Software Update Rant

Dear "software updater" software programmer,

• Please don't "update" software that I haven't installed yet.
• Please don't reinstall quicklaunch icons that I deliberately removed.
• Please stop asking me to update, simply update. I don't care if I have the "Latest and greatest version", I just want to have my software work. Don't tell me to visit a web site to update it, I won't. (Actually I do but shhh!)
  
• Please stop installing "[Insert name here] Speed Launcher", "[Insert name here] Task" or "[insert name here]UpdateSched" autoloading crap in my startup menu or even worst, in the registry; to be sure to increase the commit charge (total memory usage) of my system. A program can easily look at updating itself when it is actually started. If it is never started, I don't mind it to be never updated.
• Please don't write updater that fails. (It happens on my system, no names here) I'm not even talking about bad software, simply bad updaters. If you're too dumb replace some files, get another job.
• No, I won't reboot my system to install a media player. The next time I'll reboot will probably be because of a corporate enforced software BSOD'ing my system.
  

I know doing an installer is hard. I know the amount of work is high. Then, why don't you just do less during updates?


Here's a few examples:

#1 Apple Software "Update"

They should have called it "Apple installer". Yes I have Safari Beta and QuickTime installed. No I don't have iTunes nor I want that "update" installed on my computer.

Apple folks, please, look to see if the software is actually installed before "updating" it.

#2
Also, Apple folks, don't add back the quicklaunch icons on updates. If I removed them, I probably don't want them back. This also applies to Acrobat Reader updates and Office 2003 service packs.

#3
Auto start crap. Sun's Java and QuickTime are notorious to add their entries back in the registry on each update. Stop doing that!