by Stephen J. Carmichael

Contrary to popular belief there actually is little difference between adware and spyware.

According to wikipedia.org, spyware is:

…computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user’s interaction with the computer, without the user’s informed consent.

In contrast adware, also called advertising-supported software, is described as:

…any software package which plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer automatically, either after the software is installed, or while it is being used.