Hidden installation

In several environments (corporate networks, workplaces, schools) it is sometimes restricted to install additional programs or to change the screensaver. Traffic - the program itself, and the installation package - has built-in features to overcome some of them.

The most important thing about this: the full responsibility is at you! If you are working in a small firm, and your boss says: do not install anything on your computer, and additionally he stays behind you often, it is a very bad idea to install Traffic - or anything else - on that computer. But in a huge organization there are often other circumstances. Your boss could say: Oh, what a nice screensaver! Feel free to install it, if you can overcome the stupid regulations of that far-off IT department.

Once more, the most important thing: it is your decision, your responsibility. Traffic helps you to overcome some technical limitations and rules, to bypass some remote checks, but that's all. It won't help you on the human side of the problem.

Let's see, what are we speaking about.

Often you cannot change the screensaver on such a computer (controlled by group policies). Traffic can mislead the 'official' screensaver, that the computer is in use, and in the same time itself watches the keyboard and mouse. If there is no activity since a configured time, Traffic starts it's own full screen mode. The drawback of this method: Traffic have to run continuously in your computer. It will occupy some memory, but uses only a negligible amount of CPU time for watching the activity. And it should be started an boot / login time.

Corporate networks usually require for security reasons, that after a predefined time of inactivity (or after the screensaver's run) the computer will be locked, and the user should log in with his password. The user mode screensaving could bypass this rule, but there is no important reason to do so, so it is up to you: Traffic can be configured to mimic this behaviour also, locking the computer after it's screensaving run.

Installing foreign programs on a computer has different hazards for a corporate network. The most important is the get infected by a virus. But nowadays it is also a problem to avoid illegal software usage, copyright violations. Corporate networks can check the computers for installed programs, and in the case they are finding something unknown, they usually inform a responsible person: an IT employee, or perhaps your boss. There are different strategies to check for installed programs. Some of the systems looks only in the list of the installed (uninstallable) programs in the control panel's Add or Remove programs function (in the registry entries holding this information), other check also the Program Files folder for subfolders, and other search the whole content of your disc drives.

When searching your drives the 'big brother' usually looks for known commercial programs - it won't find Traffic, because it is freeware. Using a hidden installation option of Traffic install program you can avoid the first 2 cases too. The install program can refrain from inscribing the uninstaller in the registry. As a consequence, invoking the control panel's Add or Remove programs function you won't be able to uninstall (and to see) Traffic. But the uninstaller will be on your system, you can start it directly, or, if you have let the installer to create shortcuts in your Start menu, it will be there too.