Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
Summary: Mozilla's Asa Dotzler ranted about evil plug-ins from the likes of Google, Microsoft and Apple and said that trio of vendors should ask for permission before adding extensions to Firefox. He's right, but you also need to read your license agreements.
Mozilla's Asa Dotzler ranted about evil plug-ins from the likes of Google, Microsoft and Apple and said that trio of vendors should ask for permission before adding extensions to Firefox.
Why do Microsoft, Google, Apple, and others think that it is an OK practice to add plug-ins to Firefox when I'm installing their software packages. When I installed iTunes, in order to manage my music collection and sync to my iPod, why did Apple think it was OK to add the iTunes Application Detector plug-in to my Firefox web browser without asking me? Why did Microsoft think it was OK to sneak their Windows Live Photo Gallery or Office Live Plug-in for Firefox into my browser (presumably) when I installed Microsoft Office? What makes Google think it's reasonable behavior for them to slip a Google Update plug-in into Firefox when I installed Google Earth or Google Chrome (not sure which one caused this) without asking me first?
This long-standing issue---adding applications as part of an end user license agreement---is "sneaky, underhanded, and wrong."
Dotzler has a point---to a degree. The other responsibility falls to the end user. Google says in its Chrome and Earth license agreement that it will include Google Update as an extension for Firefox. By clicking that little EULA box you're giving the likes of Apple, Microsoft and Google permission.
11. Software updates
11.1 The Software which you use may automatically download and install updates from time to time from Google. These updates are designed to improve, enhance and further develop the Services and may take the form of bug fixes, enhanced functions, new software modules and completely new versions. You agree to receive such updates (and permit Google to deliver these to you) as part of your use of the Services.
I couldn't find the passages relating to Microsoft and Apple's EULAs and plug-ins, but there's most likely fine print somewhere the user agreed to. The reality here is that no one reads the EULAs (including me). On that front, Dotzler is arguing that there should be one more layer of permission before adding an extension to Firefox. These EULAs are like bills on Capitol Hill where there are all these earmarks and fine print that no one notices---until something goes bad.
What are your thoughts?
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Talkback
The end user should have final say what gets on their computer
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
And when "average Joe User"....
finds that opening a link in from a MS Office app leads to a dead-end or an improperly displayed page, all because they were scared out of installing the plugin which would have enabled full compatibility in via their browser of choice. Do you think for a second that the average (non tech-savvy) user will make the connection??
quote:
[b]"The end user should have final say what gets on their computer"[/b]
That sounds all fine and dandy until you actually realise just what the average user would actually let into their computer! Obviously you never spent time cleaning up after such events! Many of those such options should be labelled as "advanced install options", and leave the obvious configurations as default.
In an IT Nirvana, the user makes all the iddy-bitty choices down to the n'th degree... in the real world, the average user expects a run-once-and-it-works type of result. One hiccup and it's broken! So long as the information and relevant choices are available for the advanced user to navigate (which they usually are), then we have a happy medium.
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
No new software on "updaters" - period.
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
Like it sez, read the EULAs. Sadly, most of them are written by Harvard lawyers, and are unintelligible to the average computer user. Contact the company and demand a simple English rendition of the EULA. If the company won't provide one, I email them back and notify them that if you can't explain in simple English what you want to install then screw your product.
Until computer users start standing up for themselves and demanding the right to know what is being installed on their computers these companies will continue to hold us hostages. Frankly, if you think about it, several of these companies might actually be subverting the rights given to us by the Constitution and The Bill of Rights.
Bravo
You are absolutely right, these EULA's borderline on a violation of our rights, and considering they are intended to be deceiving, something should be done to protect the public.
All of you Apple lovers should really take a moment to read the EULA's of your iphone and ipad. You do not own it, Apple does. You are simply renting it.
redcaboosejr your living in a dream world
I suggest you fund a class action suit against M$ & Apple and see how far you get with it.
JUST WHO THE F*** DO YOU COMPLAIN TO AND DO YOU REALLY THINK THEY GIVE A HOOT ABOUT ALL THE WHINING PEOPLE DO?
THEY HAVE YOUR MONEY, YOU CHECKED THE BOX THAT YOU AGREE TO IT AND THATS ALL THAT COUNTS IN THEIR EYES ..... END OF STORY ......
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
any windows
and this guy is complaining about this?
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
Seriously, who reads EULAs? I click that little box because I have to, to install the software. No click, no install. If I sign away my firstborn in the process, too bad.
Welcome to Being Part of the Problem (POTP)
Change only occurs when eough people demand it.
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
and how is this going to drive change?
I have read and try to read the EULA from time to time.
for the most part I cannot figure all they are trying to tell me. These are so embedded with legalese that they are totally unintelligible to almost all users and written in such a way to give the user no options.
Be realistic or provide realistic options.
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
While I agree with you in principle, in practice you'd have to be a lawyer and have nothing at all to do to be able to read every EULA you encounter.
They all say the same thing, anyway. "You agree to let us do whatever we want to with your computer, you, and everything else, and charge you extra when we do. And, if this software doesn't work, it's your fault. Call tech support, and please have your credit cards ready."
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
I totally agree. However, most of the casual computer users just click the boxes, never read the ULAs, which I often find you need legal training to understand.
It's way past time for our legislators to deal with this problem, but they are too busy receiving hefty campaign contributions from the very companies and corporations they should be protecting us from.
Read the ULAs. If you don't understand the language they contain contact the business and demand a simple English explanation of the ULA . If the company won't provide that, then I automatically assume they are trying to hide something.
Excuse me Cardhu and all the others who say
JUST WHO THE F*** DO YOU COMPLAIN TO AND DO YOU REALLY THINK THEY GIVE A HOOT ABOUT ALL THE WHINING PEOPLE DO?
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
people like you are the reason these practices continue
i'm surprised there has not been a case of an EULA saying you give permission to the program owner/writer to use any CC # it captures while you are buying things online yet
Mozilla wrote the program
RE: Mozilla's Dotzler rants on 'sneaky' plug-ins: Read your EULAs
First off... http://benjamin.smedbergs.us/blog/2010-11-29/software-integration-is-not-evil/
It's being worked on...
Second is that the user is NEVER prompted to the need to install the plug-in (some of which are HORRIBLY broken, Flash is a common one) to FireFox, Chrome, IE. It's becoming something of a issue where the user has not clue what is braking since there is no clue that a plug-in might be causing the damage, since there is no clue that it was installed in the first place.
Keeping the user into the dark about plug-ins that are being install in there browser of choice is NEVER a good thing.
Asa Dotzler has a point, and he has more of a clarification in the comments of that blog. It's a rather fascinating discussion