15 July, 2008

Still no hitching

After the well-publicised criticism of Apple in March, when their 'Software Updater' tried to trick people (who didn't already have it) into installing the Safari browser as an essential update, I'd thought the company had learned its lesson.  Seems not.

The response to that episode was that a revised Apple Software Updater moved Safari into a distinct text box, cursorily clarifying that it was new software rather than an update, but it still shouldn't have been pushed via the Software Updater at all and preselecting it for download was unacceptable. At least there was an option to deselect it and instruct the Updater to never display it again.

Yet that was too narrow a definition. True, the Updater remembered my wish to never again be informed about Safari 3.1.1, but it popped up again today to tell me about Safari 3.1.2, with the download 'helpfully' preselected.

I don't want to download Safari. I don't want to download any version of Safari. I will not want to download any future version of Safari. Clear?
Given a company ethos purporting to focus on a "it just works" user interface design, the opt-out should behave as a user might reasonably expect i.e. a permanent, unequivocal opt-out rather than merely declining one specific sub-version of the package.

These cheap tricks will not wear me down and tempt me to 'give it a try' – they're merely going to harden my distaste for anything from Apple, and decrease the likelihood of my sticking with iTunes and Quicktime. I happen to think those packages are adequate, and would be happy to keep using them – so long as Apple shuts up and leaves me alone.