Authors CurseForge

No. Just, no.

There is NO reason for a downloader to need administrative privileges on a normally-considered box.

Causing users to run with administrative privileges is just ASKING for rootkit problems.

If you're on Vista then it's probably because Vista won't let non-admin mode programs actually update your addons because WoW installs into the Program Files folder by default, which is protected in some weird way.

Quote from HunterZ

If you're on Vista then it's probably because Vista won't let non-admin mode programs actually update your addons because WoW installs into the Program Files folder by default, which is protected in some weird way.

I'm not on Vista, and don't plan to be.

But any time a program's manual says it needs admin privileges, I want either a detailed and cogent explanation of why it should need them, or a different program.

So what is your OS, and for that matter what updater are you talking about (and what version)?

Quote from HunterZ

So what is your OS, and for that matter what updater are you talking about (and what version)?

I am talking about the statement on the Curse page that the Curse Client requires administrator privileges.

I'm not using it. I'm commenting on why there is no way I would ever use it given that information. I'm off in Mac and Linux land writing my own code to scoop things off web sites.

I just thought I ought to point out that, in general, if a program requires administrator privileges, it is dangerous to run it. Not just because of any alleged risk from the program itself, mind. If you have to be logged in with administrator privileges to use the program, then every time you run it, you're running your computer in an unsafe state. The entire point of separating out administrator privileges is to make it so that ordinary operations cannot do dangerous things. If an ordinary operation requires special privileges, the privileges stop being special -- and the security is gone.

Quote from seebs

I am talking about the statement on the Curse page that the Curse Client requires administrator privileges.

I'm not using it. I'm commenting on why there is no way I would ever use it given that information. I'm off in Mac and Linux land writing my own code to scoop things off web sites.

I just thought I ought to point out that, in general, if a program requires administrator privileges, it is dangerous to run it. Not just because of any alleged risk from the program itself, mind. If you have to be logged in with administrator privileges to use the program, then every time you run it, you're running your computer in an unsafe state. The entire point of separating out administrator privileges is to make it so that ordinary operations cannot do dangerous things. If an ordinary operation requires special privileges, the privileges stop being special -- and the security is gone.

problem is with the advent of vista it needs it to save anything into your program files so it will run in non admin mode but fail to do anything (and it wont require it in XP)

Okay. That actually makes sense.

I would strongly encourage whoever did the "here's how to go into admin mode" page to explain it in these terms. Key point being, the app DOES NOT need admin privs, and you SHOULD NOT use them -- instead, you should move the WoW folder. Document the admin thing as a workaround, but...

Won't somebody think of the people who have gotten five keyloggers so far this week? The primary market for this installer is EXACTLY the people who should not be told even that they CAN go into "administrator" mode, let alone how to!

The internet would be a MUCH MUCH more safer place if someone wrote a trojan to simply blow up the computer, thereby killing whoever was stupid enough to get said trojan.

Might take a few days, or even weeks, but pretty soon, all the stupid people would be dead, and the internet would be better off because of it.

edit: yes yes, I am well aware this is not possible.. but one can dream.

Quote from break19

The internet would be a MUCH MUCH more safer place if someone wrote a trojan to simply blow up the computer, thereby killing whoever was stupid enough to get said trojan.

Might take a few days, or even weeks, but pretty soon, all the stupid people would be dead, and the internet would be better off because of it.

edit: yes yes, I am well aware this is not possible.. but one can dream.

lol

I'll remember this next time, when at work, someone calls in "my internetz is not working", after going down the list of every possible technical cause that I can check for, the issues seemed to be the fact that the modem was not powered, nor connected to the pc. (And it was a wired modem, didn't have wireless)

Ackis: its the little blue or pink push switch on the back of your computer near where the power cord connects... just ignore that whole 110 and 220 things ;)

And please no one actually mess with that switch.

Who the hell would run their comp on 220 anyway? Most stupid americans don't even know what a 15-amp 220-volt plug looks like.

Tekkub that switch is normally made for US(and other countries with 110V) -> EU(and other countries with 220/230V).
But 220V and 110V is outdated already its 230V and 120V for years already, but that normally doesnt matter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mains_power_systems

And normally all PSUs for several years are 110-240/250V and 50-60Hz and there is no need for this switch anymore. If you bought a PSU in the last 4 years that switch shouldnt exist normally(atleast I havent seen in on ~20 different PSUs)

Some American homes have 220V 60Hz outlets for large appliances. The outlets look kind of like the Australian ones, with slanted blades.

Quote from HunterZ

Some American homes have 220V 60Hz outlets for large appliances. The outlets look kind of like the Australian ones, with slanted blades.

There's a reason I specifically said 15-amp sockets. I assume many stupid Americans know what the higher amperage appliance plugs look like.