Many people voice complaints about the so called „Bloatware“ that is being put on preinstalled systems. I have a more positive attitude towards some of those programs and like to invite you for a discussion.
A) The 3 months trials for security programs such as Norton or McAfee are very useful for the majority of the users. Many first time PC buyers would probably not install a security program until they had their first “incident”. The 3 month trial gives them at least an initial protection until they have learned the basics and acquired an appreciation for the need for a security program.
B) The trials for Office and alike is very useful for experimenting with these programs. Who likes to dish out $149 before they had a chance to see whether these are programs that fit their needs.
C) Older programs like Works, etc. are always the first that I delete. But I know several people that make good use of them for their daily office needs.
D) OEM system management tool such as HP Updater or diverse system management tools from the OEM will usually not survive very long on my systems. But again, I know people that make good use of them.
E) Program for basic functions like Adobe PDF reader or Roxio are very useful to execute the functions they provide. I replace Adobe with Foxit, but a program like Roxio I keep because it does everything I need for basic CD burning.
F) Games – I delete those asap because I do not use them. But many people like those games and use them.
I am sure you will come up with more categories. These are only a few examples to show that the so called bloatware may be useful for many people. There is certainly a commercial interest on the part of the OEM and Microsoft. But there is also an interest by the consumer. After all, not everybody is a Geek and knows what to do with their new PC at the first hours. The bloatware helps to sort out some areas.
A) The 3 months trials for security programs such as Norton or McAfee are very useful for the majority of the users. Many first time PC buyers would probably not install a security program until they had their first “incident”. The 3 month trial gives them at least an initial protection until they have learned the basics and acquired an appreciation for the need for a security program.
B) The trials for Office and alike is very useful for experimenting with these programs. Who likes to dish out $149 before they had a chance to see whether these are programs that fit their needs.
C) Older programs like Works, etc. are always the first that I delete. But I know several people that make good use of them for their daily office needs.
D) OEM system management tool such as HP Updater or diverse system management tools from the OEM will usually not survive very long on my systems. But again, I know people that make good use of them.
E) Program for basic functions like Adobe PDF reader or Roxio are very useful to execute the functions they provide. I replace Adobe with Foxit, but a program like Roxio I keep because it does everything I need for basic CD burning.
F) Games – I delete those asap because I do not use them. But many people like those games and use them.
I am sure you will come up with more categories. These are only a few examples to show that the so called bloatware may be useful for many people. There is certainly a commercial interest on the part of the OEM and Microsoft. But there is also an interest by the consumer. After all, not everybody is a Geek and knows what to do with their new PC at the first hours. The bloatware helps to sort out some areas.
My Computer
- Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
- HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
- OS
- Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
- CPU
- from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 2x HP w2207
- Hard Drives
- 5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
- Keyboard
- with trackball - no mices
- Mouse
- Trackball mice
- Internet Speed
- DSL 6000
