Kevin Dente's Blog

The Blip in the Noise
Can we stop with the "Change my homepage" crap please?

I finally got around to installing the latest beta of Windows Live Writer, my favorite blogging tool. As part of the install, it displays the following dialog:

LiveWriterInstall

 

I can't believe that in this day and age, applications still want to change my home page.  The checkbox was checked by default, by the way - I unchecked it before I took the screenshot.

Published Tuesday, August 21, 2007 2:23 PM by kevindente

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Comments

# re: Can we stop with the "Change my homepage" crap please?@ Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:13 PM

Now image you're a user which usually clicks Next, Next, Yes, Ok, Install, etc.. without reading anything.

Must be one hell of an experience to randomly have your start page changed once every so often due to programs wanting to reset it :)

Battle for visitors to get advertising profits I guess, I've come to develop an automatic reflection to uncheck most things I encounter without thinking ;)

CumpsD

# re: Can we stop with the "Change my homepage" crap please?@ Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:20 PM

I agree. I'm completely over the fight for my homepage. Who actually thinks that a user would want to change their homepage because an installer suggests it. Ok, so maybe the option is trying to be nice or helpful, but checked by default is rude.

Rory Primrose

# re: Can we stop with the "Change my homepage" crap please?@ Wednesday, August 22, 2007 12:21 AM

really very very rude. I unchecked it when I installed the Live writer, But 3 of my friends did not and hence had there home page changed. Not so nice user Experience I should Say. Also the fact that it installs the Live tool bar by default. I am totally against it

Vikram

# re: Can we stop with the "Change my homepage" crap please?@ Wednesday, August 29, 2007 3:44 PM

Personally, I hate that just as much as the d*mn toolbars that seem to be included in almost any install these days.

Gabri

# Can we stop with the "Change my homepage" crap please?@ Wednesday, November 28, 2007 12:54 AM

Pingback from  Can we stop with the "Change my homepage" crap please?

Can we stop with the "Change my homepage" crap please?

# re: Can we stop with the "Change my homepage" crap please?@ Friday, December 21, 2007 11:48 PM

Would you like to change your default browser too?

Vadim P.

# re: Can we stop with the "Change my homepage" crap please?@ Tuesday, February 05, 2008 11:31 AM

That's not the worst of it.  Why does Windows Live Messenger come bundled with toolbars and Rhapsody of all things?  Microsoft is supposed to be the one against the clutter of the desktop that comes bundled with all these installers.  Why are they doing the same thing?

Andre de Cavaignac

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