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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?"
So don't install Google Earth.
Wow, that was easy!
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
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.
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.
Or you can select the "update" you don't want, and go to Tools -> 'Ignore selected updates' and never see it again.
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.
If you can't be good, be good at it!
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.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
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.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.