“Why Google’s Software Update Tool is Evil”
Scott Gilbertson. Feb 13, 2009. http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/02/why-googles-sof.html
All Mac OS X users received a surprise when they tried the latest version of Google Earth. Google has an automatic update engine that does not clearly ask permission to provide any automatic updates. A Mac developer says the mistake is because the designers are thinking like computer scientists instead of users of the applications. The news report proceeds to give four specific examples of why it is a bad idea for the tiny little application in the background to be running all the time. It opens up a tunnel to Google that is always on, it is always looking for an update, the updates have bugs that wipe data from your drive, and the problems go across the network for “added headaches.”
I have not tried using the new version of Google Earth, and I have not downloaded the application to my own personal computer either. I find it puzzling that Google, as large and intelligent as they are, would make such a mistake as this. Although Google is not too experienced with the Mac side of desktop applications, it is important for them to make sure they do not hurt their reputation by opening up new programs and applications. I enjoy all the innovation of Google, but I do not think they should get caught up with the newest applications if they have not perfected what they already have. Google Earth will not be the last application that Google improves, and the more time they put into each application, the better their reputation will be.
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I think this is one of the greatest articles that I have ever read with my own two eyes. Google should have caught this glitch in their system and could have made it more user friendly. This could dramatically hurt their reputation with Mac users in the long run and could have been avoided through thoughtful planning prior to launching Google Earth with Mac books. I believe Google Earth is a great program that attracts many users, but Google should just "tap the brakes a bit" to produce a fully functional product that is user friendly.
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