Ability to turn off Google Translate about zscreen HOT 8 CLOSED

I just saw the behavior that if I block this calling home automatically using 
Comodo
firewall by IP,  then ZScreen crashes/refuses to start... really really lame.

It is accessing Google Translate to populate Languages. It has nothing to do 
with the
Automatic Updates. Next version will look into a more stable implementation when
internet connection is cut. 

So what you are saying is that the underhanded surreptitious and 
impossible-to-block
due to no option calling home of this application is designed-in behavior, just 
like
any other spyware?

If this wasn't open source, all sorts of questions could be asked, like: What 
kind of
screen saver is it that needs to access the Internet unannounced and by default 
to
call home unless it is spyware?  What is it sending back to Google?

Gee, real good thing this is open source so all users can see exactly what is 
going
on.  Not.  Even though I am an experienced programmer, I still couldn't fathom 
what
exactly it was doing and had to file this bug to find out. Good thing I am tech 
savvy
enough to be able to block this using an application firewall.

I _don't_ see in your response to this bug any sort of plan to give the user the
ability to stop this or to even announce that this is going on at all. Is that 
just
an oversight, or is that how things will be? If so, how disgustingly lame that 
is.
How disappointing. Sounds like a good subject for slashdot.org: "Google creates
applications that call home by default and don't give any way to block it."

[deleted comment]

ZScreen downloading http://translate.google.com/translate_t source and taking
languages list from there. ( 
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/3756/ss16032009193403.png )

And adding this languages to dropdown boxies. (
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/9757/zscreen231beta160320091.png )

Source :
http://code.google.com/p/zscreen/source/browse/trunk/ZSS.TextUploader/TextUpload
er/HTTP/GoogleTranslate.cs

Look "public Options GetLanguageOptions()" this function.

We can add this languages manually but we don't want because if google added or
removed language this will be problem. We need to check everyday if new 
languages
added? But like this automaticly downloading last languages from site. Also this
download operation completing under 1 second and in seperate thread so not slow 
down
ZScreen.

Firewall : http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/4931/capturec.png

1. For download google translate languages.
2. For check updates from here : http://code.google.com/p/zscreen/downloads/list

Auto update system looking this link for find if newer version is released.

I'm blocked only google ip with firewall (Not asking another ip in startup) and 
still
working without problem but if you block application to access internet then 
tinypic,
imageshack etc. uploads can't work.

Mcored said stable implementation but still i'm thinked internet connection is 
cut
and working like this too without give any error.

So if we are checking for auto update and new languages for google translate you
can't say this is like any other spyware. And this project is open source, you 
can
compile yourself and will be debug step by step for see what ZScreen is 
connecting.

First of all, this kind of attitude does not encourage developers to maintain a
goodwill.  "... really really lame" - that was not necessary. We are not 
obliged to
create a local-only application sacrificing our own use of the application. 

If you weren slighly less ignorant, in ZScreen Version History you should have 
seen: 

2.00.00.0 Established foundation for Text Services starting with Google 
Translate via
Language Translator

Google Translate functions does not magically happen locally. You need internet 
access. 

In the second paragraph you acknowledge that ZScreen is open source and yet in 
the
3rd para you mention users cannot see exactly what's going on. The version 
history is
for normal user to see exactly what is going on. For the *experienced* user, the
complete source code is available, and it rougly takes only 1 minute to find 
out all
the Google Translate references in the ZScreen.cs file, just with the Browser's
Search feature. 

It is utterly wrong to compare ZScreen to a screensavor. As mentioned earlier,
ZScreen strictly relies on the internet for TinyPic/ImageShack features and 
starting
with version 2.0, Google Translate. Your logics to imply this as a spyware is 
just
invalid. 

You did not ask for any sort of plan to give the user the ability to stop this.
Without asking, we do not come to conclusions. "ZScreen calls home to Google on
startup" is not a defect, until you or somebody request for a feature to stop 
this
behavior, it is by design. You associated "ZScreen calls home to Google on 
startup"
with "Disabling "check for updates on startup" has no effect." and hence in my 
first
reply, I mentioned the reason why it is contacting Google Servers: to access 
Google
Translate and it has nothing to do with Automatic Updates. 

If you are asking for a feature to prevent this behaviour then a Local Mode can 
be
introduced to mimic just version 1.x functionality without Google Translate. 
This can
be easily done. 

In my next comment, I am going to rename this Issue from:
*ZScreen calls home to Google on startup. Disabling "check for updates on 
startup"
has no effect.* 
to 
*Ability to turn off Google Translate*  or *Support for a local-only mode* 
unless you specify otherwise. 

*ZScreen calls home to Google on startup. Disabling "check for updates on 
startup"
has no effect.* 

title changed to 

*Ability to turn off Google Translate* 

Changes have been made to make ZScreen stable when there is no internet 
connection. 

2.00.00.0 Established foundation for Text Services starting with Google 
Translate via
Language Translator

Behavior is by design.