Installed desktop Google Earth 5. Nice. But the update agent is a
really bad move.
> 0) We feel that outdated software poses a risk, both to the end-user
> and the programmer developing a Google Earth API web site. That is the
> purpose for this automatic update mechanism.
Weak. Not good enough. There can never be a guarantee that every
client of a
service is always up-to-date. If the client is too old, the server
should respond
appropriately and the user informed that they need to update the app.
This case
has to be handled anyway.
> 1) Google Software Update is installed when you install Google
> software that relies on it for patches (i.e. security fixes).
Fine. It's control over it. When the updater runs and downloads is the
problem. It runs
should when the user tells it too, ie. at app startup usually. And
only if they've
turned on "check for update". However the google update agent
runs automatically on a schedule, and downloads new software without
any knowledge by the user in the background. This is _just_not_on_.
Those of us aware of this behaviour are given no easy way to "adjust"
it.
The google answer is to uninstall all google apps. Seems excessive.
Also, downloading software behind my back wastes precious allowance on
a
my mobile 3G connection. It's not on for any app, including google's.
> 2) You can remove Google Software Update by uninstalling all software
> that uses it, such as the Google Earth Plugin, the Google Talk Plugin
(for video chat in Gmail), etc. It will then remove itself
automatically after about a day.
Pathetic. Again see 1 above. Why isn't there a UI to disable it
completely (see 0),
or change the schedule, ie. change to "only at startup".
> 3) The Google Earth Plugin installer does not install other plugins;
> you may have installed the Google Talk plugin (for video chat in Gmail) separately.
Except the automatic update agent (but it's not a browser plug-in, I
suppose).
> 4) We are working on modifying the plugin installer wording to clarify
> that:
> (a) Google Software Update is being installed and
> (b) why it's being installed.
Wording...? Is google trying to brainwash us now? Is google hoping for
a dumbed down
younger generation to spoon-feed bs?
> ...please take a look at my first post in this thread, which explains that Google
> Software Update strictly complies with our privacy policy...
Google needs a new privacy policy if the behaviour of installing and
running
agent updater software automatically behind the users back, who has no
easy
control over it (apart from a full uninstall, if they look hard), is
acceptable. This is "evil".
Google needs to pick up it's corporate ass on this one. I knew there
was a solid
reason I deleted google desktop search a few years ago.
I like Google Earth 5, so I've destroyed this stupid update mechanism,
obviously.
Something like this will do it:
1) Quit all google apps
2) Delete the launchd entries (one or the other files may exist)
$ sudo rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.google.keystone.agent.plist
$ sudo rm /Library/LaunchAgents/com.google.keystone.agent.plist
2) Delete shared google stuff
$ rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google
$ rm -rf ~/Library/Google
3) Recreate the above folder as "root" to prevent google apps from
installing
the updater agent code again when re-launched
$ sudo mkdir ~/Library/Google
By changing the ~/Library/Google folder to be owned by root you should
avoid
going through this shenanigans again. Just check for a /Library/Google
too and
do the same to it. Don't give google apps your password.
You need Terminal.app experience for those commands. You can use the
Finder too.
After recreating an empty ~/Library/Google select File>Get Info. Use
the permissions
at the bottom to add the "Administrator" with read/write. Change "..
(Me)" to read only.
And why does google think it deserves a special place in "Library"
which is for
system level items, you know like fonts, preferences, screen savers,
frameworks.
Hubris.