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Microsoft Update Slips In a Firefox Extension
An anonymous reader writes "While doing a weekly scrub of my Windows systems, which includes checking for driver updates and running virus scans, I found Firefox notifying me of a new add-on. It's labelled 'Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant,' and it 'Adds ClickOnce support and the ability to report installed .NET versions to the web server.' The add-on could not be uninstalled in the usual way. A little Net searching turned up a number of sites offering advice on getting rid of the unrequested add-on." The unasked-for extension has been hitchhiking along with updates to Visual Studio, and perhaps other products that depend on .NET, since August. It appears to have gone wider recently, coming in with updates to XP SP3.
It is totally unacceptable for Microsoft to interfere with any of the 3rd party software I have installed on my computer whether via their update mechanism or otherwise. If I ever find any of these shenanigans going on I will raise a formal complaint with the appropriate government competition bureau, I encourage others to do the same.
Me lost me cookie at the disco.
Interesting... Would it be possible to change Firefox in such a way that it refuses to recognize those plugins that it can't install?
I don't understand the hatred for Bonjour. It's a discovery protocol, used by Macs for ages. All it does is to make it possible to find other computers.
The only reason I have iTunes installed is because I couldn't find a Quicktime download that didn't come with it. The only reason I have Quicktime installed is because of people who only make their content available as Quicktime files for whatever reason.
*Why* would I want Quicktime to be able to discover other devices on my network? Even if I did, why would I want a service running all of the time as opposed to once every few months when I go to play a Quicktime file?
I can only speak for myself, but that's why *I* hate Bonjour. I wanted Apple's poorly-coded (for Windows at least) proprietary video player. In order to get it, I had to get a bunch of extra software I most definitely didn't want.
I already tried Quicktime Alternative. It wasn't able to play the newest Quicktime variants.
"...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
The fact that this unwanted addon is NOT visible in Add/Remove Programs, and this was done to a 3rd party program smells like an attempt at sabotage.
I'm not aware of any other Windows updates targeting 3rd party software.
I am disappointed that MS is pushing out .Net 3.5 as a high priority update to v2. The real reason can be found looking up .Net 3.5 on Google. Developers want this out there and hoped it would have been in XP SP3. I really do not care what developers want. It is my system and the Windows updates need to be for system maintenance and not for pushing an agenda from MS and its developers.
I emailed MS and complained. I had not installed that update, so I had not seen the FF ext. Hearing this, I am even more alarmed over MS activities.
The difference is you choose to install Flash. You knowingly (in most cases) go to Adobe, download the flash installer, agree to some sort of EULA, and install Flash with the understanding that it will be modifying third party software.
.NET was already compatible with FF and other webbrowsers.)
Microsoft is doing this in an update without notifying its users (as far as has been reported) that this update will be modifying third party software with no easy way to prevent or uninstall the change.
Given that, I am curious to know how this addon will improve my web experience in Firefox. Will it open security holes beyond what is already in Firefox and my other addons? Will it slow or decrease performance of FF? What benefit is it to FF (I thought