Microsoft Hides Firefox Extension In Toolbar Update 285
Jan writes "As part of its regular Patch Tuesday, Microsoft released an update for its various toolbars, and this update came with more than just documented fixes. The update also installs an add-on for Internet Explorer and an extension for Mozilla Firefox, both without the user's permission."
yay (Score:3, Interesting)
I like your products, Microsoft...but I still abhor your business practices.
Kinda like Sony, Apple, etc...
Again? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Again? (Score:3, Interesting)
Windows Practices make me angry... (Score:3, Interesting)
I have two windows, a netbook with windows 7, and a XP, and the general malpractices of the software that this OS use is really anoying. Stuff like the printer driver creates a resident program (HP something) on the toolbar. Other applications after running only once, set itself to start at restart. WTF LOL!?. How is that possible? a OS sould ask user permission with something like sudo for setting apps to auto-run at restart. All these apps that start and are doing nothing at all make the start very long, and take screen space.
So.. is bad enough wen people like HP, Impulse or others do this, but.. Microsoft? In a way, is like Microsoft is sanctioning this evil practice thenselves.
Re:A different kind. (Score:3, Interesting)
How can you be running a browser without something like NoScript these days? It's almost as bad as running a Windows machine without anti-virus software.
I tried Chrome for a while, but the "work around" for the lack of NoScript was just annoying. It certainly isn't as robust as I'm used to with NoScript. So I barely use it anymore. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone until a good NoScript solution gets worked into the system.
Ubuntu isn't much better (Score:4, Interesting)
Every time ubuntu updates firefox, it slams it's own list of search engines into my browser, and I have to yet again remove them. Why would a system update muck with personal settings like that?
Re:Oh get a sense of perspective FFS (Score:2, Interesting)
So, you would have no problem with me modifying software on your computer without your consent or knowledge? I'll be there directly and modify the way most of your software works in some way or another.
You'll have no problem with that at all, right? It's just software, right?
Re:A different kind. (Score:3, Interesting)
I have Ad Block Plus installed on Chrome. So I am not exactly sure what in the world you are even talking about.
Re:I smell a loophole that puts MS in a bad spot.. (Score:3, Interesting)
This premise is incorrect. In general, contracts with minors are not void, they are voidable by the minor. The precise details may vary by jurisdiction, but, IIRC, generally for the minor to exercise this power, they must do so prior to or within a very specific window after majority.
Of course, voiding the contract also means that the minor loses any rights they hand under the contract.
Re:Plugin uninstaller for Firefox? (Score:3, Interesting)
they slipped a DLL into a folder where Firefox would find it and go "Geez, thats an add-on!" No install necessary in FF, just put the extension in the right place and bingo!
That's the problem. Firefox should say - "hey user, I've never seen this extension file before (and you didn't download it via Firefox either); you didn't mean to install this stuff did you?" The default answer should be to skip installation of the extension. Problem solved. MS would be a lot more hesitant to try to "hack" around to circumvent this process.
if its a "plugin" like Shockwave or Flash, you should note that the ability to Disable/Enable ONLY is there because any user can and should have access to that plugin.
How so? If a user is able to install the plugin (systemwide for all users - assuming that's what you mean), that same user should be able to uninstall it in the same manner. If a plugin is installed via an escalated privilege, then Firefox should attempt the same escalation during the removal.
Re:Again? (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm one of those users. I recently bought a new laptop and who knows what the OEM put in IE because I never open IE. I was pissed when I saw an uninvited add-on in Firefox. A little research determined that it was related to this microsoft search update. But it's not possible uninstall it via the Firefox add-on GUI. So I disabled it and presumably someone will tell me the right way to get rid of it soon.
Re:It is just an update to an existing toolbar (Score:3, Interesting)
That's further from the truth than the person you responded to.
Microsoft installed it on Firefox if a previous version was already installed on either Firefox or IE. The one case is trivial and non-problematic, the other unusual but wrong when it does hit.