In an attempt to show it’s sticking to it’s “don’t be evil” motto, Google has released the code for its much-maligned Google Update application under an open-source license.

Unfortunately, while going open-source is a step in the right direction, it fails to address the real problem with Update — namely, that the user can’t control it.

Google Update is a shared update mechanism used by Google Chrome, Google Earth and other Google desktop software. Once installed on an application’s first use, it works in the background, periodically checking for and downloading updates automatically.

The idea seems benign on the surface. After all, most of us want our software to be up to date. But Google Update is anything but benign. It installs itself without asking, there’s no way to turn it off and it has a host of privacy and security issues.

For these reasons, the initial release of Google Update drew irate feedback from the IT community, so the company recently released Update for Windows as an open-source project under the codename Omaha. The Mac version, Google Update Engine, was already open-source.

That means anyone can now dig through the code and see exactly what Update is up to on your PC. Also, the open-source code base will be useful for application developers who don’t have the time to develop their own lengthy, surgical install scripts for their applications.

But the script as used by Google is still outside of the user’s control, and that’s a bad thing.

It’s not hard to see how Google views Update: it’s a way for it to have the constant update capabilities its web apps enjoy, but on your desktop. The problem is that while we accept that we can’t control the web, we most definitely can (and want to) control what happens on our laptops and PCs.

Or at least we could until Google decided we couldn’t.

So while the Update tool may be open-source, it still violates one of the most basic principles of good desktop software design: the user must have control.

A simple solution would be if the Update team takes a tip from those who came before. Microsoft, Apple and countless other software makers all offer software update tools, and all of them can be disabled if the user doesn’t want them running. Just add a checkbox.

Until Google offers control (and the ability to disable its Update Tool) the open source move and the rest of its attempts at positive PR are just more smoke and mirrors.

Webmonkey’s Scott Loganbill contributed additional reporting to this article.

Photo: Improbulous/Flickr

See Also:

• Why Google’s Software Update Tool Is Evil
• Marissa Mayer: Totally Kidding About That ‘Don’t Be Evil’ Stuff