I have absolutely no problem with software installing update checkers. Adobe, Apple, M$...fine...not a problem. Mostly, because if they annoy the heck out of me, I'll disable them.

Well the other day they released a Google Earth plugin (http://code.google.com/apis/earth/) for the Mac...cool! I installed...and since then have been getting dialogue boxes from "Google Software Update" telling me that there's an update for Google Talk to install....a service I don't use.

My issue is that 1) there's no way to say "never ask me to install anything related to Google Talk again" and 2) there's no way to say "Don't check for updates for me, I'll do this manually"...an option I usually set updaters that annoy the heck out of me too.

In the end I had to go onto the web and find....

1. This - http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/12/google-software.html

2. That Google appear to be breaching their own principles - http://www.google.com/corporate/software_principles.html