Cyprus-Forum.com

[Get Real!]

Here you go... copy-pasted from my "unknown browsers" stats in the last hour... as you can see there are lots of Classic users using all sorts of Windows versions.

NB: I put little XXXX over inks and email addresses that some are carrying.

2ip.ru_CMS_Detector_(xxxxx)
The_Classic_Browser_v1.7_running_under_Windows_7.0
The_Classic_Browser_1.7_Windows_NT_5.1
newspaper/0.2.0
SafeDNSBot_(xxxxxxxt)
CakePHP
The_Classic_Browser_v1.7_running_under_Windows_10.0
BUbiNG_(_xxxxxxx)
The_Classic_Browser_v1.5_running_under_Windows_10.0
\xe3\x83\xbd(^\xd0\x94^)\xef\xbe\x89
0.39197847759351134
The_Classic_Browser_1.5_Windows_NT_5.1
The_Classic_Browser_1.7_Windows_NT_6.1;_WOW64
The_Classic_Browser_1.7_Windows_NT_10.0;_WOW64
The_Classic_Browser_1.6_Windows_NT_5.1
Domain_Re-Animator_Bot_(xxxxxxx)_-_sxxxxxxm
Snattei/0.11
aria2/1.19.0
UCWEB/2.0_(MIDP-2.0;_U;_Adr_4.4.2;_en-US;_GT-S5310I)_U2/1.0.0_UCBrowser/10.7.8.806_U2/1.0.0_Mobile
The_Classic_Browser_v1.6_running_under_Windows_7.0
IDA

[Sotos]

It wasn't an anti-virus because I wasn't running an anti-virus in the VM I installed your browser. It gave some errors then it froze and it wouldn't even close by clicking the x button, so I had to kill it from the task manager. But apart from all the other things I mentioned earlier, you are now telling me that your browser is blocked by anti-virus software and it has to be white listed to even be allowed to run? Why should anybody trust you??

[Get Real!]

It wasn't an anti-virus because I wasn't running an anti-virus in the VM I installed your browser. It gave some errors then it froze and it wouldn't even close by clicking the x button, so I had to kill it from the task manager.

Did you by any chance get a “Wow64 Emulation Layer” error? I wouldn’t expect a Wow64 program to be compatible with a VM.

What chance did the poor browser have…

But apart from all the other things I mentioned earlier, you are now telling me that your browser is blocked by anti-virus software and it has to be white listed to even be allowed to run? Why should anybody trust you??

My executable is indeed signed but being a small unknown software house I'm obviously not in their list of "trusted publishers".

There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be trusted because unlike Chrome, it does not change your Windows registry, it does not add scheduled tasks, it does not add background services, and it does not even need or request to be the default browser!

[Sotos]

All other browsers run just fine in the VM. And the error was not related to that. Also, when I clicked the "x" to close the browser apart from error I got one of your pop-ups telling me that I need to run your browser as an admin for it to work properly and it wouldn't close Running a browser as administrator is a bad idea, and requiring this is suspicious... having to run as administrator for it to close is ridiculous.

[Get Real!]

All other browsers run just fine in the VM. And the error was not related to that. Also, when I clicked the "x" to close the browser apart from error I got one of your pop-ups telling me that I need to run your browser as an admin for it to work properly and it wouldn't close

None of the "other" browsers I suspect you used, are Wow64. A Wow64 should NOT be compatible in a virtual machine. Look it up if you need to and read more about it although I wouldn’t recommend you wasting your time in this way.

The question that begs to be answered is… why don’t you just run the damn thing under your normal Windows?

Could it be that you *did* and it worked fine so you had nothing to come back with and so thought of raising the ante with a VM?

Nice try Sotos...

Running a browser as administrator is a bad idea, and requiring this is suspicious... having to run as administrator for it to close is ridiculous.

If the Windows privileges are too low (ie: non Admin account) then many software and particularly the ones that haven’t paid Windows for a DIGITAL signature, will not be allowed Disk I/O by the OS.

The way we (small-timers) overcome this problem is to set the executable or the shortcut to run as Admin (or via registry key) so we won’t get blocked by the OS… something that I forgot to do before packaging some of my older versions.

But again under a VM the rules are different again so I cannot guarantee anything.

[Get Real!]

By the way… the program’s dialog messages are MODAL… meaning that you have to close them first before being allowed to access any control button in the background like the Exit button.

I suspect that’s why the “X” wasn’t responding. You can also use [Esc].

On a different note...

In case you’re wondering I compiled it in Wow64 mode for good reasons.

You see… I only have one pair of hands so there’s only so much I can do per given day so it would be impossible for me to create and maintain 8 different versions:

XP x 2, W7 x 2, W8 x 2, W10 x 2

The Wow64 is a very clever model for it can emulate 32 or 64bits and thus adjust itself on all Windows versions.

As you can imagine, this saves a “lone-wolf” like me heaps of time and effort.

[Sotos]

Nop. Clicking the x gives an error and then your modal, closing both the error and the modal and clicking the x again brings the error and the modal back. At that point I just killed it from the process manager. If a browser indeed needs that level of access, then it means all other browser vendors, even small ones, are doing what they need to do. I did not install your browser directly on my computer because I wouldn't take such risk... especially for something that needs admit rights. If I want to test something I always install it on a VM so it is sandboxed. You should be at least calling your browser an early beta version - with an "install at your own risk" kind of warning... that could provide you with some excuse.

[Get Real!]

Nop. Clicking the x gives an error and then your modal, closing both the error and the modal and clicking the x again brings the error and the modal back. At that point I just killed it from the process manager.

The Wow64 is essentially an emulator so when you run it in a VM; which in turn is an OS emulator, you end up with emulator squared!

It’s no wonder it doesn’t work under a VM Sotos.

If a browser indeed needs that level of access, then it means all other browser vendors, even small ones, are doing what they need to do.

Yes... they are modifying a registry key without notifying you. I chose not to do that.

I did not install your browser directly on my computer because I wouldn't take such risk... especially for something that needs admit rights. If I want to test something I always install it on a VM so it is sandboxed. You should be at least calling your browser an early beta version - with an "install at your own risk" kind of warning... that could provide you with some excuse.

All I can do is laugh here... you're nuts!

I've spent a year and a half of my life to give something to society for FREE because I felt that corporate America was criminal and a danger to the public, and this is all I get in return!

[Sotos]

If it can be done with a registry key then it means you don't really need administrator privileges. Do you really think that Microsoft would allow any random app to gain admin rights without their approval or user consent so easily? That would be a major security hole! It doesn't matter how much time you spend. The proper browsers have been developed for many more years, by a team of some of the best devs that money can get. If you want to live in your own world and imagine things you can do so without wasting any of your time. If you want to live in the real world then you should just treat this is a fun experiment / practice side project, and if you will make it available to unsuspecting others you should make it clear that they are downloading and installing something which is at best beta.

[Get Real!]

If it can be done with a registry key then it means you don't really need administrator privileges. Do you really think that Microsoft would allow any random app to gain admin rights without their approval or user consent so easily? That would be a major security hole! It doesn't matter how much time you spend. The proper browsers have been developed for many more years, by a team of some of the best devs that money can get. If you want to live in your own world and imagine things you can do so without wasting any of your time. If you want to live in the real world then you should just treat this is a fun experiment / practice side project, and if you will make it available to unsuspecting others you should make it clear that they are downloading and installing something which is at best beta.

Maybe in the future I’ll make it save its data files in…

C:\Users\[USER]\AppData\Local\Classic

Where there are no security issues, instead of the high-privilege…

C:\Program Files (x86)\Classic

Where I currently like to place my files for good reasons!

For now, the program is only for Admins.