Steam = not spyware :)

[Coolpot]

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Potts [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2003 2:31 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Steam = Spyware?


i just wondering why steam has any reason to keep
information like that?

http://www.****************/modules/news/article.php?storyid=56

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com


From: "Gabe Newell" <[email protected]> | This is spam | Add to Address Book
To: "'Steven Potts'" <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Steam = Spyware?
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2003 11:01:58 -0700




It doesn't.

We're scratching our heads over this. The gcf files are caches of
Steam and
game files. When we allocate the caches, we don't clear them, but
there
shouldn't be any directory references in the gcf files. When we check
our
own gcf files we don't see this (external directory references), so
we're
still trying to figure out how they could be showing up. Would this
happen
on a drive with a screwed up file system? Is there an OS version that
isn't
scrubbing the sectors? Is the report coming from someone who is
reading
past the end of the gcf file somehow?

I head about this about an hour ago, so we're still just digging into
it.

Gabe

 

[worldspawn]

hmm.. i'm not worried about valve. gabe doesn't seem the evil type.


i know the gcf are cache files also.. and that i'm not uploading them to anywhere so it's not like if the information is even in the files like it's going to end up anywhere i don't want it to.

 

[Loshadka]

He's lieing.

 

[worldspawn]

Originally posted by Loshadka
He's lieing.

gabe or ogc?

 

[spitcodfry]

Originally posted by Coolpot
-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Potts [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2003 2:31 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Steam = Spyware?


i just wondering why steam has any reason to keep
information like that?

http://www.****************/modules/news/article.php?storyid=56

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com


From: "Gabe Newell" <[email protected]> | This is spam | Add to Address Book
To: "'Steven Potts'" <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Steam = Spyware?
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2003 11:01:58 -0700




It doesn't.

We're scratching our heads over this. The gcf files are caches of
Steam and
game files. When we allocate the caches, we don't clear them, but
there
shouldn't be any directory references in the gcf files. When we check
our
own gcf files we don't see this (external directory references), so
we're
still trying to figure out how they could be showing up. Would this
happen
on a drive with a screwed up file system? Is there an OS version that
isn't
scrubbing the sectors? Is the report coming from someone who is
reading
past the end of the gcf file somehow?

I head about this about an hour ago, so we're still just digging into
it.

Gabe

If they had any problems with Steam, do you think there'd be a chance for delay for the retail version?

 

[trantjd]

Originally posted by Loshadka
He's lieing.

who is?

 

[trantjd]

Re: Re: Steam = not spyware

Originally posted by spitcodfry
If they had any problems with Steam, do you think there'd be a chance for delay for the retail version?

I don't think that's a problem with Steam. They set it up that way because it's a lot faster. The information never leaves your computer, so there's no need to fix it.

 

[simmo]

A not very good idea posting that site BTW

 

[Quotidian---]

VALVE!! please!! rape my computer first!! i wanna be the first!!! please!!!

 

[Adam]

Um, if I saved a txt file with the only message: "C:/some folder", then deleted it and Steam later on allocates my free space, isnt it obvious if the created cache file uses the old space where the txt was saved, that doing a hex edit on the file would reveal "C:/some folder" somewhere within the uninitialized file?

 

[trantjd]

Originally posted by simmo
A not very good idea posting that site BTW

Just curious, but why not? I mean, I looked at the site and it seemed pretty stupid, cheats and all, but is there another reason? Or is the reason just generally despised?

 

[Rilcon]

People shouldnt't be worried until they catch their connection uploading to much data, more than just some patch query.

 

[switch]

I posted in the valve info thread to try and stop people starting these threads :/

In reply to lifebringer's post i want to try and clear things up with an email that was sent to valve. Sorry to reply to a post in this thread but i want to limit the amount of people who read that forum and come out thinking Steam is spyware before reading this email from ErikJohnson on the last page

quote: -----Original Message-----
From: Derrick Birum
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2003 11:52 AM
To: Erik Johnson; Gabe Newell; John Cook
Subject: RE: gcache and its mysteries.

The cache file gets created on the client using the Windows CreateFile() command. This command will create the file but not initialize it. Due to the large size of the file, we don't bother initializing the empty data blocks in it as this can take an appreciable amount of time. On NTFS machines, files created with this method happen to have the property of appearing empty (initialized to zero) but for FAT32 machines, it shows up as whatever old data was sitting on drive in the sectors that just got allocated for the cache. The people that are reporting this behavior are actually seeing old data from their hard drives.

 

[Feath]

Unfortunately, the OGC people seem to be going mad about this. They are even accusing Valve of lying, just to cover it up.

It's easy to prove that Valve is lying, someone with the non NTCS file system should look through their Cache files and see if anything comes up.

And the string "mp3" is bound to come up because the files are huge.

And anyway, aren't the cache files encypted now? Wouldn't any spyware date also be encypted?

 

[dscowboy]

Seriously, whoever posted this 'news' on that site is a moron. If they had found evidence that personal data was being transmitted from Steam clients to Steam servers, THAT would have been news. But finding your own filenames and file contents on your own hard drive is pretty friking normal.

If you run Steam, it already has access to all your files at any time. Why would it need to copy them to it's cache file? The 'spyware' allegation is completely non-sensical.

 

[Joneleth]

Valve can take information from my computer, I don't give a damn. If Gabe wants to know what MP3s I have, I'll gladly post them online somewhere for him to view. I have no problem with people looking at stuff on my computer.

 

[Ahnteis]

What l33t h4x0rz they must be. Don't even understand basic file handling. [sigh]

 

[FISKER_Q]

Re: Re: Steam = not spyware

Originally posted by spitcodfry
If they had any problems with Steam, do you think there'd be a chance for delay for the retail version?

It isn't really a problem.

 

[bizzy420]

the ppl on the OGC forums are probably pissed, and are against STEAM, because now it'll be harder for them to make hacks and stuff like that.

 

[dscowboy]

I think we should all post on the OGC forum and recommend they uninstall Steam. Heck, maybe we can get them to uninstall Half-Life/CS altogether!

"Ahem, yes we've come across some distrubing evidence in our lab, it appears that Valve products may contain 'secret agents' that not only copy your files around on your hard drive, but they may also fry your monitor, cause you to get owned, and/or make your wiener shrink. Please be advised!"

 

[Anwar]

if they are going to search your hd for cheats they will have some form of spyware

 

[dscowboy]

True. But Doug Lombari hinted that their strategy was to make small updates to HL2 on a regular basis, so hackers would have to re-hack it every few days, and they'd eventually give up. Steam might search for cheats, but it didn't sound like it.

 

[nw909]

Har the ogc people, what ****ers.

They should all be murdered personally and someone should play in their blood but would most likely get aids.

 

[Alzxul]

Lol... hmm, who should I believe... OGCers, or Gabe Newell... Anyway some of the comments on the OGC forums were flipping hilarious. They were complaining about how Valve was working with the FBI and how they were going to find their hidden caches of pr0n and dl'd software etc., it's a good laugh to read

 

[Apos]

If the Project Mayhem people and other cheaters refuse to buy HL2 in protest.... that's AWESOME for the rest of us! Yay!

 

[Tyl3n0L]

Originally posted by Alzxul
Lol... hmm, who should I believe... OGCers, or Gabe Newell... Anyway some of the comments on the OGC forums were flipping hilarious. They were complaining about how Valve was working with the FBI and how they were going to find their hidden caches of pr0n and dl'd software etc., it's a good laugh to read

Hah, give me the OGC Forum link where people say shit like that please. I need to laugh a bit tonight