Hello, I'm iTunes.

Apple can make fun of Vista's pesky security dialogs, but do you know what they make me do every time a sub-point release of iTunes is available?

1. iTunes asks me if I want to download the latest version.
2. I click yes.
3. Firefox opens to an ad-filled page with a form in the corner.
4. I uncheck the first "do you want us to email ads to you?" question.
5. I uncheck the second "do you want us to email ads to you?" question.
6. Here's a secret: if you uncheck both those boxes, you don't have to fill in an email address.
7. I click the "download" button.
8. Firefox asks me what to do with the file.
9. I click "Save file".
10. I wait for a thirty-five megabyte download, even if it's just a small patch.
    
11. I close the "Downloads" dialog box.
12. I close Firefox.
13. I close iTunes.
14. I find the downloaded setup executable.
15. I double-click the setup executable.
16. I click "Next".
17. I click "I accept".
18. I click "Next".
19. I click "Install".
20. I wait several musicless minutes for it to completely overwrite the entire existing installation directory, even if it's just a small patch.
21. Guess what, it still installs QuickTime on the side, as if I had any more interest in QuickTime than I have for the last 15 years.
22. I click "Finish".
23. iTunes starts (automatically! gee whiz!).
    
24. The license agreement pops up again.
25. I click "I Agree".
26. I wait a minute for iTunes to "update the iTunes library".
27. Here's the best part: as with every single previous release, iTunes still decides that maybe this time I really do want a QuickTime icon in the system tray.
28. I right-click the QuickTime tray icon and choose "QuickTime Preferences" (er, I prefer not to know about QuickTime?)
29. I click the "Advanced" tab.
30. I uncheck the "Install QuickTime icon in system tray" option at the bottom.
31. I click "OK".

And now I'm back to having iTunes working the way it did before. Only, as far as I can tell, the sole distinguishing feature of the new version is that it no longer asks me if I want to upgrade. For the moment.

Update: It looks like iTunes 7.0.2 installed a new "Apple Software Update" program on my computer. Does this mean my post was just in time to be obsolete? Here's hoping.