Preinstalled software bundles
After quarter of a century of the IBM PC, we still don't understand why so many companies feel obliged to create swathes of below-par software to install on the computers they sell. Notebook makers are the worst, and Sony the king of them all: the first job for any new Vaio owner is to strip out the layers of desktop 'enhancements', media 'managers' and system 'control software' that serve only to get in the way of doing things the way you know how to do them, interfere with other software packages and suck up such enormous amounts of resources on start-up that two weeks after you've bought one, you're still not sure whether it's broken or not.
4%
2%
Do they realize it.
Do they realize that I no longer EVER use Outlook, Real Player, Reader, Itunes, Quicktime (not that it ever works properly anyhow), that I've "tamed the web" so that I can unclick Yahoo Toolbar install with my eyes shut, that no Symantec or Norton software ever gets near my machine, that most software updates are set to manual and the firewall stops any of the big ones "phoning home" without telling me.
Or that I've realised that my free browser, email, virus checker, firewall, image program, media player etc etc actually WORK BETTER than the paid for stuff.
Mabe they don't care, coz most computer users are idiots - well they like me will end up learning soon enough.
Good article, well put!