Apple Software Update saga, Episode II: The Continuing Menace

Just an update...

Apple Software Update woke me up this morning. I have a computer with three monitors in my bedroom (actually five, but two are usually powered off) and this morning when Apple Software Update popped up to inform me of an iTunes update (my guess is they added an extra comma or space to the license agreement somewhere, forcing yet another 70MB
half-a-gigabyte download) it awakened my sleeping monitors, in all of their blaring-white-light glory, awakening me as a result. Since I have been having an extremely hard time sleeping lately, this is extremely annoying. I only got 4 hours of sleep and I can't get back to sleep. My left ear is ringing (that's what happens when I'm sleep-deprived, go figure) and I'm getting a migraine because of it.

Why does it need to awaken my monitors? And better yet, why are they kept on as long as the ASU software is running? Is that really necessary? How much power is being wasted in the world because people's computer monitors are coming and staying on needlessly? And are other people are being awaken by ASU popping up to notify them of unnecessary Apple software updates?

And while I'm at it, why won't QuickTime keep monitors turned on when playing video? Every time I watch a video longer than 10 minutes (like television program episodes, say from iTunes?) in QuickTime I have to keep moving the mouse or pressing a key on the keyboard so the monitors don't shut off. But Apple Software Update [turns/] keeps them on. This seems backwards. (Most other media players are smart enough to handle monitor power properly, why won't QuickTime?)

And what's with putting the iTunes and QuickTime icons back on my desktop and Quick Launch bar with every update with nary an option to prevent this? I don't want them there, so I deleted them. And deleted them again. And again, and again, and again. And I've moved the iTunes/QuickTime Start Menu shortcuts into more appropriate subfolders. And new ones keep appearing, and appearing, and appearing. Apple, if you're doing an update, please don't create new shortcuts! Your users have already setup their computers the way they like, and they probably don't want to have that configuration mucked with. I don't know of any other "updaters" that do that. Very aggravating.

On a vaguely related note, my Mac won't turn off its monitor, despite the fact that the System Preference says to after 10 minutes. It just stays on all of the time. And it also just started dropping its WiFi network connection. Puzzling.

Apple Software Update must die!

Two weeks ago Apple Software Update prompted me to install Safari (Apple's web browser) on my computers. That was pretty sleazy of them, because I didn't already have Safari on the computers. I didn't want it (I already have Opera, Firefox, and Internet Explorer on my computers, I really don't need another browser!) so I unchecked it and proceeded with the other updates in the list. Deceitful and annoying once, but not infuriating.

But it has been raised from annoying to infuriating today. ASU is now prompting me again to install Safari on all seven of my computers. I said I don't want it two weeks ago, why would I want it now?

This method of software distribution is identical to one of ones used by virus and spyware writers. Click one wrong button, and your computer is infected with software you don't want. But this is worse. Because it comes back later and tries again! Yes, I know there is a way to tell the updater to ignore a product (it's terribly designed, BTW), but you know it is going to come back again. It already has on at least two of my computers.

I didn't ask for Safari, I don't like Safari, I don't want Safari, I already told it once that I don't want Safari, so stop freaking trying to install it! Apple, you are really getting on my nerves with your arrogant attitude that everybody wants all of your products. There are a lot of people left in this world that don't, so stop trying to force them on us! If you absolutely must use your updater to try to push out a new product: (1) please don't do it in the first place, (2) It needs to not be turned on by default, (3) If someone elects to not install it their preference should be honored, and (4) just don't do it!

And while I'm on the subject, why do I have to download 70MB every two weeks for an iTunes update? Why can't the updater be smart enough to only download the parts of the program that have changed? Why does it have to be updated every two weeks (or more often)? I have like 7 computers so every two weeks I have to approve and download like a half a gigabyte just to keep the updater from nagging me.

I guess since I very rarely use iTunes I should just try to uninstall it and stop having to worry about choking my internet connection with unnecessary updates. (I say 'try' because it leaves traces of things behind even after uninstalling, but I know how to get rid of those.) And while I'm at it I guess I'll have to remove QuickTime too, because whenever you have QuickTime installed, Apple Software Update will prompt to install iTunes regularly too.

Between this and the generally poor job that Apple does of writing Windows software, I think I'm about ready to have a "no Apple software on my PCs" policy. Apple products on Macs are fine, but they've proven time and time again that they don't really understand the way to write stable Windows software, or the way that non-Mac folks think.