June 16, 2014

Die, Google Chrome, Die!

The latest Flash upgrade automagically installs Google Chrome and the Google Toolbar. There wasn't any place to opt out of it that I noticed.

That really stinks.

And uninstalling each of them opened a web page at Google asking all kinds of questions about me and how long I'd been using them and why I was disabling them.

That stinks, too. Grumble.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Computers at 01:16 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 66 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Might be time to finally uninstall Flash entirely...

Posted by: Siergen at June 16, 2014 01:37 PM (8/vFI)

2 No, I use it a lot. Besides, the top rotation...

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at June 16, 2014 01:41 PM (+rSRq)

3 Any open source Flash players?

Posted by: Siergen at June 16, 2014 03:43 PM (8/vFI)

4 Sounds like it's gotten worse.  The last time I upgraded Flash, it was:  

CLICK HERE to INSTALL FLASH

(disclaimer: clicking there authorizes all the google crap.  It also gives google naming rights to your firstborn son, and a nine percent share of your immortal soul.)

...

...

...

(or click here to install without all the google crap.  But seriously, they own half your soul by now, anyway, why fight it?)

Posted by: Mikeski at June 16, 2014 03:45 PM (Zlc1W)

5 This didn't happen when I updated on Friday. I've got it set to notify but not automatically install - just went to the page, unchecked the McAfee box (snort), and didn't have anything else pushed at me. Wonder what was different?

Posted by: Avatar_exADV at June 16, 2014 05:54 PM (zJsIy)

6 Maybe there was a place to refuse the Google crap and I didn't notice it.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at June 16, 2014 07:20 PM (+rSRq)

7 Probably, but I would swear Google switched my YouTube account over to Google+ without my consent (which they say they don't do).  They just asked every time I logged in to switch to Google+, then one day they didn't ask, and I was on Google+.

Since then, my rule of thumb has been "if the installer doesn't ask me to install unwanted extra crap, exit the installer and start over because you missed it."

Posted by: Ben at June 17, 2014 05:11 AM (S4UJw)

8 The worst example of this I've seen was with the Java updater, which installed the Ask Toolbar alongside a critical security patch.

Given how often Java has critical security bugs, and that they pull this stunt every single time, I'm surprised it hadn't happened to me before.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at June 17, 2014 07:03 AM (PiXy!)

9
Even better, for existing Chrome users Google just automatically disabled any third party Chrome extensions that are not offered through the Google Store, and won't let you re-enable them.

Because Google knows what's best for us idiots, apparently.

Posted by: wahsatchmo at June 17, 2014 08:05 AM (r4uXE)

10 Does anybody else remember when Google used the motto "Don't be evil?"

Posted by: CatCube at June 17, 2014 10:02 AM (pem+N)

11
Does anybody else remember when Google used the motto "Don't be evil?"
Not exactly, but let me Google it...

Posted by: Siergen at June 17, 2014 12:49 PM (8/vFI)

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