Thanks Asyn
Yes, that previous thread you linked shows how disgusted people are with Avira. I think it could prove to be disastrous for them.
Going back to the Ask toolbar, even if you choose not to install it, you are still left with three of its files in the AntiVir program folder, ApnIC.dll, ApnToolbarInstaller and ApnStub, and the last of these 'phones home' with every reboot. I wonder how many Avira users are aware of this. Not many, I suspect. And, unless you have a firewall with good functionality such as, say, Comodo, it's not particularly easy to disable these rogues.
So, choosing not to install the Ask toolbar is anything but the benign alternative our resident Avira expert (no giggling) Omid would like people to believe.