Lock-in has already begun on Chrome. Now you can't install Chrome extensions from anywhere else but the Chrome store (which means only stuff Google agrees with). Chrome is as closed-down as iOS and WP8 right now (For shame, Google!). It's actually the main reasons I'm waiting to switch from it soon. But not until Firefox gets a security sandbox.
This is not lock in (not for the purpose of lock-in anyway)
- it's for security reasons and it is in fact exclusive to Windows. Chrome was getting abused by thousands of extra-crapware installers which would install extra extensions etc. They have taken a gradual response to the issue but it always came down to ">99% of outside extensions installed on windows are crapware. This is exclusive to Windows due to its permission model. This gives users a very bad impression of chrome. Now what?"
I get it, honestly. But hey, if you don't want lock in, the hell are you doing on Windows?
Chrome was getting abused by thousands of extra-crapware installers which would install extra extensions etc.
Chrome is a prime offender in the "installing unwanted add-ons" game. I'm using Firefox right now, and it has a "Google Update" extension installed that I certainly didn't put there. My system has a silent Google Update process that runs in the background as well. Neither of these, to my knowledge, gave me any choice about installing or even actively announced their presence or what they're doing.
Chrome is a prime offender in the "undermining the system security model" game as well. Just look at how Chrome is installed and handles auto-updates on Windows. It actively circumvents the normal user access control system and pollutes a data directory with executable code, with all the negative consequences that come from that.
Maybe Google should clean up their own yard before they spend too much time criticizing everyone else's?
1. They are not criticizing, they are preventing.
2. You are full of it. Everything you are talking about is part of the Google Updater. An open source program which keeps Chrome (and various other google products if installed) up to date. Needless to say, these updaters don't even exist on Linux and are only there on Windows because of the latter's absolutely moronic handling of updates.
As for Chrome undermining the system security model: [citation needed]
additionally, on the google help page explaining all of that, it also has a guide explaining how to get around the restriction (which is easy as, drag from the download bar onto the extensions page (last time I used it at least))
It's possible to install extensions manually without having to go to the Chrome store. That's what I do. The only "inconvenience" (which is actually a convenience to some) is that you have to update the extension manually.
