damage to the user.
Re:This isn't even in the same league as SiteFinde (Score:2)
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Only if your default search engine is Live (Score:5, Informative)
Going to http://www.lexus-financail.com/ [lexus-financail.com] site in IE 7 with no default search engine yields
So if you want to make untold millions as well, build (a) search engine and (b) popular web browser, and make (a) the default in (b).
Non-Issue (Score:5, Insightful)
Really, I think this is a "non-issue". You're not locked in to Live.com or any other search site. Microsoft "makes" Internet Explorer, why wouldn't they set the default to Live.com? Why shouldn't they? You can always change it...
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I'm sorry, MS has a browser monopoly? No, no I don't think so.
The search goes to your search provider of choice (Score:2)
I have to agree with whomever said that this is nowhere near as bad as SiteFinder - you have full control over this and it does not break DNS service. Besides, what do I care, I stopped using IE years ago.:-)
-Em
At least... (Score:4, Insightful)
Verisign literally broke DNS in their attempt. This cash grab is confined to software that can easily be switched from.
This article is total BS (Score:5, Insightful)
Sheesh, it's like people don't even TRY with the FUD anymore.
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Funny, if I replace that "M$" with Google re Firefox, it seems to fit the same mould.
Diddums for them. The authors are typo-squatters. You'll forgive me if I really couldn't give a fuck if they're angry. Guess who else decries and profits from typo-squatting? Google.
Like when my Firefox start page went
No Firefox is not evil. (Score:3, Informative)
Funny, if I replace that "M$" with Google re Firefox, it seems to fit the same mould. ... Like when my Firefox start page went from mozilla.com to google.com, you mean?
My homepage has never been changed by any gnu/linux distribution. I can't tell you what happens on Windoze.
When I make a typo in Konqueror I get the error message quoted before. Firefox gives the following:
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Is that froth coming out of your mouth? Crap, watch it he might have rabies...
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Installing Firefox changes your homepage by default. Distro specific packages may not, but the official installer certainly does.
Not that your post makes any sense anyway. Which browser are you using, Konqueror, Firefox, or Iceweasel?
When you "Make a typo in Konqueror", "Firefox gives the following:" "Icewaesel can't..."
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"I can't tell you what happens on Windoze, so from my perspective it's better to lie about something I don't understand than not comment on it at all. Anything to get more people using Linux, even if I did have to bankrupt all my morals to do so."
This TWAT program is so astute, I might just sell it to people here. FOR MONEY. *shockhorrordisgust*
My test with IE 7.0 (Score:2)
Article is misleading - it's not just MSN/Live sea (Score:5, Informative)
Come on, if we want to bash MS, and especially IE, we can do much better than this.
This is inaccurate. (Score:5, Informative)
Here [defhoboz.biz] is the first page from the blog, with me typing in the same search as the blog does.
Now here [defhoboz.biz] is what I get after I hit enter.
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Here's a clue to just one of the issues for them: it should be up to the user what happens when an incorrect domain is entered. Sitefinder took that choice away from the user.
Every ISP not already doing this (Score:2)
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Sheesh (Score:4, Insightful)
This article is stupid. It's just takes you to the default search engine (which is usually Microsoft), and offers you a spelling correction, which then performs the search. THEN it shows you the search results, which has -- ADS. OH MY GOD!!
In other news, typing the same string into Google (or any other search engine) also shows search results -- WITH ADS.
Man, I've really busted the conspiracy WIDE ASS OPEN.
I don't see it (Score:2)
When I type in their mis-spelled domain name into IE6's address bar, I don't get the advertising page they say I should. All I get is the page from IE saying the hostname couldn't be resolved.
I think the article is conflating two things: manipulation of the DNS network to return actual A records for domains that don't exist vs. IE redirecting any request that yields a DNS error to a pre-configured page. The first breaks all uses of names, the second only breaks IE. The first is a fatal problem because it a
FireFox and Google... (Score:2)
OpenDNS is the Solution (Score:4, Informative)
I have 7
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-david
Absolute fud - Google does the same... (Score:5, Interesting)
Apart from getting the two results that link back to this specific story, at the bottom, on big letters, you get Did you mean to search for: Lexus-Financial.com
This is just straight MS bashing for no reason - chances are that if you typo'd, you'd probably be looking for the suggested alternate. If you typed the same stuff into Google and spelt it correctly, chances are your first link would be a sponsored one at the top.
I mean, if a search engine helps you fidn what your looking for, it's doing its job. if it makes money while it's doing it, so what?
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This is stupid, but... (Score:2)
It gets worse... (Score:2)
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Wow, that's fucked up. I hope they at least left port 53/udp open for you so you can use another DNS server.
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So, I chan
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Stolen tech! (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously, since when is defaulting to a -chosen- search engine being monopolistic? I mean, technically, AOL sent you to AOL's search page whether you liked it or not.
There are plenty more things to be critical of MS then this, don't waste perfectly good flame time on silly things.
Why is this on the front page? (Score:2, Insightful)
IE and other browsers have had a "search from the address bar" feature for a long time. And it's user-configurable.
So this isn't news and it doesn't matter.
non-story (Score:4, Insightful)
I checked on a Windows machine, and they even let you change it! Didn't even bury it too deep in the configuration! You can go to google or bash-microsoft.net and thus the mistyped domains probably can hurt them!
Microsoft does plenty of evil and stupid things, but this is not amoung them.
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No kidding. When I saw this, my first thought was "it's like SiteFinder, how it should have been implemented". The problem with SiteFinder wasn't that it redirected mistyped web addresses, but that it did it at the DNS level, which screws things up. If you're going to do this at all, doing it in the browser is exactly right.
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So... learn to type... (Score:2, Insightful)
End of problem.
Just two words... (Score:2)
Change default search engine (Score:2, Informative)
Earthlink? (Score:2)
Like the RIAA.. (Score:2)
Should we expect another flood of lawsuits to browser users..........?
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What?
I'm a grad student. If I had gone out into industry I'd be making probably six times what I am while I'm in school. I'm cheap: I don't have a car, I have an apartment rather than a house, I'm using a mostly 4 1/2 year-old computer. The one thing I splurge on is living alone. And I don't think that $9.99/yr is expensive.
Discover Magazine is $25/year.
The cheaper of the two local papers has a special on delivery of $40/20 weeks ($104/
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Or at least search the net for the words "supply" and "demand."
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Seriously. Network Solutions used to have a monopoly. You had to spend ~$100 to get a domain name. When I picked up my first domain name, it had dropped to $35/year, but you had to order two years to start, making it effectively $70. Now, everyone and his brother is a domain registrar, and you can pick up a domain name for $9.99 easily. Often less if you find the right deal.
Compared to what the do
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Except that this isn't bad. At all.
Think about it. You've mistyped a search term in your browser window. What now? Would you rather be given a relevant suggestion or a generic error? I'd want my mom to be given a suggestion, to be honest. What IE (and firefox) do in this case is the right thing- the