Google Toolbar - Self Update

toolbar installed itself!

[jamsy]

Arrived in office this morning and noticed that my Google toolbar had changed/updated.

Can the Google Toolbar install/update itself?

I wouldn't have said it could but at the same time i can't for the life of me believe that someone in the office here did it on MY MACHINE since the consequences would be severe ;)

[arran]

jamsy,

I noticed my toolbar had changed slightly last night. The drop-down menu used to choose where you search (e.g. google images, google groups etc.) had an icon for each option.

This morning, everything's back to normal - looks like google are doing some testing.

Does that mean, the toolbar contacts google for some user interface settings? For some reason, I assumed that part of the code would be purely client-side.

<edit> Ok, it's not back to normal. I was using a browser window that had been open since yesterday. If I open a new window, i'm still seeing the changes.</edit>

[Eltiti]

Well, the toolbar certainly updated itself on MY machine!

[outrun]

[google.com...]

There's no need to check for new versions of Google Toolbar; updates are installed automatically, so you'll always have the latest and greatest version.

[jamsy]

ah that explains it cheers outrun

[JKMitchell]

Does anyone know how to remove the 'new desktop search' icon from the tool bar.

Personally if I wanted to enable such a thing I would find out to to, but to add yet another button on the toolbar smacks of dictatorship.

Maybe it's time to remove the toolbar altogether.

[AAnnAArchy]

Ugh, mine auto-updated last night and now my Dictionary.com and Stock Quote search capabilities are gone. Well, at least I got Merriam-Webster software for my birthday on Sunday, so someone obviously knew I was going to need it.

I hate the auto-update. Maybe it's time to finally cut the cord and get rid of the toolbar, since its most useful features for me are gone now.

[Eltiti]

Does anyone know how to remove the 'new desktop search' icon from the tool bar.

IIRC, I clicked on that button and was taken to a page that offered the option to remove it.

[MatthewHSE]

AAnnAArchy, Firefox has lots of extensions that can replace the features you lost in the Google toolbar. Some of them work without a toolbar at all, saving you screen real-estate as well! ;)

[AAnnAArchy]

Problem is, I've tried Firefox and don't like it. I even tried it twice, because I kept reading about how much everyone else liked it. It just doesn't do it for me. I don't like change. :) Which also, I suppose, explains why I hate the change to the Google Toolbar.

I guess I really don't even need it, because I don't use it for looking at PR or anything, just for search, stock quotes and dictionary.com. I use Google News from it, but I can easily just use a bookmark for that.

[nuevojefe]

I'm disappointed to see they no longer have the google directory/dmoz link if a site has a listing. That was very helpful. Again, it seems they are de-emphasizing the directory's importance.

[stcrim]

<<dmoz>> Actually I think they are just not as interested in webmasters who care about DMOZ listings and so they are using the real estate more for the average user. My guess would be we are the only people who every looked at the little green book...

-s-

[sem4u]

Mine updated as well. Spellcheck and autolink appeared in the toolbar so I have taken them off in the options. This morning 'enable google desktop search' has appeared and I have removed this as well.

[steveb]

"I have removed this as well"

You did? How? I can't see how to get rid of that swirly thing.

[sem4u]

Just do what Eltiti said he did in his post.