4 ms·

I think author has made a mistake: "consumers do not want bloatware" This is wrong. Consumers don't care. 90% of people who buy PCs from the major manufacture

I think author has made a mistake: "consumers do not want bloatware" This is wrong. Consumers don't care. 90% of people who buy PCs from the major manufacturers probably don't even know what it is. (Some even think it's a good thing when it's advertised as "Comes with free 2 month subscription to X Security Centre") Hackers/Programmers etc don't want bloatware, but we are a minority. Personally I usually build my own PCs. On the odd occasions when I buy them pre-built (or when I buy laptops) I format and reinstall the OS when it arrives and in these cases I am quite happy that the cost of the hardware has been subsidised quite nicely by something that only requires me to quickly reinstall to resolve. I regularly get requests for advice on PC buying and from non-techies the question normally goes "Where can I get a cheap [PC/Laptop] that will let me use [internet/facebook/email]". As soon as I hear "cheap" I just direct them to a the current big PC supplier. They don't care if it takes 45 seconds to load the desktop, they just want to 'friend' people and tag photos.

sandipagr 16y ago
It's not really subsidized anymore if you format the computer and install fresh copy windows. Unless of course you have some way of getting free windows copy.
- SimonPStevens 16y ago
  1) I didn't say Windows ;) I use Ubuntu for general PC tasks. 2) I have an MSDN subscription which covers OSes and MS dev tools when I need to do work in C#. Yeah, I know it's not something most people have access to, but it works for me.
- StudyAnimal 16y ago
  They have already bought a license, use any old install DVD with the license they already own.
  - sandipagr 16y ago
    You are right. Most PC's have the license sticker on the back. I get free windows products so didn't really remember using them when I do a fresh install.
robin_reala 16y ago
I‘m not sure. When my fiancée asked for help in speeding up her computer (a Compaq laptop) I ended up uninstalling a bunch of bloatware. She knew that having too much stuff installed was the root of the problem, but she was worried that removing stuff might break the computer in a way she wouldn’t be able to recover from. In the end seeing as it was running Vista Basic I took the ultimate step of removing the OS as well and putting on Ubuntu, which she was much happier with :)
- SimonPStevens 16y ago
  Are we talking about a new PC or an oldish one that had become slower over time? I have never heard a non-techie complain about a new computer being slow despite it being loaded with bloatware.
  - robin_reala 16y ago
    Older one, but honestly she hadn’t installed anything apart from Chrome and VLC.
    - SimonPStevens 16y ago
      You can't blame the pre-installed bloatware when the PC is old. It's slow because it's old. It's gone through update cycles and has had software installed that slows it down. (The whole question of windows needing occasional reinstalling is another issue)
DanielStraight 16y ago
Right. Or if consumers do care, they care about the subsidy more. If consumers preferred paying more to buying bloatware-subsidized machines, there would be more on the market. Consumers increasingly care about one thing only: price. See Wal-Mart.
bad_user 16y ago
I've got people coming to me to "repair" or do something about their computers all the time. It has gotten so bad that I actually have a teeshirt saying "I won't fix your PC". Consumers care, they just delegate this particular task to others. So please PC manufacturers, save my life because I can't take it anymore. They don't care if it takes 45 seconds to load the desktop Except that in my experience it takes 5 minutes on average (between power-on and being able to work). I don't know who came up with that "45 seconds" figure, but it's totally bullshit.
- astrodust 16y ago
  Maybe they flew into such a rage they were travelling at relativistic speeds.
- Bud 16y ago
  "Load the desktop"? How quaint. I reboot my Mac about 3-4 times a year, almost always for major OS upgrades.
  - bad_user 16y ago
    It's bad enough that such software is totally useless, but it also keeps upgrading and harassing you to restart, as if it is reminding you that the app totally exists on your computer and it's useful (look, it's doing totally important stuff in the background, restart now or later?). I reboot my Mac about 3-4 times a year I reboot my Linux once every 2 days (when the battery runs out, I shutdown as I've had surprises with hibernation, even on OS X). But my desktop is loaded in 20 secs or so.
- SimonPStevens 16y ago
  Just to be clear, we are talking about new PCs here. Not ones that are 2 years old that the user has loaded with rubbish themselves. Do general users really ask you to "repair" their brand new PC?
michaelbuckbee 16y ago
Consumers lack the context to communicate their issues in a technically correct way. My parents don't complain about bloatware, they complain about having lots of warnings and popups they don't understand showing up every time they sit down at the computer. They don't complain about increased boot times, they just say their computer is "slow".

sandipagr 16y ago

It's not really subsidized anymore if you format the computer and install fresh copy windows. Unless of course you have some way of getting free windows copy.

SimonPStevens 16y ago
1) I didn't say Windows ;) I use Ubuntu for general PC tasks. 2) I have an MSDN subscription which covers OSes and MS dev tools when I need to do work in C#. Yeah, I know it's not something most people have access to, but it works for me.
StudyAnimal 16y ago
They have already bought a license, use any old install DVD with the license they already own.
- sandipagr 16y ago
  You are right. Most PC's have the license sticker on the back. I get free windows products so didn't really remember using them when I do a fresh install.

robin_reala 16y ago

I‘m not sure. When my fiancée asked for help in speeding up her computer (a Compaq laptop) I ended up uninstalling a bunch of bloatware. She knew that having too much stuff installed was the root of the problem, but she was worried that removing stuff might break the computer in a way she wouldn’t be able to recover from. In the end seeing as it was running Vista Basic I took the ultimate step of removing the OS as well and putting on Ubuntu, which she was much happier with :)

SimonPStevens 16y ago
Are we talking about a new PC or an oldish one that had become slower over time? I have never heard a non-techie complain about a new computer being slow despite it being loaded with bloatware.
- robin_reala 16y ago
  Older one, but honestly she hadn’t installed anything apart from Chrome and VLC.
  - SimonPStevens 16y ago
    You can't blame the pre-installed bloatware when the PC is old. It's slow because it's old. It's gone through update cycles and has had software installed that slows it down. (The whole question of windows needing occasional reinstalling is another issue)

DanielStraight 16y ago

Right. Or if consumers do care, they care about the subsidy more. If consumers preferred paying more to buying bloatware-subsidized machines, there would be more on the market. Consumers increasingly care about one thing only: price. See Wal-Mart.

bad_user 16y ago

I've got people coming to me to "repair" or do something about their computers all the time. It has gotten so bad that I actually have a teeshirt saying "I won't fix your PC". Consumers care, they just delegate this particular task to others. So please PC manufacturers, save my life because I can't take it anymore. They don't care if it takes 45 seconds to load the desktop Except that in my experience it takes 5 minutes on average (between power-on and being able to work). I don't know who came up with that "45 seconds" figure, but it's totally bullshit.

astrodust 16y ago
Maybe they flew into such a rage they were travelling at relativistic speeds.
Bud 16y ago
"Load the desktop"? How quaint. I reboot my Mac about 3-4 times a year, almost always for major OS upgrades.
- bad_user 16y ago
  It's bad enough that such software is totally useless, but it also keeps upgrading and harassing you to restart, as if it is reminding you that the app totally exists on your computer and it's useful (look, it's doing totally important stuff in the background, restart now or later?). I reboot my Mac about 3-4 times a year I reboot my Linux once every 2 days (when the battery runs out, I shutdown as I've had surprises with hibernation, even on OS X). But my desktop is loaded in 20 secs or so.
SimonPStevens 16y ago
Just to be clear, we are talking about new PCs here. Not ones that are 2 years old that the user has loaded with rubbish themselves. Do general users really ask you to "repair" their brand new PC?

michaelbuckbee 16y ago

Consumers lack the context to communicate their issues in a technically correct way. My parents don't complain about bloatware, they complain about having lots of warnings and popups they don't understand showing up every time they sit down at the computer. They don't complain about increased boot times, they just say their computer is "slow".