@@ -450,9 +450,7 @@ public Base(String[] args) throws Exception {
     }
 
     // check for updates
-    if (Preferences.getBoolean("update.check")) { //$NON-NLS-1$
-      new UpdateCheck(this);
-    }
+    new UpdateCheck(this);
   }
 
 
 
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 /*
   Part of the Processing project - http://processing.org
 
-  Copyright (c) 2005-12 Ben Fry and Casey Reas
+  Copyright (c) 2005-15 Ben Fry and Casey Reas
 
   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
@@ -43,9 +43,12 @@
  * to check for updates. Also included is the operating system and
  * its version and the version of Java being used to run Processing.
  * <P>
- * The ID number also helps provide us a general idea of how many
- * people are using Processing, which helps us when writing grant
- * proposals and that kind of thing so that we can keep Processing free.
+ * Aside from the privacy invasion of knowing that an anonymous Processing
+ * user opened the software at one time during a 24-hour period somewhere
+ * in the world, we use the ID number to give us a general idea of how many
+ * people are using Processing, which helps us when writing grant proposals
+ * and that kind of thing so that we can keep Processing free. The numbers
+ * are also sometimes used in ugly charts when Ben and Casey present.
  */
 public class UpdateCheck {
   private final Base base;
@@ -55,22 +58,27 @@ public class UpdateCheck {
 
   static private final long ONE_DAY = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
 
+  static boolean allowed;
+
 
   public UpdateCheck(Base base) {
     this.base = base;
-    new Thread(new Runnable() {
-      public void run() {
-        try {
-          Thread.sleep(20 * 1000);  // give the PDE time to get rolling
-          updateCheck();
-
-        } catch (Exception e) {
-          // This can safely be ignored, too many situations where no net
-          // connection is available that behave in strange ways.
-          // Covers likely IOException, InterruptedException, and any others.
+
+    if (isAllowed()) {
+      new Thread(new Runnable() {
+        public void run() {
+          try {
+            Thread.sleep(5 * 1000);  // give the PDE time to get rolling
+            updateCheck();
+
+          } catch (Exception e) {
+            // This can safely be ignored, too many situations where no net
+            // connection is available that behave in strange ways.
+            // Covers likely IOException, InterruptedException, and any others.
+          }
         }
-      }
-    }, "Update Checker").start();
+      }, "Update Checker").start();
+    }
   }
 
 
@@ -186,4 +194,10 @@ protected int readInt(String filename) throws IOException {
     BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(isr);
     return Integer.parseInt(reader.readLine());
   }
+
+
+  static public boolean isAllowed() {
+    // Disable update checks for the paranoid
+    return Preferences.getBoolean("update.check");
+  }
 }
@@ -471,6 +471,14 @@ protected void updateContributionListing() {
 
 
   protected void downloadAndUpdateContributionListing(Base base) {
+    if (!UpdateCheck.isAllowed()) {
+      // A dialog box seems to in-your-face, but not saying anything seems
+      // problematic. This isn't a great option but it'll do for beta 1.
+      System.out.println("Cannot update contributions because " +
+                         "updates are disabled in preferences.");
+      return;  // update checking phones home! IT! PHONES! HOME!
+    }
+
     retryConnectingButton.setEnabled(false);
     status.setMessage(Language.text("contrib.status.downloading_list"));
     contribListing.downloadAvailableList(base, new ContribProgressBar(progressBar) {
Original file line number	Diff line number	Diff line change
@@ -450,9 +450,7 @@ public Base(String[] args) throws Exception {
450	450	}
451	451
452	452	// check for updates
453		- if (Preferences.getBoolean("update.check")) { //$NON-NLS-1$
454		- new UpdateCheck(this);
455		- }
	453	+ new UpdateCheck(this);
456	454	}
457	455
458	456