# Google has nothing better to do on a Saturday night than change Chrome around **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 30, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249 "2011-10-30T02:56:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/1 "2011-10-30T02:56:58Z")
I just accidentally rebooted my laptop (yeah, I haven’t got the hang of it yet) & then restarted Google Chrome assuming I could just open “New Tab” & get back my last session. And discovered that Google has nothing better to do on a Saturday night than change Chrome around. Again. The New Tab page is gone different, and I have to learn a new interface. [checks again] OK, it’s not so bad. I can still open clumps of multiple tabs, & I now have eight choices of recently closed tabs/clumps. Still, I’m not nuts about the constant updating without warning. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/2 "2011-10-30T08:53:23Z")
Yeah, I hate it when people change free stuff without asking me. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/3 "2011-10-30T12:43:38Z")
Yeah, you did notice the “you may never complain about this software anywhere, ever” stipulation in the licensing agreement, right? Or the one stipulating that if you do complain, you may be subjected to a tired, knee-jerk “whattaya EXPECT for free?” retort from volunteer Google toadies? You’ve really no one to blame but yourself. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/4 "2011-10-30T13:45:21Z")
Is there no way to opt out of automatic updates? ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/5 "2011-10-30T14:08:45Z")
This irritated me too. They moved recently closed tabs to a menu, requiring an extra click. It’s not like they needed the screen space, the space it previously occupied is now empty. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/6 "2011-10-30T14:12:19Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Is there no way to opt out of automatic updates? That would be my question. My first reaction to the thread title was “no one made you click on ‘update’”, but I see that wasn’t the case. If you can’t turn off automatic updates, my instincts (as a computer guy) would be to delete the program. Too much of a risk if something can just change itself around and install shit without my permission. ---
**Author:** ![badlyburnttoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@badlyburnttoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badlyburnttoast)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/7 "2011-10-30T14:36:45Z")
Automatic updates are enabled by default with the reasoning that many of the virus scares/software exploits/etc have been patched before they became a big deal… but people just don’t update so it’s a huge mess for everyone anyway. By automatically updating, chrome avoids that. I, too, am sometimes annoyed by it automatically updating… but personally I feel it’s worth it. People obviously can’t be trusted to update their own damn software - hell you’ve still got maybe 10% - 15% of internet users using IE6 (which is 10 years old at this point). But… if you really, really want to shut it off, type about:plugins into the address bar and disable google update, it should no longer automatically update it’s self Edit: hmmm… stupid smilies, that about : plugins without the spaces. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/8 "2011-10-30T15:31:02Z")
You mean - type about:plugins ? @VT: Yeah, actually I’m on a retainer. Try [this](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheyChangedItNowItSucks). ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/9 "2011-10-30T15:41:29Z")
OP, last night I thought you were crazy, as my Chrome new tab page looked the same as always. Today, it’s all fucked up, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter! What the fuck? Why, Chrome? How is this better? AAAARGH! ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/10 "2011-10-30T15:44:50Z")
> [@ExcitedIdiot](#): > > They moved recently closed tabs to a menu, requiring an extra click. Where??? Motherfuckers, I’m getting more steamed as I go on. I fucking hate change! Fuckity fuckity fuck-o-rama! ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/11 "2011-10-30T15:48:57Z")
Personally I like the way Chrome handles updates. It’s completely transparent to the user. It never interrupts me to ask if I want to update, or to tell me it needs to restart to activate the new version. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/12 "2011-10-30T15:54:42Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Yeah, I hate it when people change free stuff without asking me. This argument is tiring. Google makes money off of us through advertisements. They aren’t a charity. We’re doing THEM a favor by using Chrome. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/13 "2011-10-30T15:57:51Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > This argument is tiring. Google makes money off of us through advertisements. They aren’t a charity. We’re doing THEM a favor by using Chrome. Really? You use Chrome out of altruistic feelings toward Google? That’s odd. ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/14 "2011-10-30T16:09:25Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > Where??? > > Motherfuckers, I’m getting more steamed as I go on. I fucking hate change! Fuckity fuckity fuck-o-rama! It’s at the bottom right corner of the new tab page. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/15 "2011-10-30T16:15:15Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Really? You use Chrome out of altruistic feelings toward Google? That’s odd. You know what they meant. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/16 "2011-10-30T16:28:11Z")
Not sure why they think I need to see pictures of the websites I have on the start-up page. Doesn’t this make it take longer to load? I’m assuming that the separate “apps” page is so you can have more room for their crappy games. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/17 "2011-10-30T16:37:50Z")
> [@ExcitedIdiot](#): > > It’s at the bottom right corner of the new tab page. Ahh, thank you! Now that I see those it’s actually kinda cool. But still, harrumph! > [@Chefguy](#): > > Not sure why they think I need to see pictures of the websites I have on the start-up page. I find it comforting. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/18 "2011-10-30T16:57:42Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Really? You use Chrome out of altruistic feelings toward Google? That’s odd. Of course not. I use Chrome because I think it’s the best product for me. But it would be naive to think that Google isn’t getting anything out of the deal. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/19 "2011-10-30T17:04:37Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Of course not. I use Chrome because I think it’s the best product for me. But it would be naive to think that Google isn’t getting anything out of the deal. It’s still free to you, which is what the original argument was. Free. You get what you pay for, and it’s hard to feel sympathetic towards someone who complains about something the they get for free. Don’t use it. Or take a few minutes to customize it the way you want it. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249/20 "2011-10-30T17:28:12Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You get what you pay for, and it’s hard to feel sympathetic towards someone who complains about something the they get for free. I can only assume you’ve never, ever criticized a television program airing on an over-the-air network. [Right?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12495290&postcount=406) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-has-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-saturday-night-than-change-chrome-around/601249.md?page=2)