As people return home this holiday season, there will be all sorts of hugs and "have you had enough to eat"s.  Then they'll be pressed into service, lifting heavy stuff or perhaps climbing ladders.  And Google would very much appreciate it if visitors install the company's software, too.

A new post on the Official Google Blog about "unofficial tech support" isn't blatantly self-promotional at first.  Jeffrey Chang of the Google Chrome Team wrote, "[T]o ensure your family is getting the most speed and security out of their web experience, you can help your family upgrade to the latest version of Google Chrome, Firefox 3.5, Opera 10, Safari 4, or Internet Explorer 8 - just to name a few modern browsers."

It's a good bet that readers of the Official Google Blog are more inclined than the average person to use Chrome, though.

Then we get into an almost comical advertisement.  Chang continued, "You can also check out Google Pack, a collection of free Google and third-party software that's ready to use in just a few clicks.  From anti-virus software to keep a computer more secure and voice applications like Skype to help you keep in touch once you leave, to Google applications like Google Earth (where you can track Santa over Christmas), Google Pack's applications help your family get the most out of their computer."

Ah, well.  Google's doing plenty of good, making it hard to blame the search giant too much for pushing its mostly useful offerings.

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