Exactly what is Spyware?

Spyware applications are programs and files that hide on your PC's hard drive without your direct knowledge. They allow hackers and advertising companies to track your every move, both online and even when you work offline.

Tracking websites you visit, items that you buy online, emails you send and receive, your Instant Message dialog, and worst of all they can even record your credit card number, personal identification numbers, and all of your passwords.

If you use dial-up to connect to Internet then spyware can be used to bill 900 numbers to your telephone bill.

Spyware allows hackers to take control of your browser and alter your computer system files.

These computer parasites slow down your Internet connection by inundating you with unwanted Spyware pop-up ads.

This is just a short list of harm that Spyware can cause.

Note: Spyware and Adware cannot be detected by anti-virus and firewall software.

Some Disturbing Facts About Spyware:

The global software giant dominates PC market in both penetration and pocketbook.

It seems you can't go a single day without seeing at least one news story and several advertisements for Microsoft or a Microsoft product.

But that doesn't mean Microsoft dominates in every corner of market; in fact, as software behemoth gets bigger, numerous niche software offerings spring up to fill in gaps left in Microsoft's wake.

As you'll see, a couple of these niche software programs have managed to either beat Microsoft to punch, or even steal market share away from seemingly invincible company.

** FeedDemon ** FeedDemon software ($29.95) enables you to subscribe to and read RSS Feeds (Real Simple Syndication).

RSS has emerged as preferred way to share news and other content with subscribers across Internet without use of email.

The advantage to subscribers: as news, blogs, or other content updates somewhere online, subscribers receive virtually instant notification just by opening up their reader.

This represents a huge time savings since subscribers can receive updates without surfing individual sites to chase down stories or wading through piles of spam to find content they actually want.

The advantage to publishers: no worrying about whether email notifications, news releases, or blog updates made it past spam filters or unreliable mail servers.

Though many free RSS reader software packages exist (just do a search on Google.com for "free rss reader"), FeedDemon offers an unmatched suite of tools that enable serious RSS subscribers power and flexibility to mix and match feeds, including new "POD Casting" craze where content providers syndicate audio content (MP3) over web.

Available from www.bradsoft.com/feeddemon/, FeedDemon sets standard for RSS readers in a market that Microsoft has yet to even address with any of its software products.