> Why download updates at all without the user knowing? Is prompting before downloading such an awful user experience in comparison? Or, you know, prompt once per day and add a 'remind me in x days/minutes' option?

Yeah, it's a pain in the neck. If I've got 20 bits of software on my PC and they all update once a month, then most days I'm going to get a random popup asking to update. Just get on and do it please.