Should You Use CurseForge? CEO Explains WoW App’s Privacy, Feature, Ad Changes

[chiddie]

Sticking with WoW up since a couple of weeks and it’s just fine.

Being in the IT myself, I would only like a link to the curse addon page when I right click an addon, I’m often interested in changelogs.

[m4xc4v413r4]

I would use the overwolf addon client if it was just that, the addon client, I don't want it to install anything else, which as far as I know is the case... Not because I have any hate for overwolf or I don't want ads, but because I simply don't install shit in my system that I don't want or use, so why would I open an exception to them?

I want to update my addons, I don't want to use anything else they're offering on the other software, even if I can keep it off all the time why would I have it installed?!

Unfortunately as a dev I don't see those other clients as good either, that wowup guy is making money off of other people's expense, any guy with minimal programming knowledge can make an addon manager when it's going to piggyback on other people's infrastructure, infrastructure that costs a lot of money and has real development behind it, money that he isn't paying and yet he has the audacity of having a patreon for that thing.
People that support this kind of developer are literally the reason "if the software is free, you are the product" is the reality today for almost everything.

[Sangris]

I would return to manually installing and updating every single addon before putting Overwolf on my computer. Fortunately there are alternatives to choose from.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

Discovered WowUp after the news about Overwolf and that shady bullshit they were doing. I even find WowUp easier to use than Twitch.

[Cracked]

If Blizzard wasn't a no-good company, they would build a simple distribution frontend themselves. But going above and beyond is not something Blizzard does.

[Pawpurr]

I am of the opinion if you use a downloader to get your addons for you, you're probably just a dumb or lazy person who deserves to be spammed with adds and spyware.

That, or you just have way, way too much addons.

[Twdft]

If Blizzard wasn't a no-good company, they would build a simple distribution frontend themselves. But going above and beyond is not something Blizzard does.

Blizzard offering anything that helps distribution they'd have to support it. Not gonna happen.

[thatmikeguy]

I play from multiple laptops depending on where I am at the time, some are slow. Does Overwolf take ANY resources at all when not updating, or is it completely off when not updating?

[Fabled]

Would I be fine just using the Curseforge website still for manual installs?

[Seaintothesky]

Never going to install this shit.

Twitch was too much for me back in the days, but at least i could watch some dota streams via.

so for addons iam back to manual or via wowup.

[Boricha]

I've been using WowUp for a while now. No plans to change unless Overwolf breaks the API for curseforge, which would not make me want to switch to Overwolf.

[Popastique]

WoWUp is all you need

[Corroc]

I would use the overwolf addon client if it was just that, the addon client, I don't want it to install anything else, which as far as I know is the case... Not because I have any hate for overwolf or I don't want ads, but because I simply don't install shit in my system that I don't want or use, so why would I open an exception to them?

I want to update my addons, I don't want to use anything else they're offering on the other software, even if I can keep it off all the time why would I have it installed?!

Unfortunately as a dev I don't see those other clients as good either, that wowup guy is making money off of other people's expense, any guy with minimal programming knowledge can make an addon manager when it's going to piggyback on other people's infrastructure, infrastructure that costs a lot of money and has real development behind it, money that he isn't paying and yet he has the audacity of having a patreon for that thing.
People that support this kind of developer are literally the reason "if the software is free, you are the product" is the reality today for almost everything.

I downloaded the beta version just to see what all the fuss was about Overwolf since I dont have previous experience with it. It basically downloads Overwolf that has some sort of overlay thing that you can just turn off. The actual Curseforge part of the program is pretty minimal and only really has controls for the addon downloads and nothing else. All privacy settings are in the Overwolf part. There is a huge checklist for the vendors in the overwolf privacy settings that you can freely just turn off. I would assume its not there just for the looks since sharing information without the users content could get you in huge problems in EU. You can use Overwolf without any kind of login so I dont understand how this could be harmful since there is literally no personal info shared in the program. Curseforge has side banner as the only ad spot right now.

[Gasparde]

They can do all the PR they want - as long as Overwolf is involved a lot of people simply won't give a fuck.
Overwolf is horrible. Every other year their PR mouth pieces pop up with a reddit PR campaign talking about how they changed this, that and the other and how everything is great now. And every single time that campaign is followed by another scummy revelation about them like 1 week later, making them somehow look even worse than before.

Only people who don't know what Overwolf is use Overwolf. Anyone who's ever heard of Overwolf won't touch anything they've got their hands on with a 10 ft pole. I don't understand this constant waste of resources by trying to convince people that Overwolf isn't pure aids. There's no trust in this company. Their first impression was bad, their 2nd impression even worse, and their fucking 17th impression is just as bad as all the impressions before that.

[Acidbaron]

I've been using WowUp for a while now. No plans to change unless Overwolf breaks the API for curseforge, which would not make me want to switch to Overwolf.

They are planning to do so eventually but the developer of WoWup is working on an alternative, so if all goes well they could decide to do that and it will simply make them lose users.

- - - Updated - - -

I downloaded the beta version just to see what all the fuss was about Overwolf since I dont have previous experience with it. It basically downloads Overwolf that has some sort of overlay thing that you can just turn off. The actual Curseforge part of the program is pretty minimal and only really has controls for the addon downloads and nothing else. All privacy settings are in the Overwolf part. There is a huge checklist for the vendors in the overwolf privacy settings that you can freely just turn off. I would assume its not there just for the looks since sharing information without the users content could get you in huge problems in EU. You can use Overwolf without any kind of login so I dont understand how this could be harmful since there is literally no personal info shared in the program. Curseforge has side banner as the only ad spot right now.

They used to collect data from you through Overwolf in places like TS3 and sold that information to other companies. The concern is they have done so before perhaps they'll do it again, right now it remains as is but what the future brings is unclear.

[Radaney]

[*]Adds will return in the form of in-app banners and muted video ads, in a non-intrusive manner.

lmao. You ain't ever getting on my PC then.

[chiddie]

Chiddie, you can do that by clicking the addon in the list. It will immediately open the page corresponding to the addon source (curseforge, tukui, etc) displaying all the usual addon information.

Lol, it was so simple that I didn’t think about it.

Thank you my friend.

[ablib]

Wait... there was other way of installing addons than just doing it manually?
And people now will be getting ads and their data stolen to other companies because they want to let the app install them for themselves?

LMAO

This.

These addon auto update spyware apps have been shady for years. However, it's not hard to believe they're still widely used. With Blizzard adding more bag slots recently, to entice users to sign up for MFA, shows that hacking accounts are somehow still a problem. Gamers are not exactly known for being the smartest subset of the population, so it's not surprising that these apps are still used.

[Seaintothesky]

I downloaded the beta version just to see what all the fuss was about Overwolf since I dont have previous experience with it. It basically downloads Overwolf that has some sort of overlay thing that you can just turn off. The actual Curseforge part of the program is pretty minimal and only really has controls for the addon downloads and nothing else. All privacy settings are in the Overwolf part. There is a huge checklist for the vendors in the overwolf privacy settings that you can freely just turn off. I would assume its not there just for the looks since sharing information without the users content could get you in huge problems in EU. You can use Overwolf without any kind of login so I dont understand how this could be harmful since there is literally no personal info shared in the program. Curseforge has side banner as the only ad spot right now.

Just wait, they will make u addicted to it and then after a half-year or year they will start changing policies and shit, selling ur info to third parties and killing u with ads. Just like Twitch doing with 30 sec unskippable ads.

[Zyky]

Yeah no, in app banners, muted video adds, an extremely bad reputation from Overwolf. Not a chance in hell that ever gets installed on my computer.

Same, not to mention the whole "no more selling of data to companies including research they don't feel "internally comfortable with"...so they're still selling my data, I refuse to put anything like that on my computer. I'll just go back to installing addons the old way.