There seems to be an issue going on right now related to Java Updates and a McAfee folder Java is installing on computers, even if a computer owner checks the box not to have the McAfee software installed on their computer.
But I’m not sure if I am allowed to post the link to the thread at Oracle.
What’s even more interesting is what is happening over at McAfee where they seem to be claiming that the installation of that folder has nothing to do with McAfee. That it is all the responsibility of Oracle. Now that is a really hard one to swallow.
The whole thing is really, really strange.
What would you think if some company installed a folder on your computer after you told them not to?
Okay, I’ll put up the link at Oracle, but I’m still trying to work my way through a second read of the other one, so until I can figure that one out I’ll hold up on that one.
This one, though, seems rather easy to understand:
Installing a folder where code would reside isn’t the same as installing the code.
Do I like extraneous folders being created? No.
Is it unusual for this to happen? Not at all, I’ve seen a lot of applications install unused folders so that in the event the user decides to install the code the folders are already in place.
Not much of a problem in terms of wasted disc space perhaps, but potentially messy and confusing.
I can think of Adobe Flash Player that comes with updates and within the update is a checkbox I can uncheck for Google stuff, but every time I have unchecked the box I didn’t have any Google folder installed in the ProgramData folder.
I don’t think I have ever seen a company install a folder inside ProgramData that I hadn’t accepted something from the company or installed that company’s software.
I also can’t quite understand how it can be legal to install a folder on somebody’s computer if there is no user agreement involved. That person in that discussion at Oracle clearly states not to have allowed the checked box to remain checked, so if that person unchecked that box there would have been no user agreement between that person and McAfee (or Oracle/Java).
I get Java Updates and I used a document search tool for anything “McAfee” in the ToS and found nothing.
I’d be very interested, when (if) you have time, Mittineague, if you could let me know what company you know about that has engaged in an activity like we are reading about in that situation outlined in that discussin at Oracle.
I’ve spent a good part of my time over the last 24 hours studying various aspects to this issue and I am not sure of myself here at this forum.
Should this issue be started in a new topic?
Is it appropriate with the management here for this issue to be discussed? I mean, if your company receives ad revenue from Oracle and/or McAfee, you may not wish to see this discussion move forward.
Possibly there are other reasons why this issue wouldn’t be appreciated here?
Personally, since I came across the issue and studied what I can find so far, I find it very interesting. But I don’t own this website, do I, so I’ll heed whatever advice is offered.
I don’t see any problem with this discussion.
You are right that it is another subject, so I split it from the original thread and started a new one. I hope you like the thread title, I couldn’t come up with a better one.
Thank you for the work, guido2004, and the title is fine by me.
Unfortunately, I have to keep my head into something else that came up a few hours ago and can’t post about the research I was doing over the past 24 hours or so, but I’ll get back to this as soon as my other responsibility is taken care of.
Quick note, though, is one thing I was trying to figure out was how this business could have been kept under wraps for at least through the past three Java updates, if that OP was correct back in that Oracle thread. It just doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that would go unnoticed for that long.
As I tried to explain, installing a folder as part of a package you do agree to is not the same as installing an application that you don’t agree to.
I did some looking but I’m afraid it’s more memory than I’d prefer.
Also, this was a long time ago so practices may have changed.
AOL installed folders for things that “I might be interested in”.
Java SDK installed folders for class packages that I might want to install at some point.
I’m sure there were others but I’m coming up blank.
I did agree to install both AOL and Java SDK
I read (or more correctly, looked at) the TOS and checked the “agree” box.
Whether or not most people read and understand TOS agreements is a topic for another discussion.
As is how much people really pay attention to the checkboxes for things like “newsletter sign-up”, “install toolbar”, “make this my homepage”, “associate files with this application”, “make this my default browser”, “send my information to” etc. when their focus is on the main goal.
My personal feeling is that though I’m not keen on extra unused folders being created, I don’t find it that big of a problem.
But, if extra applications were installed I would be very annoyed.
Oh my goodness, I just lost a very long text block. Now I have to do it again. Too bad.
Okay, first of all I was thanking Mittineague for the response posted above.
Secondly, I was giving some information I finally had time to check on yesterday.
This matter first came to my attention from somebody else and I went back and asked if what I thought was correct was indeed correct, and it is. That person doing the posts at Oracle and McAfee is one of us in our military community and it would seem that he now has some of the university staff at the base interested in what is going on with that business he is asking about at Oracle and McAfee. Those two companies really ought not to be giving him the runaround like they have been, especially those people at McAfee.
The next thing I was trying to post was that I am going to try and replicate the event that has been explained in the discussions at those two companies, and if anyone here at SitePoint has the time and can replicate that event, could you please post here about that.
I think that is all I have time to post right now. Too bad I lost the full text of what I wrote earlier. Sorry about that. Of course, you don’t know what I lost, do you?