Google open-sources Update software

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 14 Apr 2009 at 09:54

Google has open-sourced its update software in a bid to placate privacy advocates concerned about the information it beams back.

Update is installed along with any other Google software, including Chrome, Gears or Earth and automatically updates the software in the background.

The software, while useful, has drawn the ire of privacy advocates due to the fact that it beams system information back to Google and can't be uninstalled or indeed turned off, without first uninstalling every piece of Google software.

Acknowleding these concerns, Google has released the Google Update source code under the an Apache 2.0 open-source license, in a project dubbed Omaha.

"Since Google Update is always running on your system, there's no simple way to stop it, and since it's a fundamental part of the Google software that needs it, it's not explicitly installed. Some users can be surprised to find this program running, and at Google, we don't like disappointing our users," the company notes on its blog.

"We've been working hard to address these concerns, and releasing the source code for Omaha is our attempt to make the purpose of Google Update totally transparent. Obviously, we understand that not everyone is both willing and able to read through our code, but we hope that those of you who do will confirm for the rest that Google Update's functionality serves well to keep your software up to date."

Google also admits it's hoping that by releasing the source code, others will employ it in their own apps: "Keeping software up-to-date is hard. So if you're thinking of developing your own auto-updater, or have already started, we hope that the code we are releasing today will be helpful to you."