…Apple is a bad “Windows citizen” because they “sneakily” “forced” Safari 3.1 on unsuspecting Windows iTunes users. Apparently some of the whiny twats in the blogokleinbottle are up in arms that Apple offered up Safari 3.1 for Windows in the Software Update tool that gets installed with iTunes/QuickTime on Windows. My take: here’s a douche to wash the sand out of your achy achy vaginas.
First of all, while I admit that it was odd of Apple to offer up the Safari update to people who hadn’t previously installed it, they hardly “forced” it onto anyone. Software Update allows one to skip updates. And the argument that “anyone who just selects the defaults will be “forced” into installing Safari merely reinforces the time honored perception that Windows users are, in fact, mouth breathing morons.
Second, bitching that anyone is a “bad” Windows citizen is the rhetorical equivalent of arguing that one turd in a sea of shit is particularly stinky. Microsoft is a bad Windows citizen. And I’ll tell you, having Safari magically appear on my computer pales in comparison to the times I’ve come back from lunch to find that all my work has been killed by a Windows update (the first fucker who tells me how to disable that gets tazed in the genitals…I know how to disable it).
And lastly, it ain’t like Apple doesn’t offer up some weird shit via Software Update on the OS X side either. Just last night I downloaded a Camera RAW update…BUT I DON”T HAVE A CAMERA THAT SHOOTS RAW!!! FUCK YOU APPLE FOR WASTING MY PRECIOUS BANDWITH!!!
Seriously kids, every time that Apple, or hell Microsoft for that matter, does something that you do not approve of, it’s not the end of the world. Grow up, take a deep breath, and stop your gods awful whining; or, so help me, I’m taking off my belt.
We’ve never met, but I love you.
If Microsoft does it, so can we! Yay standards.
I love you.
Here here!!
True and hilarious! Thanks.
Bullshit, Angry Drunk. It IS the end of the world. Installing a whole new app that those poor Windows users didn’t even ask for deserves harsh criticism and some real world wide whining. If that didn’t happen, how would anything ever change? Boy, if you want to use your belt on anyone use it on Apple. And then on Microsoft. And then on Apple again, just for good measure.
Hans D: I am a Windows user. I didn’t ask for IE, nor do I have any use for it. And yet, years ago Microsoft bundled IE with Windows and didn’t give me a choice whether or not I wanted it. Did I like it? No. Did it pay off for them? Yes. Does anyone seem to care anymore? Doesn’t seem like it. At least in Apple’s case, they are giving users a choice whether they want it or not.
“one turd in a sea of shit” Genius! – I love you too Angry Drunk. You are my best mate. Give us a kiss.
safari is at least benign crapware – how can anyone get their feathers ruffled talking about unintended crapware on windows when most of it actually makes life difficult by taking up CPU cycles? That’s like bitching about there being too much air in the room. Safari just sits there, doing nothing, until you use it, and honestly, if you can say that about software on Windows, you’re actually in the upper echelon.
Best…post…ever…
Wait… so… if Microsoft does it, it’s okay?
We’ve started holding Apple to the standards established by Microsoft, not a high standard? Really?
Was Apple wrong? Perhaps. Justified? Absolutely.
Microsoft defined the rules of play for the Windows world, and Apple’s just playing by them. It’s just that now everyone has a reason to slap them down and make noise about how “bad” Apple is. At least Apple’s not slipping BAD software on people.
I say… fuck yeah, Apple. Fuck yeah.
What about the argument that MS has accustomed Windows users into thinking that being butt-fucked is an acceptable mode of IT interaction, and Apple’s best strategy is to contrast that? If Apple can make the point to Windows users that butt-fucking is not acceptable, because we can do business without butt-fucking you, then Windows becomes less acceptable.
If, however, Apple starts butt-fucking people, then the difference between the two products is harder to detect.
Of course, if it really just involves un-checking a “Software Update” box, then come on. They kind of butt-fucked themselves on that one. Which is an unpleasant image actually.
It’s embarrassing the double standard that goes on when evaluating the exact same behaviour coming from Apple vs. Microsoft. And I hate MIcrosoft and have used a Mac all my life, and it is plainly obvious to me that if Microsoft did the same thing on the Mac, ALL THE SAME PEOPLE would be taking the exact opposite position. Especially John ‘The Komissar’ Gruber.
Well, I suppose I should welcome all the traffic from Daring Fireball. I was going to write some long ass update explaining exactly how a good chunk of the comments so far have completely missed the point; but then I realized I had better things to do.
So, to everyone who got it, cheers. To those bitching, thanks for proving my point in the best possible way. Stay whiny, because gods know I have anger issues to work out.
Brilliant! In my eyes the post to end all posts about this pathetic issue.
Hello from a Daring Fireball reader and a new Angry Drunk subscriber.
L-O-V-E-L-Y!
Sorry dude, you’re just plain wrong. As an OS X user, I am accustomed to Apple’s software and appreciate it. To a Windows user, it is foreign and unknown. I think they’re categorically wrong to say that (for instance) Safari’s native font rendering is worse than Windows ClearType, but that’s moot; they still believe it, and so anything that forces something which they perceive to be inferior onto them will naturally provoke their ire.
And this is before we address the paragraph which Gruber quoted; that of Mac software being bad Windows citizens. If you were wrong about the first point, you’re doubly wrong here; in all the years of using Windows before I made the switch, only three pieces of software I can recall used nonstandard Windows UI elements for things like maximise/minimise/close. One was WinAmp, which used skins to theme those particular buttons. The other two were QuickTime and Safari. Everything else — including Microsoft’s floating turds — stuck to using the normal buttons.
Now, you’re right to say that there is indeed a stinking sea of putridness out there in Windows softwareland, but how exactly is it defensible to say that just because such a scenario exists Apple shouldn’t try to do things better? Like, say, they do on the Mac?
Right on target and lulz to boot? An internet to you, sir.
One particularly stinky turd in a sea of Shit….
Smells like a refreshing change to me.
And perhaps single-handedly, Apple makes the web so much better for everyone. I don’t use Windows thankfully, but I do hope it automatically becomes the default browser, especially when those Windows victims click on the “Internet on the desktop” IE icon.
Of course if they did, then we might have cause for complaint. Otherwise, who cares.
Isn’t there a legal findings of fact still on the U.S. books which says that Microsoft is being a monopolist by bundling MSIE?
It’s practically Apple’s civic duty to shove Safari up Americans’ noses.
I’m a little disappointed that no one so far told this dufus how to turn off Windows Update.
I slightly enjoyed the egotistical trip into complaining that other people don’t have a right to complain. Followed by a completely predictable claim in the comments that Angry Drunk has “better things to do”. Like be angry and get drunk, obviously.
More like wanking issues to work out.
Step, what, you thought “The Angry Drunk” was a play on words?
sometimes, you just need to consider you are wrong and/or missed the objective.
Wow, I’m amazed to see how flustered people (and when I say people I don’t just mean the poor unfortunate windows users) are getting over this issue.
I have to work on both platform for my work and adding Safari to windows, just make testing one stage longer!
One slight point that I’d like to bring up is this: TURN OFF AUTOMATIC UPDATES!!!
This is for both Apple and Windows users. If you are that pissy about being “forced” (don’t even get me started on that little gem!) to install these updates then just turn them off. Not to mention the fact that the Windows Automatic Update system is one of the biggest security holes I have ever seen!
If you don’t want crap on your system, then maintain your system better. Check for updates yourself rather than relying on your computer to do it for you. Really its easy!
Finally if you feel I am wrong, or if you are offended by any of my comments then please keep it to yourself, go shout at pigeons or anything but tell me.
A shame the world expects the sad Windows sheeple to know how to unclick a BOX to keep from installing what they do not want. Apparently, since the updater wasn’t written in LOLcat, it was too difficult to understand?
I’ve never read this site before, but now I have, I can only conclude that the author is a cuntingmonkey.
Actually, the forced Safari thing didn’t bother me as I could just uncheck it. The thing that *did* bother me was the fact that I couldn’t update Quicktime without installing iTunes as well. I’m surprised more people haven’t complained about that one.
Dude, Apple’s Updater is an annoying-ass piece of shit nagware that isn’t going to do this just once, it’s goin to do it every single time they patch that complete turd iTunes.
But when it comes down to it, I suppose I don’t give a fuck either, because anyone fucking deluded enough to install iTunes on a perfectly good Windows machine deserves what they get.
Thank god YouTube has pretty much nuked QuickTime on the web so I don’t have to install that piece of crap either anymore.
I’m more upset about the iTunes update completely crashing my laptop and having to spend about two hours fixing it a few months back. Haven’t tried to update it since.
Thank you for this post.
I’ve only just come across your blog – and I’m subscribing to it right away.
Keep it up!
Mactards: guess what, two wrongs do not make a right. Isn’t the all-righteous Apple supposed to do things differently?! Then why the heck is it mimicking the “evil Microsoft”?
And by the way, what I did with the bloated crapwares that are iTunes and Quicktime was I put them on a virtual machine so not to pollute my PC. If ever I want to, I can nuke that shit by simply deleting the virtual machine.
New applications != Updates
That being said, if you’re enough of an idiot to pay $1/song and use iTunes you’re not that bright anyways
I use Quicktime. I do not use iTunes. iTunes is garbage. I do not use an iPod and therefore do not need it. I can organize my music perfectly well without it. I do not need the album covers. I do not need all the extra crap iTunes tries to do and thinks I want. I just need Quicktime. I’ve got a perfectly If I wanted other software, I would find it and get it. Do not bundle extra crap that I do not need! Bundling iTunes and Safari with a quicktime install is like going to the store to buy a bottle of mustard and being forced to take home a 5 pound chunk of olive loaf meat and if you don’t remove the tiny little sticker on the bottom that you didn’t see, they deliver a 10 foot long loaf of jalapeno cheddar bread. If you are buying mustard, you must be making a sandwich and the company that makes that mustard also makes the olive loaf and jalapeno bread. Everyone who uses that brand thinks that those are the best ingredients for a sandwich and therefore you should be grateful that they gave them to you without you having to ask. If you are downloading Quicktime, you must be browsing for media content on the internet and Apple’s music player and browser are the best things to go with Quicktime. You should be grateful that they gave them to you without you having to ask.
Actually, iTunes is pretty good. I love the free iTunes U lectures, I’ve found at least 2 courses which directly help my studies at my my local university. But I prefer to play video in VLC.