Sun Includes Microsoft-Like Automatic Updates Clause

Neill_Smith writes "Following on from Microsoft forcing automatic updates on their users if they want to stay secure, Sun seems to be trying to be trying something similar. They have given themselves permission to 'automatically download, install, and execute applets, applications, software extensions, and updated versions' in the license agreement (hit download) for the JDK on linux (and possibly other platforms)."

Comments

This isn't good

[Sandman1971]

Automatic updates are not good in a live server environment. Many shops run software that are only certified for certain versions. Automatically updating any part of the OS or underlying packages like JDK could break the software. Doesn't sound like alot of thought was put into this.

Re:I like automatic updates

[zangdesign]

you don't have to worry about Sun doing funky stuff to your box.

I was under the understanding that the best defense is to assume that the other guy is ALWAYS out to get you. This, like many other things, is something that should be left to the user to decide, not forced upon them by fiat. You can't have it both ways.

Besides, the agreement explicitly gives Sun the right to affect your machine without prior notification. That, in and of itself, is alarming, regardless of the end result. There is no way of knowing whether or not Sun includes malware in the download since you are not allowed to examine it first.