Suspicious Installers

[TyWahn]

Sometimes when I go to install an application I get the following message:
"This Installer needs to run a program to determine if it can be installed. Do you want to continue?"
What is this exactly, and can it be considered spyware or malicious in any way? The app. was the Whitecap plugin for iTunes BTW. But I have encountered this message before.
Thanks!!

[idkew]

this app that needs to be run can do many things. one of the common reasons for this is that the installer needs to make sure you are not running another/same version of the program you are installing.

in your case, i bet it checked to see if iTunes was quit before installing the plugin.