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The Most Annoying Software Out There

Posted by timothy on from the to-kick-while-down dept.

superglaze writes "ZDNet UK has a very entertaining round-up of the most annoying software out there, and everything from RealPlayer and Adobe Reader to Java and Norton Antivirus gets a kicking. 'The internet has brought us many joys. It's rewritten the rules of business and pleasure. And pain. For it allows what may have seemed like bright ideas at the time ('let's use it to make sure our customers have the latest software', for example) to turn into a stinking pit of misery — usually, but by no means always, after marketing gets its fangs in.'"

11 of 885 comments (clear)

  1. Print Version (and my Apple woes) by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Informative
    Print Version (unless you want to click through about 10 pages)

    And I agree with most of these, particularly Apple. I recently spent several hours trying to remove Quicktime from my system and replace it with Quicktime alternative. I had to go in and hand edit the registry. The damn program was incidious about wriggling it's way back into my system tray and running processes if every single reference to it wasn't removed from the registry. That will be the last piece of Apple software I ever install on my system.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:Print Version (and my Apple woes) by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Informative

      Worse than that, actually. If you try to delete qttray.exe, the quicklauncher app that sits in the task tray and eats up memory for no other reason than giving QT a minor boost on startup, the quicktime application will detect this on system reboot (because it is registered as a startup application) and recreate the qttray.exe executable file from a stored version somewhere in its own bowels.

      That's right. If you delete qttray, Quicktime opens its maw and barfs up a new version of it. Then it turns it on and puts it back in the task tray.

    2. Re:Print Version (and my Apple woes) by Keruo · · Score: 5, Informative

      Removing Norton is simple, it just takes few steps.

      Just open Start->Settings->Control Panel->Add or remove programs and uninstall it. Reboot.
      If the install asks for password, the password is symantec.
      After reboot uninstall Live-Update, also from control panel. Reboot.
      Then download norton removal tool and run it to make sure it's gone.

      --
      There are no atheists when recovering from tape backup.
    3. Re:Print Version (and my Apple woes) by greetings+programs · · Score: 5, Informative

      You can avoid installing QT by using QT Alternative here http://www.free-codecs.com/download/QuickTime_Alternative.htm All the goods without the bloatware.

      --
      Greetings, programs!
    4. Re:Print Version (and my Apple woes) by Zanth_ · · Score: 5, Informative

      I use Windows at work, I have a Debian server and a Ubuntu desktop at home and I own a MBP dual booting Leopard and XP SP2. Windows is easily the most frustrating out of the ones I use but my response is mainly an enquiry regarding your mac.

      I run dual monitors (24" Dell) with my MBP, I run VM Ware Fusion with 1 GB of RAM allocated to the machine (I run a 2G MBP so it is capped at 2 Gigs of Ram). I have Fink installed and when compiling I can still have the VM up and all the while not having any stability issues. I hardly have any updates (and I check weekly). I've never experienced nor heard of anyone in my circle (we are about 20) who have had issues with Leopard. Despite it being a bit sluggish compared to a well setup Ubuntu install or a stripped down XP SP2, I would say it is more stable than the other two over time. I do get the "sleep" problem you mention though, but that seems to be endemic across laptops and OS'. For whatever reason, no one has perfected awaking from sleep yet.

      I'm wondering if your laptop might not have some serious issues. What you describe seems out of the ordinary. You might want to send it off for a checkup. Perhaps you have dying RAM? I've never had to restart Leopard safe for a major update (usually a security patch) and certainly never when plugging in a second monitor. I plug it in and it just works.

      Sure, myself and the 20 folks I work with are a small sample size and therefore this is mostly anecdotal, but just in case, you may want to get it looked at.

  2. Re:Norton Products... by The+Living+Fractal · · Score: 5, Informative

    Repeat after me:

    AVG Free.
    AVG Free.
    AVG Free.

    You should start to feel better soon.

    --
    I do not respond to cowards. Especially anonymous ones.
  3. My vote: HP by truthsearch · · Score: 5, Informative

    We have one of those all-in-one HP printers at my office, where we're all on Macs. When we first got the printer I installed the disk with the Mac drivers. It also installed a bunch of utilities. Playing around with these utilities I found a tedious maze of buttons and windows. I couldn't even find the most obvious features, like where to see a scanned document.

    But I also noticed my computer was running slower, even when no HP utilities were being used. So I looked at the Activity Monitor and found the HP background applications were permanently taking up 10% CPU, even if nothing was ever printed or scanned. So I removed all of the HP utilities and drivers and found a driver built into OS X which was for almost the same model number. I have no problems at all printing and my CPU is back to normal utilization.

    Not only do these HP utilities suck, but they're annoying when you're not even using them.

    --
    Developers: We can use your help.
  4. Re:Honestly, these problems are solveable by theaceoffire · · Score: 5, Informative
    I don't like your flash solution, so here is mine: Firefox + Flash Block.


    I get all the benefits of no flash, but can still watch youtube and all the rest if I change my mind with no hassle.

    --
    I steal signatures. This one used to be yours.
  5. Re:Honestly, these problems are solveable by unformed · · Score: 5, Informative

    On Windows, use Foxit PDF Reader. It's not open-source, but they do have a free version for non-commerical purposes. It's fast, it's small, and they have it available in a ZIP so you don't have to run an installer.

  6. Resident processes for no reason! by Hankapobe · · Score: 5, Informative
    Many programs have these resident services (Windows) that sit there and just take up memory and CPU for no reason.

    For example: Quickbooks. Why does it have to have (IIRC) three services running EVEN IF QUICKBOOKS ITSELF IS NOT RUNNING!? One of them is for updates. The other two I have no idea, but all three sure bogged my system down. I uninstalled Quickbooks and it took Registry Mechanic to get rid of everything. I tell you with this and other problems I've had with Intuit, if I see that company's name on something , I refuse to buy it.

    Back in my day, when we had to program in the snow, uphill both ways, we would check for updates upon startup AND allow the user to turn it off.

    Folks, just because there is a feature for programs or cool way of doing something, does not mean it's a good design.

    Now about Windows registry and the fact that it only grows.....Never mind. I need a drink.

  7. Re:Norton Products... by KlomDark · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's so much more fun to say "Avast! Avast! Avast!" - I've used AVG for years, but am finding Avast even better with a far better GUI. (Although shut off the audio alert "Virus Database Has Been Updated", especially when you have the speakers set for loud and then thing goes off at 4AM or when you're busy with your girlfriend. Scares the hell out of you!) http://www.avast.com/

    And they had 64-bit support before AVG, that's why I switched.