I have to hand it to you Conrad. I think you kept your cool in this thread pretty well. ;)
I understand fully what it is like to have my software falsely detected as malware. It is always an uphill battle.
I personally agree with Conrads decision to remove the feature of hiding the icon in the taskbar. It only makes since to have it shown in the taskbar. We all know how easily remote software can be used in a malicious way. We also know that there are many naive computer users in the world that could easily be tricked and never know someone had remote access to their computer just by the icon not being visible in the tray. For the majority of Remote Utilities users I would think they would rather have the icon in the tray anyways. Especially if you are a tech support specialist. I don't ever want my clients to feel that I may be untrustworthy. As a tech support specialist you have to be trustworthy or you risk losing clients. As a tech... I have nothing to hide. If I am supposed to have remote access to the computer why would I feel the need to hide it? Whether the icon is hidden or not... what is going to stop an administrator from disabling or uninstalling the program anyways. I would feel I would loose trust if I had a hidden icon and then that user just so happened to be browsing through the Add/Remove programs list and find something called "Remote Utilities" and they never knew it was there. In their eyes it was hidden from them. Pretty much any legitimate Remote access program shows the icon in the taskbar. [censored] , [censored] , GoToMyPC ... the list goes on. Also... a client may like that assurance to know that they can see that their technicians remote access is running in the system tray. If they can see it... then they feel that they know they can get the support from the tech they will need. I don't know how many times I would get a call from one of my clients that would say... your [censored] icon has a red "X" on it. Should I do anything to make sure you can help me when I need it. Or they might call and ask... do you not have access anymore? I don't see [censored] on the computer. Most clients want to see the icon. They want to know you are supporting them. That is what they pay us for. Plus the icon is an easy way to know that the access is properly running. What if an antivirus program... or something malfunctioned and crashed Remote Utilities. If it's not visible in the tray... you know right away something is wrong.
So there are many reasons to have it in the tray. Very few reasons to hide it. Most reasons to hide it is not for good reasons. It makes since for Conrad to make the decision he made and it was great for him to keep a level head when he is being questioned about it in the way he was in this thread.
Remember... Conrad has spent a lot of time creating this program. Many of us here have benefited from all of his hard work. Even if you disagree with a decision he made. You need to give him respect and maybe make your suggestion in a civilized way. Making comments like you always go 10 steps back is pretty messed up. Just my 2 cents. Of course we all are entitled to our opinions. ;)
