I keep getting the update notice, and I want to decline. I love open office, but I teach Computer Science and specifically MS Office 2007. I think it’s terrible that a plugin that I need, like Java, will not give me the option to deceline and not be reminded again. I can only close it or install later. This is annoying. SHAME ON JAVA. I appluad Open Office for thier competition to Microsoft, but this is a bad, ugly tactic.

Colleen, I just updated yesterday, and I was not forced anywhere to use Open Office. The option IS there to update Java without adding Open Office. Try again, you might have been hasty in your clicking.

I refused the update, assuming it was a fraud, then googled my way here. Even if it’s legit it looks like spam — OpenOffice is free, so a “get OpenOffice FREE!” advertisement looks like a sucker-lure.

Erik, it becomes clear in the next screen shown when you click, but I do understand that many will not go past, fearing that doing so is implicit assent to the download.

Bottom line is there is no problem with Sun getting the word out on Open Office and offering an option to install it and other items. It is good to see quality competition to Microsoft, but unfortunately Java updates CAN NOT be trusted, they are filled with EVIL. I have no problem with offering me a chance to download a product I was NOT looking for while getting an unrelated update, but as soon as it is “PRE-CHECKED”, obviously hoping I will miss that and get “TRICKED” in to installing it, it gives itself away as being an EVIL product, and the company which uses this DECEITFUL way of getting software installed has now blown any trust one might have had in it, and can no longer be considered a “moral” and quality company.

With that said it is VERY important that EVERYONE thoughout out the entire computing world refuse to go along with it and at every opportunity, in casual conversation, in print and broadcast media at all times continue to label the practice as EVIL and help educate people to look out for it and avoid it etc. They also need to send e-mail, make phone calls etc to their respective government reps to make such deceitful and EVIL practices illegal etc. They need to demand that Sun, and Adobe stop doing it, and we need some lawyers to start a class action suit to make these company’s pay for all the “tech time” I and my fellow IT support personnel have to spend getting rid of these unwanted evil applications.

PS… For stopping Java auto updates, go to control panel and open the Java config option and un-check the look for updates option to keep from being bugged to update all the time.

Good Luck and don’t forget to start “Raising Stink” about this EVIL.

Ralph

I also thought it was a scam and ignored it.

Ralph, while I agree caution is a good thing, why did you not check where 1 more step took you, after all, there is a ‘more information’ link, and that would have explained what you could do to not have OO downloaded. Paranoia is not good, it takes caution too far, and deprives us of good things.

Also, everyone dumps on Java, and yet doesn’t realize what it accomplishes, that, for now, nothing else can. What would you like your other choice to be ActiveX?

E_James, see my advice to Ralph.

BTW, thanks for stopping by.

When I first saw this I thought it was nastyware masquerading as a Java update somehow. I think this is actually BAD for openoffice. On today’s internet, somebody pushing you to get some great thing for free usually means they are trying to gain from you in some way, and usually that means spyware, adware or some other kind of trojan. Lots of us have heard of and used OpenOffice, but people who haven’t will now associate it with this invasive ad of Sun’s.

This development also marks the use of an auto-update system as an advertising media. This is BAD. It completely bypasses the user’s choice of when to see ads on their computer. Normally ad appearance is limited to when a user is browsing web sites that use advertising for support. If this catches on, ads will come up anytime certain companies want them to, on top of anything the user might be doing. Myself, I was working on a 3D model, and all of a sudden, *POP* “Hey did you know about OpenOffice?? Get it now for FREE!!” Can you guys imagine how bad this can get if other companies jump on this bandwagon? How many auto-update programs do you all have running right now? Each and every one of those is capable of auto-updating itself to include little ads with their notices. Once they do, my guess is half of the “updates” you get will be a new ad for the updater program. Not long after that, someone figures out a way to have rich content involved in the update process, and it’s back to manual when-I-feel-like-it updates for me.

Some relevant links from searching Sun reveal that they are planning capability for more extensive advertising in the future. They have reworked their patch system to allow easy XML-based customization of the advertisement text in the popup bubble.

Here’s an excerpt from a Sun document detailing the change requests leading to the addition of the ad. This is from “BugID 6595901″, linked below:
“Only some of the java update bubble/dialogs text is configurable through the xml file. We’ll need to be changing these strings dynamically in the future, to promote products like OpenOffice, etc.”

General release notes page:
http://java.sun.com/javase/6/webnotes/ReleaseNotes.html

“BugID 6595064″ which requests the advertising functionality be added.
http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=6595064

“BugID 6595901″ which requests that popup text be more configurable and specifically mentions the OpenOffice ad, and an ominous “etc.”
http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=6595901

Thanks Ralph I have turned off the autoupdates on my machine. I will go get an update if I need an update. I hate Patchvertising! It should be banned!

Dustin, you may not like it, but it is not malicious. Advertising this way can allow users who would otherwise not think to install Open Office on their machines, and if they don’t wish to keep it, they don’t have to - much nicer than many other things advertised as free, only to find they make removal a problem for all but the most skilled.

Sorry, but this is a really, really bad thing. I cuold ALMOST accept it it popped up offering me free open office along with a ‘don’t bother me again’ button.

The problem is one of setting a precedent - my toolbar area is NOT the personal advertising space of SUN. If sun get away with it, whats to stop the other 10 icons in my toolbar spamming me at regular occurences with whatever takes their fancy.

Sun claim “Sun Microsystems does not bundle adware or spyware programs with any of its software. ” which is clearly false. If this isn’t adware then what is?

Sun are taking a liberty, I think that the AV and malware writers should tag it as adware until sun repent.

Richard, I think you’re getting way too worked up over a choice in an icon, After all, it doesn’t stay there if you answer the question - or decide to not upgrade the Java revision. Still, if it makes you so troubled, give a call to Sun. (They’re in the book!)

Oracle, I’m sure noone thought it was too much of a problem when the first unsolicited email advertisements first started arriving either.

I didn’t opt in to any java advertising from java. I take care of hundreds of desktops, so maybe I feel and see this a little more acutely than you.

I think you guys are cutting this far too much slack as you see openoffice as a noble and worthwhile product.

Whee you logon to what used to be ‘your’ desktop in a few years time, and mcafee pops up to offer you cheap medical insurance, realplayer tries to sell you an lcd tv, and adobe offers you a ski holiday, I think you will wonder why you ever defended the practise.

Maybe I am just a pessimist though? :)

Richard - I take care of 10’s of desktops, so you’re right about workload - BUT - I have yet to see any mail on any of them. Perhaps your domain is being targeted. It is possible - AGAIN - if it truly is this much of a problem, I understand your ire, and I would definitely write a letter.

Sorry I wan’t clear, I was making a comparison to the early days of spam, when it wasn’t quite the major problem it is nowadays. I have not recieved any email from sun.

Maybe I am overreacting to this - I do have a general distaste for intrusive advertising. It will certainly be interesting to see where Sun go with this, as I am certain they must have had some very negative feedback over it.

I think this advertising campaign is really bad. I cannot choose not to use java, it’s like a driver nowadays. Imagine a gfx driver offering me crap. Also, “gettting the word out there” about noble open office is not a noble cause. I for example find that open office is one of the worst open source alternatives for anything out there. Why would they need this invasive ad campaign?
So I think patchvertising is evil. And I think the fact that open office is ‘free’ already and really not better than word makes it worse. And the fact that there is no ‘leave me alone’ button or ‘install patch without open office’ makes it worse. somehow an open office copy, 120MB (on limited download per month!) ended up on my harddrive…

On a side note, people seem to be much more acceptable because they’re advertising for an open source produce (a competitor of evil monopolist microsoft). I think that that their view is washed blurry by a bias towards the open source community. Imagine microsoft offering vista along with a secruity patch for their browser, which doesnt make it obvious that you can get the patch ‘without trying’ out the new os.

Anton, I usually like to be charitable to folks that post here, as I appreciate the time they take to read my stuff, and know that interaction is a good thing for all concerned - but - you clearly are not paying attention when you get the update message. There is indeed an easy way to avoid downloading Open Office. The fact that you cannot tell makes me wonder how much you are qualified to judge Open Office’ fitness to a purpose. Also, there is the FREE versus $300 dollar pricing difference.

Open Office does not do all that MS Office does - it has not been in development nearly as long, or by nearly as many people, or funded with nearly as many dollars.