Comment by StewardMcOy
3 years ago
I wouldn't underestimate the impact the Chrome TV ads had on regular computer users. The banners atop Google search results encouraging people to switch also played a big role. by the time Chrome launched, I think there were a ton of people who were sick to death of hearing one extended family member or another who was into tech cajole them to drop Internet Explorer. Switching to Chrome was easy. Just click the link that Google gave them, and plus, they were familiar with it from TV.
Chrome also stealth installed itself with Adobe flash and reader updates with a default check. I remember it in antivirus software and who knows what else.
I'll admit this traditional installer dark pattern seems quaint compared to what OSes regularly attack users with these days but this was the behavior of most pay-to-pack-in crapware at the time.