Impulse is a clean program. It doesn't install other junk. It doesn't mess with your browser settings in any way. It does have an option to add a tiny start-up app to make Impulse launch faster when you launch it - it just preloads a few things into memory and just sits there. You can disable it (is it disabled by default now?).
It needs space because it downloads to a temporary folder, then extracts and installs in the proper path. But itself it's smaller than the 50mb client you mentioned.
Other than that, as Zubaz said, Impulse is not required to run when you play. It's used to download and to patch. It has community features that allow you to access the game forums or chat rooms (based on IRC) if you want it.
Yeah... and MS doesn't ship Windows with Alexa... oh what!?
Yeah....and iTunes doesn't track all of your stuff (not even "Plus = DRM free...ish)
(Having said that, the SYNCING and BACKUP freatures are nice.)
Yeah...and EA makes a better game updater... oh wait!
(well, DRM (which I don't care about, because at least it doesn't show up in my face every), or another piece of software that requires the internet and encrypts its transmissions... hallo Virtual PC) (and don't give the Spore stuff... I cannot think of a single reason to play Spore... except for as an assisted suicide plan) (I do play RA3)
Also, I don't like advertising, and no matter what, in the end, Impulse is just an ad platform. Now we don't like putting up with popups just to get our patches, why a piece of software that does that same thing (and takes more steps to get rid of) (and "it will just be unnoticeable" - yeah... why care about that extra piece of software on your computer-that-would-rather-be-pure-of-fattening-software (not sure if that came out allright).
Why care about phonetaps, search histories, and censorship (well, in Austrailia I did put up with it... then I left (end of "vacation")) (WOOT, cannot view any polically-touchy news now!!!!) (no more left wing extremism!!!--- oh... maybe no more politcal freedoms (for you childerns safety... sound's kinda like a speach from a certain over the top racist whos-name-is-banned-from-where-I'm-from)
Why should I care of a little program on my computer... that is still encrypted (to prevent haxors!? 1337 uber). Just another day in the life of a besieged IT admin.
And I am still arguing for putting the updater where it belongs: IN the game.
BTW, what's the bet those damn pirates don't have to worry over this?
Don't reply if you haven't read this, please.
Thanks!
-Jeremy