Dell has now taken the first step at removing some of the bloat from the computers they ship to consumers. Now when purchasing a computer you’ll have the option to opt-out of productivity software, ISP software, and photo/music management software. That’s good because many of those things are probably uninstalled by the users when they first get the computer.
–Dell & Google–
Unfortunately things like Google Desktop and antivirus applications are still not optional, unless you’re purchasing a computer from their XPS line in which case you can remove the antivirus offering. You could always decline the license agreement for the antivirus software when starting the Dell computer though, which would automatically uninstall it.
The Dell/Google URL Assistant has also been getting criticized lately for the way it handles mistyped URL’s. For example, if you type in digg.xom the URL Assistant will take you to a search results page that is mostly covered in sponsored links. Here was the response from the Dell blog regarding that:
The purpose of this utility is to handle a mis-typed URL by responding with a webpage of suggested links that contains both sponsored pages (paid placement) and typical search result links, versus returning an error page with no results or guidance. Some folks prefer the suggested information, some don’t.
There is also a new uninstaller for all of the software that you can’t opt-out of when ordering your PC. You could use just the standard Add/Remove Programs feature in Windows, but this is supposed to be "safer" because you’ll only be able to remove software that you don’t need on your computer for it to run properly.
–A lot of Work Left–
As much as I would like to sit here and applaud Dell for this business move, they still have a long ways to go. The fact that software is installed, which has not been chosen by the user, is not a good thing. It doesn’t help their out-of-box experience one bit especially since most people won’t know what any of the software does.
The right thing for them to do, in my opinion, is to include every single application with all computers that ship. Sounds crazy, right? Here’s the catch…none of it is actually installed. When the user starts the computer they choose which applications that they want to have installed, and the computer will go ahead and install the application for them.
They could even offer a one-click install option for the software so that users don’t get bothered with needing to click the "Next" button all of the time. They could then pick all of the programs they want to install from a list, and walk away while they are installed.
Heck, why not go one step further and create some sort of software repository online much like the Linux operating systems have. Then a user could pick from the non-commercial apps as well such as Firefox and OpenOffice.
The reason why this would probably never happen is that Dell gets monetary kickbacks for every computer that these programs are installed on. There would be no way for Dell to find out what programs users end up installing because of privacy concerns (people don’t like when their computers "phone home").
So the only real option they have is to let users pick the software they want before it leaves the factory, and the only way I can see that working out is to charge more money for those users who want a "clean" operating system. What do you think?
Those are some great ideas Ryan. I particularly like the idea of picking the software before it leaves the factory.
Unfortunately, in my experiences with new computer users, I’ve noticed that they really don’t know the difference. They see a bunch of icons on their desktop and think that this is just they way it is. If I were to tell them about “bloat,” they’d probably look at me funny. So this ignorance works to the advantage of the status quo.
Perhaps someday Dell will receive enough complaints to stop loading the computers with so much crap.
I for one do not think any software that you do not specifically select in the configuration process should be installed other than the OS. However, I do understand that they get monetary kickbacks which helps them sell cheaper computers.
however, having said all that, I would gladly pay up to $25 to have a clean system without all the bloat crap on it.
I am glad that my stepdad taught me how to build a pc. dont need to worry about all the bloat;)
and i agree with OldMan: if i were ever to buy a pre-built pc, id pay extra for JUST the os and no other bloat.
The problem I’ve noticed with pre-installed antivirus applications is that many users don’t realize that the software has expired (or the definitions no longer get updated). They think their system came with it for free and are protected.
I’ve seen this happen to several users who have ask me to fix their computer. It came to no surprise that a virus is often the cause of the problem.
After I got to thinking about it I almost felt bad picking on Dell so badly though, because they definitely aren’t the only ones that do this. They just get the most criticism because they let users configure their PC’s, where companies like HP and Sony sell preconfigured units.
I think I would go up to $50 to get a perfectly clean system, which I would think would cover the kickbacks that they are getting from the software companies.
That is definitely a good thing, and everytime that I want to build a PC I find out that I could just buy a Dell with the same specs for less. Of course that is normally with some extreme PC sale going on, but nevertheless it costs me less.
Argh, I’m all to familiar with seeing this on other people’s computers. The first thing that I do is install a free antivirus application since theirs is normally several months outdated. At least the subscription that Dell ships is good for 15 months, where awhile ago it was only 3 to 6 months.