Baidu vs Otaku: “This Is Going Too Far!”
- Categories: Games, News
- Date: Jun 3, 2013 03:02 JST
- Tags: Ascii Art, Made in China, Maids, Moe, Otaku, PC Software
Chinese search giant Baidu’s efforts to guilt-trip Japanese users of its IME software into not uninstalling it by having a cute nekomimi maid beg them for forgiveness has been attracting much attention of late – most of it scathingly negative.
Baidu’s IME (input method editor, essential software which facilitates entry of Chinese characters with a normal keyboard) differs from those of Microsoft and Google in one particularly unusual respect – it pleads with them not to uninstall it by confronting them with a tearful nekomimi maid:
Please tell me where I’m lacking:
You installed without my knowledge!
Thanks to you, my PC slowed down!
Your conversion should be better.
I’ve tried so hard up to now, won’t you please use me a little more?
1. You can enter all kinds of creepy emoticons and smilies with me.
2. You can also easily create ascii art.
However annoying being hectored by a nekomimi maid uninstaller is, the incredibly ominous prospect of running closed-source software from the flagship Internet company of a government of thieves and hackers was probably already a lost cause anywhere outside of China, let alone in Japan:
“The fact it is made in China is reason enough for it not to be happening.”
“I don’t know who would install this in the first place…”
“It does mention being installed without your knowledge.”
“If so, it reeks of spyware…”
“So she installs herself without your permission and then starts weeping and making a fuss when you try to get rid of her?”
“Quite a mixed message consider she calls her functionality ‘creepy’ even as she is tearfully begging you not to uninstall.”
“Pretty obvious what China has in mind with this.”
“It’s a 2D honey trap.”
“It’s cute and playful, I like it. If it weren’t Chinese it would be good.”
“It seems they already know why their software sucks, so why ask?”
“Be afraid of what she’ll do to your PC if you go through with the uninstall.”
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malware / spyware that pleads for its life - skynet is evolving.
and they're using nekomimi maid in the interface
can't wait for the next t-series. Wonder what will it look like
Most likely Vocaloids!
Sing with me if you want to live.
Hasta la Windows Vista, baby.
Malware doesn't have uninstall option.
It's a trap! And you fell for it.
They do, actually. It's usually not available to the users of infected system through.
Malware is defined by how it uses computers, not how it defends itself.
This is why I run linux.
It's not that it's unhackable, but that it's open source and if an exploit is known then people will usually fix it up. Linux build are different so it's harder to write an exploit. With Windows you have the exact same files on every PC.
Also, Linux source code is made public so I doubt hacking a system everyone know how it works is considered valuable in the hacker community. Hacking Windows is better, because there are more users, and you are breaking a closed system and need to look for holes. And you're breaking the license/law and all.
haha yeah because linux is unhackable and im the president of the united states
Linux is safe from viruses because nobody writes Linux viruses thanks to the small and technically competent userbase.
From a purely technical standpoint, Windows is fairly close in terms of security.
Shoot impressed malware is moe Extracts the moe maid for archive deletes the rest XD
Yes, vote for Skynet
Xenophobia and computer illiteracy...
It's not malware. IME is necessary if you type in Japanese, or any other non alphabet language.
Most companies don't even let you uninstall the IME separately by itself. To have that option is actually a sign of trustworthiness - they gave you the choice to sabotage your own machine.
Lots of computer illiterate (and English illiterate) otakus will uninstall it, find out they can't type anymore, take their computer to the repair shop, who will then reinstall it.
Baidu IME is not necessary by any means. Windows comes with Microsoft's IME and people can type fine with it.
Yeah, who the hell needs choice?! Communism worked great without it. Oh wait ...
@18:37
Not to say Communism is better (not that real Communism ever existed anyway), but I find it ironic that alot of modern fuck ups that's happened in the last decade was because we have choice...and majority made stupid decisions that had global implications a.k.a America.
I'm just saying being forced to do something that reults in a negative consequence as opposed to voluntarily with knowledge (or none...) choosing an action that does the same doesn't sound as bad at all...
Yes I'm just bored.
@ 18:37
Not really a choice if it installs itself... And it's chinese (aka communist) software.
A couple minor inaccuracies. IME allows you to input characters from a keyboard set different than the keyboard you are using. Many Japanese keyboards have hiragana entry, so they don't need a special IME package installed to type in Japanese. The IME in the article allows Japanese users to convert to Chinese characters.
Also, Microsoft has IME packages available for most languages, Japanese and Chinese included if you have a Windows operating system (can't speak for Macs, so the two people using them will have to figure something else out).
So, if there are IMEs available as part of the OS (which, by the way, allow you to install and remove them separately), the only reason you need 3rd party IMEs are for bells and whistles like "creepy emoticons", not "basic computer functionality".
While technically you can type in Japanese using only kana (and there is a special Kana Society devoted to promoting that practice) most Japanese expect their kana to be turned into kanji at some point, hence the need for an IME.
Also, a Japanese lady once told me that the kana layout is terrible, because many kana are on the number row or under your right pinky. Not very ergonomic.
Keyboards don't have "characters" on them. When you press a character, it generates a signal which the OS or firmware interprets using a keymap (keyboard layout). IMEs simply allow you to map input characters indirectly, where the result depends on the input sequence. Most writing systems don't need that since a keymap over the standard US character set works just fine for all but 4 commonly used writing systems.
I'd say obvious troll, but apparently, it's not. I swear, some people will fall for these even if they had a giant neon "this is a troll" sign right next to their comments.
Yeah but there are different types. The one here is obviously not the standard one that comes with the computer...
thanks to you i had an image of Schwarzy with nekomimi ...
oh wait that one is from seto no hanayome .
Imagine next 3D avatars as OS assistant begging not to be deleted ......
Please do not kill me, I will not delete anything by accident or I will not take up much space in HD!
I need to live!
Like that video Kara Heavy rain'n for ps3 ........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0KTUysrwgQ
eminds me of "Dont Switch Me Off" by Arjen A. Lucassen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJpicyNyrk0#t=23s
Reminds me of you Switch Me Off" by Arjen A. Lucassen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJpicyNyrk0#t=23s
Next thing you know it will be like Wayne Knight in Jurassic Park saying "Ah ah ah, you didn't say the magic word!" Only instead of Wayne Knight, it will be Haruhi Suzimiya.
Hey Cypher.
Onii-chan, type your passwords through me, please~
This program comes with three modes.
Yandere:
You wouldn't uninstall me would you? You love don't you?.
You really want to uninstall me? Why? But i love you so much.
I don't understand why you don't want to use me anymore.
Ah! I get it! It's another ime ISN'T IT!!!! ANSWER ME!! I'll KILL IT , I'LL KILL IT, I'LL KILL IT, YOU ARE MINE, MINE, MINE MINE!!!!
Tsundere:
Hmm...BAka! Like i want to stay in your filthy computer. Go on uninstall me, see if i care.
Wait! Are you really going to uninstall me? Huh?! No is not that i care...is just ...that..ahhh! you are such an idiot!
Dandere:
...............
okay, here's the password "ifuckmy2dsister" do you love it ? :D
Yes. That would be very satisfactory.
Your original password was "penis" but it wasn't long enough.
The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjkSyQHQddo], applied to an actual uninstaller. Is it disingenuous? Maybe somewhat, but Japanese can't credibly say it's a Chinese invention...
I've uninstalled and sold my Miku. And she disappeared.
Please tell me where I’m lacking:
You could make my PC explode.
But your Chinese chair impale you before I explode your PC.
I did find this amusing. Hell, it's a lot more entertaining than Squenix news or yet another fail-top 10.
I would never be able to uninstall it.
Me either. Great marketing.
It's...not like...I...I wanted to...uninstall you anyway, baka.
You made her cry,you monsters!
fuck those developers, fuck them. even with such terrible artwork and dubious agenda, i still would feel sad if i were to uninstall this.
Make it tsundere next time.
B-baka... it's not like I wanted to be installed here anyway.
Maybe a yandere version would be more interesting.. "UNINSTALL ME AND I'LL FUK YOUR PC UP!!"
you tried.
That they did. I'll give 'em a point or two for trying.
Yandere starts off sweet and lovey-dovey, skews gradually into creepy, and then ends up at batshit insane rage.
For the sake of your PC, I hope that she's not a yandere when you hit that Uninstall button.