Google Earth 5.0 Silently Changes Update Policy

mario_grgic writes "Recently announced Google Earth version 5.0 adds interesting new features like images of ocean floors and some detailed images of Mars. But it also brings another unwelcome change for Mac OS X users. Google Software update daemon is installed when the application is launched for the first time. The user is greeted with an uninformative message that does not really explain what is about to happen. After the user accepts, Google Update Agent is downloaded and installed. It updates all Google applications and not just Google Earth. Also, it runs on an unchangeable schedule of its own (instead of, say, only when one of Google's apps is launched), consuming system resources. Worst of all it can not be simply removed, since it is downloaded and installed again once Google Earth is launched. Users really have only two choices: live with it, or uninstall all Google apps. There's a discussion about the updater in this Google Group, including details of a way to disable it (not for the faint of heart). So fellow Slashdotters, has Google crossed the line?"

Comments

It's my computer

[Z00L00K]

And I want to be in control of if it's going to crap or not.

Re:It's my computer

[Aladrin]

So don't install Google Earth.

Wow, that was easy!

Re:It's my computer

[0100010001010011]

You can turn it off with Lingon which is a launchd editor. I would suggest taking this route over trying to just delete all the files. You can probable even change the schedule to only trip every night at 3 am or so. The program may see the config files are gone and just re-install them.

Second, does this 'run constantly in the background' or is it launched like a cron event? For those that don't know, launchd is Apple's replacement for "init, rc, the init.d and rc.d scripts, SystemStarter (Mac OS X), inetd and xinetd, atd, crond and watchdogd". You can set up launchd events for about anything. Launch on startup, launch every X seconds, launch when a folder is changed, etc, etc. I can't imagine that this is actually a daemon but instead just a scheduled event.

Re:It's my computer

[Ritz_Just_Ritz]

It's modded funny, but it is accurate. If you don't like Google's policy and they won't change it....vote with your feet. I actually uninstalled google earth because of this.

Re:It's my computer

[idobi]

Or you can select the "update" you don't want, and go to Tools -> 'Ignore selected updates' and never see it again.

Re:It's my computer

[MightyYar]

Second, does this 'run constantly in the background' or is it launched like a cron event?

To me, it looks like it is run once through launchd on startup, and then uses launchd to fire it up every 2 hours. So yeah, I don't think it's a daemon.

Re:It's my computer

[samkass]

I actually got this upgrader on my system from installing Google SketchUp on my Mac last month, so I don't think Google is limiting this to Earth.

Re:It's my computer

[Repugnant_Shit]

You can disable everything you just talked about.

Re:It's my computer

[Alrescha]

"It's modded funny, but it is accurate. If you don't like Google's policy and they won't change it....vote with your feet. I actually uninstalled google earth because of this."

It's not funny. I also uninstalled all Google software from my machine, and then ran the directories removing any leftovers.

A.
(and don't blather on about Apple Software Update - you can turn that off/tell it how often to update/etc.)

Re:It's my computer

[cayenne8]

"Is this true? I swear, whenever I think of going to a different OS for non-gaming stuff it seems to be more of a hassle in some way that directly affects me than I'd care for. Its almost as if Windows isn't all THAT bad..."

I dunno where AC gets his information, I haven't found this to be the case with my mac.

For one...you can turn the software updater off.

2nd, I have set it to auto check and prompt me for what updates I want...when I accept, it downloads and installs them. And at the installation phase, I have to give it a password with authority to install..so, that is also a place you can stop the process.

I've not come across the problem with them sneaking software on my computer without my knowledge yet...

Re:It's my computer

[jlarocco]

Then I demand the rights to name your firstborn. I can if I state it in a EULA right?

Yeah, that's fine with me, because I'm not an idiot. I actually read the shit I'm about to agree to, so I wouldn't use your product after seeing that in the EULA. Problem solved.

No company has the right to being abusive and you can NEVER relinquish certain rights, even if you wanted to. I can't sell mysrlf into slavery and I can't give Google eternal and everlasting control over my computer, EULA or not.

<sarcasm>Yeah, the "right" to use other people's shit on any terms you want is right up there with free speech and freedom of the press. I can't believe they left that one off the Bill of Rights...</sarcasm>

I see this as a typically American point of view. If a goverment tries to do anything, it's evil, fascist, communist, stealing etc. When a company does it, it is seen as their right and if you don't like it you should stop doing business with them.

The difference is that interactions with a company are voluntary. You don't have to use Google's products. There's Yahoo, Gigablast, Clusty, and hundreds more. There's MapQuest and WorldWind and others. There's OpenOffice, Abiword, KOffice, Microsoft Office, and more. You have all of those alternatives, and you can use whichever one you want, without anybody telling you otherwise.

You don't have a choice with the government - you do what they say or they throw you in jail.

If that's an "American point of view", then you're probably right. We are supposed to be the shining example of a free country, so it only makes sense that we'd prefer freedom over government bullying.

Re:It's my computer

[ianare]

Why were there no aircraft fuselage fragments at the Pentagon "crash site" on 9/11?

Will people please stop with this one ? It's not like there is no evidence for this.

No big deal

[m0s3m8n]

I am using Picasa 3 beta on my imac and have no issues with their updater. Although it came as a surprise to me when it first popped up an alert that a new version was out. Resource usage is minimal (didn't even know it was running - which I guess is the issue some are having.

Sparkle

[Midnight Thunder]

Why on Earth can't they use something like Sparkle, which is so much less obnoxious - this only warns you when you launch your application, and also self updates if you say yes. If all software started acting like Google Software Update, then we would spend half our day simply closing update windows for software which we haven't used in a month.

Re:Big Deal?

[Sockatume]

Bonjour is a "discovery service", like the thing in Windows that detects what printers, computers etc. are on your network. It's probably needed for iTunes' media sharing functions.

Re:Big Deal?

[vux984]

The difference is the similiar program on windows, has an Preferences menu item where you can set the 'check for updates' frequency to 'never'.

Not for the faint of heart?

[wiredog]

Admittedly, I moved to Mac after 10 years running Linux, but the procedure, cut 'n' pasted below, seems simple enough.

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.

Re:Big Deal?

[larry bagina]

bonjour is multicast dns + service discovery. The multicast dns part means a computer, printer, etc broadcast their name/ip address to the local intranet (no need to set up a hosts file or dns server). The service discovery part means they can also broadcast a list of services/ports/etc they support. As mentioned, that's how iTunes can identify other computers on your intranet that are sharing music.

Re:Big Deal?

[guruevi]

Bonjour is the network discovery protocol (DAAP) that makes it so your computer can find and connect networked or wireless speakers, printers, share music libraries and more without having to manually find and type in IP addresses especially when you're on DHCP in your house (which you most likely are). I use it at work to advertise machines with certain services (like distributed computing/compiling) to the network so that I don't have to scan for them. It also gives you great DNS services without needing to configure a DNS server (like P2P for DNS).

Bonjour is one of the reasons networking is so 'easy' on Mac's and even on Linux (if you install it). It's similar to Windows' equivalent of Windows Zeroconfig (Microsoft's Link-local Multicast Name Resolution (LLMNR)) but it adheres to the published and open standards unlike Microsoft implementation which is also the reason that there is only 1 printer at my job that is discovered through Microsoft's protocol and ALL printers (HP Laserjet, Brother and inkjets) are discovered through Bonjour.

Re:Big Deal?

[jd142]

On Windows it is really easy to use the msconfig tool and stop things like the itunes updater, google updater, quicktime assistant, acrobat speedup, tkbell(the realplayer app) and a host of others from starting.

Uncheck what you don't want to start. Decide you really like the updater? Go back and click the check box.

Re:Not only on MacOS X...

[Jumperalex]

FYI, the trick for googleupdate in windows is that it is now an entry in /windows/tasks ... so there is no service to kill, you have to remove the scheduled task.

Re:You want to be in control...

[MightyYar]

When this happened to me, it turned out to be another process that was polling iTunes for my currently playing tune. I think it was a chat app.

I'm not saying that's the problem in your case, but it might help you debug.

Re:You want to be in control...

[parkrrrr]

It does pop up at random times when you don't have iTunes running.

I don't use iTunes. Never have. It's installed on my computer because my wife uses it, but she has her own account. I still get the stupid updater asking if I want to update iTunes and all the cruft that comes with it.

Worse, I use a non-admin account for day-to-day stuff. Even if I did want to update iTunes, the account I'm logged in to doesn't have the privileges to do so. You'd think someone would have thought to check that.

Re: So fellow Slashdotters, has Google crossed the

[JeffSpudrinski]

They crossed the line a long time ago (with Google Desktop originally copying stuff to their servers by default as one example. Data mining Gmail without permission is another).

If you think they are just now crossing the line, you're not paying attention to what Google has been up to.

Just my $0.02.

Re:Slightly OT: Obtaining current imagery?

[prichardson]

Google doesn't commission the images to be made, they pay to license already existing images. Then google patches them together. For example, my city commissioned some satellite images a while back for a certain stretch of town for highway construction purposes. A couple years later, some higher resolution images showed up on Google Earth. I guess no one has taken an interest in your area enough to have recent pictures taken.

Iphone

[Demonantis]

Theres an Iphone app for Google. It can't have the updater. Apple wouldn't allow it. So people desperate, but not willing to live with the lost resources could always go out and get a touch.

Re:You want to be in control...

[tlhIngan]

I do not have iTunes or Quicktime installed on my computer because apparently Windows 2000 is not shiny enough for watching mov files. /me thinks it is drm related

Or you can't read... here's a clicky-clicky link.

Here's how I got there:

1) www.apple.com
2) Click on "iPod + iTunes" button at the top
3) Click on "Download iTunes"
4) Scroll down, just under the Spanish option, you see, OMG - "Windows 2000 Users". If you have NoScript enabled, the link may be obscured behind the text, but it's at the left column at the bottom. Not at the very bottom of the page, though. If javascript is enabled, it's plainly visible.

It's not iTunes 8, but they're apparently still supporting iTunes 7.5.2.

Anyhow, remember to right-click on the QuickTime icon and set your QuickTime preferences to not startup at windows startup to eliminate that annoying process.

Re:Slightly OT: Obtaining current imagery?

[MBGMorden]

I have no idea how they get their images, but they can be a bit weird about it. I work for a county government that maintains it's own GIS system. In general, our data and images for our area are in MUCH greater detail that the ones shown on Google Earth. Knowing how many people use that tool, our GIS department actually tried to get in touch with Google's map division in order to offer (freely) to send over our data so that they could use it as they saw fit. They were basically brushed off.