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wataru · Sep 18, 2009, 07:00 AM

Just a warning to people out there who like to keep up with Flip4Mac releases:

The latest beta (2.3.0.11-BETA) of Flip4Mac, the official WMV components for OS X QuickTime, has Silverlight bundled in the installer and set to install by default. You have to customize your install and disable Silverlight in order to prevent it from being installed. The only mention of this is brief and easy to miss (on the user agreement screen).

If you aren't interested in Silverlight, pay attention when installing Flip4Mac from now on! And leave some feedback if you take issue with this approach to sneaking Silverlight on users' machines.

angelmb · Sep 18, 2009, 08:54 AM

Thank you so much for the heads up.

64stang06 · Sep 18, 2009, 02:31 PM

While I have no issues with Silverlight on my machine, I agree that this is a shady move. Unless the viewer absolutely needs it installed, it should still be an option.

The Final Dakar · Sep 18, 2009, 02:33 PM

It's shady. No doubt MS cut them some type of deal to bundle this.

For me, however, Silverlight is less offensive than flash, though perhaps that just due to how widespread the latter is.

slugslugslug · Sep 18, 2009, 04:02 PM

^ MS owns Flip4Mac

The Final Dakar · Sep 18, 2009, 04:05 PM

I didn't know that. Why the distinction?

seanc · Sep 18, 2009, 04:38 PM

Well I need Silverlight for viewing TV catch ups on ITV, so it doesn't bother me, seems quite like Apple popping Safari in Software Update on Windows PCs when all you had previously was iTunes and Quicktime.

Curiosity · Sep 19, 2009, 01:59 AM

What is wrong with Silverlight? Does it spy on you or do something nasty?

TETENAL · Sep 19, 2009, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by slugslugslug

^ MS owns Flip4Mac

No, they don't. But they seem to have made an agreement with Telestream, the creator of Flip4Mac, to distribute the free player version.

slugslugslug · Sep 19, 2009, 02:12 PM

Weird, I could swear I remember hearing that Microsoft bought them, but I guess I remembered wrong. Oops.

wataru · Sep 23, 2009, 02:23 AM

Originally Posted by seanc

Well I need Silverlight for viewing TV catch ups on ITV, so it doesn't bother me, seems quite like Apple popping Safari in Software Update on Windows PCs when all you had previously was iTunes and Quicktime.

That's great, but if I want to watch something that requires Silverlight then I'll download and install Silverlight.

Yes, Apple has also done similarly shady things; does that mean we should give MS a pass this time?

slugslugslug · Sep 23, 2009, 09:52 AM

^What he said. It actually bothered me when Apple tried to sneak Safari into updates of the Windows versions of iTunes/QT. And I didn't use Windows at the time. And now that I use it at work, I've put Safari on it. But I chose to do so.

I actually installed Silverlight on my MacBook for reasons I can't even recall now (I don't have a Netflix membership atm), and its presence doesn't bother me. But that's because I put it there.

P · Sep 23, 2009, 11:16 AM

I guess the lesson is to never ever accept default installations without looking. Everyone sneaks other stuff in, just get used to it.

rdump · Oct 23, 2009, 02:01 PM

The Flip4Mac 2.3.0.14 installer refers to Silverlight's license during the install (during the usual Installer license splash).

A custom install showed a Silverlight option. However, the checkbox is unchecked on my laptop. Even better, the checkbox is disabled so it can't be turned on. This of course says nothing about whether Silverlight will be slammed onto the machine anyway. It's easy to get the state wrong for a disabled control (BTDT).

After finishing the install with the checkbox disabled, I discovered I'd been given only /Library/QuickTime/Flip4Mac WMV Export.component/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Silverlight/Templates/*/Silverlight.js Looks like no slamming occured.

Art Vandelay · Oct 23, 2009, 02:04 PM

Do you have a PowerPC Mac? If yes, that's why you didn't get it. It's Intel only.

64stang06 · Oct 23, 2009, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by rdump

The Flip4Mac 2.3.0.14 installer refers to Silverlight's license during the install (during the usual Installer license splash).

A custom install showed a Silverlight option. However, the checkbox is unchecked on my laptop. Even better, the checkbox is disabled so it can't be turned on. This of course says nothing about whether Silverlight will be slammed onto the machine anyway. It's easy to get the state wrong for a disabled control (BTDT).

After finishing the install with the checkbox disabled, I discovered I'd been given only /Library/QuickTime/Flip4Mac WMV Export.component/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Silverlight/Templates/*/Silverlight.js Looks like no slamming occured.

Yes but the beta versions didn't, and that's what was upsetting. It's nice to see they actually mention it during the installer.