misleading wording

[Craig]

Microsoft - Please consider changing the phrase
"known spyware free program" to
"known spyware-free program"...

This grammatical error led me to delete two innocent
startup programs after I misinterpreted "known spyware
free" as a combination of "known spyware" and "free"
rather than "certified not to contain any spyware."

Sure, I was over-hasty, but fixing the language will
prevent others from making the same mistake.

Craig

 

[Andre Da Costa]

Still don't see the difference with the hyphen.

 

[MAP]

-----Original Message-----
Microsoft - Please consider changing the phrase
"known spyware free program" to
"known spyware-free program"...

This grammatical error led me to delete two innocent
startup programs after I misinterpreted "known spyware
free" as a combination of "known spyware" and "free"
rather than "certified not to contain any spyware."

Sure, I was over-hasty, but fixing the language will
prevent others from making the same mistake.

Craig

Are you related by any chance to... "Miss Perspicacia Tick"

 

[Guest]

Still don't see the difference with the hyphen.

The OP read the sentence as meaning "known free spyware program".
Sometimes the order of the adjectives is unimportant, sometimes it is.
However, I sincerely doubt any anti-spyware scanner gives a gnat's fart
whether or not the spyware was free or not but is more concerned whether
the spyware is overtly or covertly delivered. I have yet to see
*covert* spyware program that wasn't "free [to get it and install it]".

 

[JD]

The wording caused me pause as well. At first glance it looked like a "known
(free) spyware program." The op is correct; the hyphen makes a significant
difference.

 

[Jacques]

I agree, for non native english speaking would be better to have something
like
"known program (spyware free)"

 

[Andre Da Costa]

Well, they should change it, not Spyware Contained.