Oracle will continue to bundle ‘crapware’ with Java

From the Computerworld article:

Oracle will not stop bundling what critics describe as “crapware” and “foistware” with its Java installer anytime soon, a company representative intimated last week.

Currently, the Java installer for Windows includes an offer for the Ask.com browser toolbar. Unless users explicitly uncheck a box on the Java installation screen — in other words, opt out — the toolbar automatically downloads and installs, and the browser’s default search engine changes to Ask.com.

Long-time Windows blogger Ed Bott of ZDNet found that the Ask.com toolbar was not immediately installed, but waited 10 minutes after Java finished to kick in. “I’ve never seen a legitimate program with an installer that behaves this way,” said Bott, who speculated that the technique was an attempt to hide the toolbar’s installation from technically-astute users.

Author: Ben Slade

I'm a software technologist with a political bent. My views tend toward the contrarian and slightly curmudgeonly end of the spectrum.

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