Computer downloads fix

We all like to have things taken care of for us. Why spend your time on tiresome administrative tasks such as backups and installing updates to software if your PC can do it for you automatically?

I've argued before that since every PC should be backed up regularly, a good operating system should have backup capabilities built in and do regular backups unless you tell it not to. The idea of having my anti-virus software check at intervals for new virus definitions makes a lot of sense too.

So going a step further, if there's a patch out there for my OS or an application, maybe I want that downloaded and installed automatically--or do I?

Service Pack 3 for Windows 2000 and Service Pack 1 for Windows XP both contain the licensing agreements requiring the user to "agree that Microsoft may automatically check the version of the OS Product and/or its components ... and may provide upgrades or fixes to the OS Product that will be automatically downloaded to your computer."

Microsoft wants you to agree that it may make changes to your operating system whenever it likes. There's an argument for this being a good thing. Many people, and I'm one of the guilty ones, never get around to installing service packs. This means the bugs those service packs are meant to fix don't get fixed.

However, there are problems. For one, when I upgrade my computer's OS, I make sure I do backups immediately beforehand, and I don't mess with the system when I have deadlines looming. The idea of a software vendor changing something on my system whenever it happens to feel like it, without consulting me, makes me nervous. Second, in organizations, it is usually desirable to track the exact configuration of systems--for instance, what version of software is running where and with what updates installed. Software that updates itself without asking permission could cause problems with this.

Lastly, while the argument that security patches and the like should be downloaded automatically seems reasonable, the licence terms leave the door open to downloading other things too. What if a software vendor chose to download some application or tool that set itself up as the default in place of what's already on your system?

There are no reports of Microsoft doing it, but there are reports of others doing exactly this. For instance, there is reportedly a search tool out there that, when downloaded, replaces the default search bar in Internet Explorer.

The maker of this particular tool is among several doing what some people are now calling "drive-by downloads."

Knowing there are sleazy practices like drive-by downloads out there, one can't help but be a bit suspicious when software does things without explaining itself. Microsoft's licence terms may be aimed at getting valuable patches installed on more systems--a laudable goal--but software designers must remember that personal computers are still personal.

Grant Buckler is a Kingston, Ont.-based freelance writer. gbuckler@cogeco.ca