BonziBUDDY promotional logo previously at BONZI.com |
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| Developer(s) | BONZI Software |
|---|---|
| Development status | Discontinued |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Adware, spyware |
| License | Custom EULA |
| Website | http://www.bonzi.com/ (offline) |
BonziBUDDY, also known as Bonzi, sometimes spelled Bonzi Buddy, BonziBuddy, BONZIBuddy (misspelled Bonzai Buddy) was an on-screen "intelligent software agent" from BONZI Software, released in 1999 and discontinued in 2004. The official website stated that the software would help a user surf the Internet by using Microsoft Agent technology. In 1999, the software used a green parrot called Peedy licensed from Microsoft, and in later versions, BONZI Software made their own fictional character, Bonzi, who was a purple gorilla. The on-screen agent would tell jokes, facts, manage downloading using his download manager, sing songs and other functions. The user would command the character by right clicking on the character's stomach on which a menu would appear.
BonziBUDDY received wide recognition as malware, predominantly as a piece of adware, though claims of spyware capabilities have been made against it.[1] Bonzi's homepage remained open after the discontinuation of BonziBUDDY and the website disappeared at the end of 2008.
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The software used Microsoft Agent technology similar to Office Assistant,[2] and originally sported Peedy, a green parrot character, before it became the purple gorilla.[3] The software "interacts with users while they are online, providing shopping advice, jokes, and trivia."[4] Bonzi used the voice called Sidney from the Lernout and Hauspie TTS Package for Microsoft Speech API 4.0.
The official website for the application quoted the program as:
The initial program was free. However, many functions required the purchase of add-ons.
Below is a summary of the releases of BonziBUDDY and how they have changed. During 2005, BonziBUDDY was no longer available.
| Title | Version | Changes | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| BonziBUDDY | 1.0.0 | First version originally with Microsoft's green parrot, Peedy. | 1999 |
| BonziBUDDY | 2.0.0 | Updated menu, added hotkey for quiet mode. When gorilla update was made, Peedy would ask the user if they would like to update (introduce) to Bonzi, the purple gorilla. | 2000 |
| BonziBUDDY | 3.5.0 | A purple gorilla named Bonzi. New BonziWORLD Menu. Bonzi's entrance from surf board. New sound effects and animations. New jungle-like interface added. | 2000 |
| BonziBUDDY | 3.7.1 | New functions such as "Save You Money!" or "Check For Virus Alerts". Depending on next versions it might reset the homepage to www.bonzi.com and install other adware/spyware supported products. | 2001 |
| BonziBUDDY | 4.0.0.5 | Mainly Bug Fixes?. | 2004 |
| BonziBUDDY | 4.1.9 | Removal of the BonziWORLD menu and went back to the menu since 2.0. Bonzi's entrance swings from vine. | 2004 |
| BonziBUDDY | 4.1.12 | Mainly Bug Fixes. Last version before BONZI Software went out of business. | 2004 |
In April 2007, PCWorld readers voted Bonzi Buddy 6th on a list of "the top 10 most annoying tech products". One reader was quoted as criticizing the program because it "kept popping up and obscuring things you needed to see."[6]
One of the last newspapers to write about BonziBUDDY while it was still in distribution described it as spyware and a "scourge of the Internet".[7] Another article found in 2006 on the BusinessWeek website described BonziBUDDY as "the unbelievably annoying spyware trojan horse".[8]
A number of sources identify BonziBUDDY as spyware, a claim the company disputes. In 2002 an article in Consumer Reports Web Watch labelled BonziBUDDY as spyware, stating that it contains a Backdoor Santa in that it collects information from users. Among the activities the program is said to engage in include constantly resetting the user's web browser homepage to bonzi.com without the user's permission, prompting and tracking various information about the user, and serving advertisements.[9]
The Spyware Removal Database at Safer Networking (makers of Spybot – Search & Destroy) states "BonziBuddy is an Internet Explorer toolbar that may change your web browser settings, change your home page, and launch pop-up advertisements while tracking your web browsing habits."
Spyware Guide's entry on the program states that it is adware.[10]
Anti-virus company Trend Micro classifies the software as adware in their spyware/grayware listings, but not malware.[11][12]
Anti-virus company Symantec classifies BonziBUDDY as Adware.[13]
There were two legal cases about the software.