Comment by plodman
Comment by plodman 2 days ago
There appears to be a dark pattern occurring where the Tahoe update is selected by default and you need to uncheck it to just install the security update.
Comment by plodman 2 days ago
There appears to be a dark pattern occurring where the Tahoe update is selected by default and you need to uncheck it to just install the security update.
Yes, it’s “spyware” to want you to update an OS. That’s definitely the definition of that. Good job for decoding conspiracy.
"Leon Cowle was brave enough to try this out, and, it turns out, just clicking the 'Update Now' button next to Sequoia will, thankfully, do the right thing: install the Sequoia 15.7.2 update, not Tahoe."
This suggests someone forgot to update the "ⓘ" text. Not a dark pattern.
Offering the most recent update first is not a "dark pattern".
No, I would certainly say it is. Checking the blog post linked in this thread, I find selecting a different version to be both hidden and also have (intentionally?) bad UX. That is exactly what a dark pattern is: making a surprising choice (major upgrade) the default while hiding away the less disruptive or even non-disruptive choice (minor upgrade).
Nothing stops Apple from advertising both at the same level.
No, because following major software updates is the right thing for 99% of people, not staying behind on a previous major version with security updates.
You have to think about UX for 99%, not just for HNers who might know what a 15.7.3 is.
> No, because following major software updates is the right thing for 99% of people
Not if we aren’t talking about security updates. In this case the previous version of iOS also has the same security updates so ‘updating’ to a new version is completely up to the user, with no difference in security posture either way. Tricking users into updating for what are in the tech company’s opinion ‘new features’ is by definition a dark pattern.
I used to think this kind of stuff until I had to make similar decisions about UX for technical software that wasn't just used by engineers.
"Want to upgrade to 15.7.3 or 26.2?" is just a nonstarter.
Kinda feels like crying wolf and watering down the term to invoke "dark pattern" for platform software upgrades.
The dark pattern emerges when you mislead the user about what they’re clicking. Deception in the UI is by definition a dark pattern.
Weird hill for you to die on given that dark patterns have been specifically legislated for in many jurisdictions and have a clear definition.
Is there a new technological space race between Microsoft and Apple, to see who can engineer more dark patterns into their software, forcing unwanted updates onto its users?
These techniques used to be exclusive to spyware distributors.