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A Guide to What Gets Installed by Google Desktop Mac

daringfireball.net — Google Desktop is a slick, easy-to-use piece of software, but it lacks anything like the Show Files feature of Apple’s installer. There’s no way to tell what files it’s going to install, or where. This matters with Google Desktop, because there are a lot of files, and they’re installed into some interesting — if not suspicious — locations.

Who dugg this? Made popular Apr 4, 2007

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  • wonderchemist, on 10/12/2007, -3/+21So the first OS X spyware is from Google?
  • adc89, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16Just don't bother installing it.
  • binarybandit92, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12that was evil
  • caldaean, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12The user of inputmanagers is bad. This also means that when Leopard arrives, Google Desktop will not work. So, one better not get use to it.
  • bigpappasmurf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11I don't see the point of this Google Desktop for the mac. Finder and quicksilver can do everything that Google Desktop can do, and its built in.
  • koregaonpark, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Looks like Google Desktop uses a system-wide InputManager hack. That's never a good thing. The only I.M. I have installed is Inquisitor.
  • rcran, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I agree.
  • estvir, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Poor Google, it's getting no love from Tiger or Vista.
  • dgblackout, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8wrong, imputmanagers only make a dialogue box pop up asking if you'd like to install them.
  • Legolover64, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7No thanks.

    I'm all Quicksilver, baby.
  • JimV, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"I won’t install software like this on my main machine without knowing everything that’s going to be installed."

    I wonder where the author of this article buys his tinfoil hats.
  • Rageous, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Stupid of Google, really... since InputManager has been removed from all subsequent releases of OS X starting with Leopard.
  • notfred, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6The Apple Installer.app has a "show files" feature? Dugg for learning something useful - (which I don't really think Google search is - on the mac. On Windows XP it's invaluable)
  • northernmunky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Its actually giving me flashbacks of when I was still a windows user. I feel like I've got spyware on my laptop.

    It looks tacky. It scares me. I've deleted it.
  • hobbitaussie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I think the input manager could be so they can have GDesktop be called when you press "CMD-CMD" anywhere in the system.
  • adc86, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Yeah, kinda fishy. Absolute power corrupts absolutely; in other words, you just don't get that big without getting at least a little evil on you.
  • erictheninja, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I ran the uninstaller after using Google Desktop for about 20 minutes or so. After verifying all the files that get installed according to the post, the only thing that didn't get deleted was /Library/Application Support/Google/mod. All the files were removed, but the created folders weren't.
  • deadsenator, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@northernmunkey

    Are you *sure* you deleted it??? It would be wise to check again.
  • jdandrea, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2As I understand it, apps aren't contractually obligated to use the Mac Installer GUI. Indeed, if I look in /Library/Receipts I see GoogleDesktop.pkg and GoogleModLoader.pkg - evidence of a standard install behind the scenes. Uninstall is also possible, natch.

    Inside each receipt lies an Archive.bom (Bill of Materials) file that reveals every file that gets installed, down to the owner and permissions (use an app like Pacifst or the Apple-supplied lsbom to view).

    Fun trivia: Receipts and - more specifically - BOMs help inform MacOS file permission/ownership repair.

    (JG has been advised and the post has been updated. Yay!)
  • christianw, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21) open quicksilver preferences

    2) click on command on the left side

    3) on the command window check "Modifier-only Activation"

    4) select "Double" from the drop down to the right of "Modifier-only Activation"

    5) select "Command" from the drop down next to "Double"



    there, quicksilver now acts like google desktop and you didnt have to install anything other than quicksilver
  • dt40, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The advantage of the Google software is surely that they can look at your data and do interesting and useful things with it for you. Oh, and maybe they will do a little data mining on the side, just so that they can provide you with a better exerience.

    (With tongue firmly in cheek)
  • mikeazorin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Not quite, it's just coded by someone who doesn't understand how OS X is supposed to work.
  • miniboss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I installed it then uninstalled it after 20 minutes. I love trying Google products, but for Macs then "yet another app to get files easier" is a bit redundant. It does look cool and i like the Command+Command activation. I wish i could make that my quicksilver or virtue shortcut.
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Input Managers aren't essentially bad if user is notified about installation, they have built in sanity checks and clever to disable themselves when OS updated or safe boot enabled.

    Also one click easy uninstall/disable is a must.

    The Unsanity , a little shareware company does all these things, why wouldn't Google?
  • Johnny2085, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The only thing that seems to be different and that people mention is the cmd-cmd way to invoke. I'm sure there are less obtrusive ways to map cmd-cmd to your Quicksilver or Spotlight. And since it didn't turn off spotlight indexing, you're only gaining processes and memory consumption at the benefit of a slightly different way to search your Mac.
  • fkr3, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Why would anyone get used to it anyway? The other story about it has a definite slant towards Spotlight.
  • bradwilki, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't get it. Is it worth getting or should I live with Quicksilver and Spotlight? Some threads say it's good, some say it's bad...and with this uninstalling buisness is it woth the hassle? Decisions..
  • jdogg707, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Pray you never have to try and uninstall it, getting rid of all those files might turn out pretty tedious.
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@jarland it is Daring Fireball, that blog is run by John Gruber for all these years and believe me, it is not a random guy posting paranoid stuff or hates end user applications.

    That is the one blog which is surely read by everyone, developers and end users. They may agree or not but still it has own respect.

    An example, the Smart Crash reports issue (which is not like this) were immediately taken down, corrected based on the article and re-posted as new version in 24 hours or so. It was basically "Why user isn't asked before installation". Nothing like this.
  • iAlex, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Now Google can see all your information on your computer besides what you search, aren't you afraid?
    I suggest stop using Google!
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You can even get Pacifist from URL below and see/verify your installations as they were recorded on Receipts directory. BTW that is one reason why nobody should delete those tiny receipt packages for "disk cleaning". There is no point, even thousands of files receipt is merely 4.5 MB. That is the OS X update combo 10.4.9 monster for you.

    http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/12743 (Pacifist)
  • ilgaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It is not essentially "spyware" but I would never install it. I don't "love" Google, first thing I do on a new browser is switching the search engine from Google but I wouldn't blame Google for distributing spyware. That would be baseless and it could end Google as we know.

    There has been a single attempt on OS X spyware from a very popular title/company and thanks to us, paranoids running application filtering firewalls immediately figuring it and posting to public forums, it was removed as "mistake" from next build.

    Not giving name, I am tired of them and their fans who shoots messenger instead of listening or thanking.

  • TheMacThinker, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2This really stinks. Why is Google so shady about their installer? Is google trying to fish users and beyond the internet to own your computers information?
    EVERYONE PLEASE BE CAREFUL ABOUT GOOGLE DESKTOP SEARCH FOR MAC.
  • vbagate, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1I must say I do love the double tap apple button to brong it up
  • tabledesk, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3I tend to think I'm helping the civilized world by giving information to Google. What a killer reputation Google has.

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