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Bloatware Removal Threatens PC Industry Profits
Anti-Globalism sends along a piece on how a consumer-friendly service is not so good for PC manufacturers. "Before they ship PCs to retailers like Best Buy, computer makers load them up with lots of free software. For $30, Best Buy will get rid of it for you. That simple cleanup service is threatening the precarious economics of the personal computer industry. Software companies pay hundreds of millions of dollars to PC makers like Hewlett-Packard to install their photo tools, financial programs, and other products, usually with some tie-in to a paid service or upgrade. With margins growing thinner than most laptops, this critical revenue can make the difference between profit and loss for the computer makers, industry analysts say."
Thankfully, Linux comes pretty free of bloatware.
Kidding, right? Last I checked, most Linux distros still ship on an entire DVD full of software, much of which gets installed by default.
The important difference, I think, is that even the Linux software that gets installed but never used tends not to be in-your-faceware. Most of the cruft that ships on a standard Windows laptop these days is designed to pester you with all manner of pop-up windows and nag messages.
Think of it: In theory, people install anti-virus software to avoid viruses that pop ad windows on their computers. But by default, when you buy a new computer you automatically subject yourself to pop-up advertising for the anti-virus software. A lot of people will get themselves roped into a service contract just to make the pop-ups go away! Irony, no?
Breakfast served all day!