I hate when products have options I probably don't want auto checked by default. Well that's not entirely true - I love it when I comment on some blogs (like UniversalHub) and it subscribes me automatically to be notified when others comment on the same post. I can easily shut that off in my subscription settings. I like that particular feature because if I comment on a post, I'm probably interested when others reply to that.

Now on the other hand, when Google tells me there is a new version of Google Desktop I expect  to install that app, and ONLY that app. I don't expect what happened – to get some other too. If I wanted that - I would have gone out and installed it myself! I then wondered how it was possible they installed this tool without my explicit permission and I found the auto checked box to ' Update all software available in the Google Pack ’ in the ‘Preferences’ tab, but then hidden under a collapsed ‘Advanced Options’ options section! I mean if you are going to auto check options at least have that section expanded!

This is how it happened: yesterday Google Updater tells me there is an update for Google Desktop – great. I open up the updater tool and see this:

I think that’s ok, I will update Picasa too, no problem and I click ‘Install Selected Items’. I’m then on the Current Status tab which shows that I’m updating Google Earth and all kinds of other Google apps I had NOT asked to update/install. Annoyed, I cancel the update and forget about it. That is – until I got back from lunch today and I have these crazy photos I’ve never seen before as my screensaver. And I first thought I got a virus on my machine or something, because I certainly did not install this screensaver or these photos. I log into my machine (it was locked) and go to my screensaver options and sure enough Google has installed some Google Slideshow app!!! I never authorized this download, and I canceled the update process when it attempted to install other programs – apparently that one slipped through – even though my Picasa and Google Desktop didn’t get updated! So the thing I actually WANTED  to update didn’t, but something I didn’t want did? I was really annoyed and wanted to figure out how it happened.

I went to my add/remove programs and had to uninstall the photo slideshow thingy first. Then I went to my Google Updater to find where they had selected these apps I didn’t want. Once again I see the above screenshot – only 2 apps that need to be updated. That was what I saw yesterday too, so clearly something else was happening. I went to the Preferences tab and only saw this:

And I’ve already checked all the other tabs and there is no mention of installing other apps. Then I see this collapsed Advanced Options section, I click it - and that’s where I find the option ' Update all software available in the Google Pack ’ auto checked! Shown below:

Now that’s not really easy for a novice user to find and turn off. I don’t like it – it’s sneaky! Or if you want that in the hidden Advanced Options section, don’t auto check it. I expected more from Google.

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astrout on 5/8/2008
Wasn't Google the company that said "Do No Evil" as one of it's core tenants? It's a shame if they've truly forgotten what got them where they are now.

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