Adobe Flash - When you download and installed Flash for Opera or Firefox, it would trick you into installing Chrome as your default browser unless you noticed and unchecked a box: http://i.imgur.com/Uldw6X3.png
Java - When updating, Java on Windows would often trick you into installing Chrome as your default browser unless you noticed and unchecked a box
Avast, AntiVir, etc - Nearly every free antivirus on Windows was paid by Google to install Chrome. The free antivirus would notify you there was a new version and if you clicked the UPDATE or CONTINUE button without noticing and unchecking the box, you'd wind up with Chrome installed and set as your default browser: http://i.imgur.com/hNZLbmL.jpg
The majority of the non-techies I know and had set up with Firefox have no idea how Chrome got on their machines and became their default browser. I'd wager a lot of Chrome's desktop userbase on Windows is due to shady bundleware arrangements.
Chrome was still engaged in the above behavior the last time I checked.
Which is why I install Unchecky on friends' and relatives' machines. It automatically unchecks all those default boxes and avoids not just Chrome but whole heaps of crapware...
Google is certainly not blameless here. If they had banned partners who's installers violated a reasonable set of terms, e.g. opt in instead of opt out, this would not be an issue. They would have gotten free installs until the bad installer was fixed and verified ;)
So does Intel and many other "trusted" vendors, we all know about the power of default values.
As I said, people shouldn't be upset at Google, installing Chrome was a significant improvement, or would you rather see IE8 still as the dominant browser?
I blame Adobe, Oracle, etc. because they have the trust of the users and a piece of software considered essential by many people, yet they decide to use the shady practices that cheapskates use.
If it weren't Chrome it would be the dreaded Ask Toolbar or something even worse, so it's not the fault of Google, quite the contrary, installing Chrome as a byproduct is possibly the least negative outcome.
Of course you should be blaming Google. They are a willing participant in deceptive bundleware. And it is specifically included in the download for Adobe Flash for Firefox/Opera Classic (aka, not IE's Flash which is different), so it is setup to steal users away from competitors. At least the last time I checked, and as demonstrated in my screenshot above.
You talk as if you knew the terms of their deal and corroborated that Google asked to target every browser, in my experience these kind of deals are offered as "all-or-nothing", so having Firefox or Opera targeted were a side effect.
If you suggest the opposite, you don't do web development or live in the early 2000's.
> Across the board they are entitled to make that decision for every user?
Saying "every" is an exaggeration, since several users would opt-out. Installing a better (yes, better) browser to technically-impaired people who don't even know what a browser is looks like a good trade off to me.
> it is absolutely as bad as any of the crapware vendors who do this. Google is just as bad as the ask toolbar people.
Ask is a dying company doing questionable last ditch efforts. Google is a healthy company deliberately tweaking tech-impaired user's defaults, there is a difference whether you like it or not.
Adobe is guilty of this. If you download Flash Player from their site, the "Optional offers" are to also install Chrome and Google Toolbar. Both of which are checked by default.
Parent isn't saying Google didn't pay (I'm sure they paid per install) -- just that Adobe is guilty of allowing these sleazy auto-install offers which Google took advantage of.
Do you have any specific examples?