[accesscomp] Fw: How Computer Manufacturers Are Paid to Make Your Laptop Worse, Dn's tip for May 15 2013
- From: "Bob Acosta" <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tektalk discussion" <tektalkdiscussion@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "access comp" <accesscomp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 10:33:20 -0700
----- Original Message -----
From: dan Thompson
To: dan Thompson
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 7:10 AM
Subject: How Computer Manufacturers Are Paid to Make Your Laptop Worse, Dn's
tip for May 15 2013
How Computer Manufacturers Are Paid to Make Your Laptop Worse
A laptop is a marvel of engineering. So much work goes into designing and
manufacturing all the individual pieces of hardware before combining them with
software that's taken decades to build. After going through all this work,
laptop manufacturers are paid to make their laptops slower and more frustrating
to use.
The PC ecosystem's race to the bottom and cut-throat pricing means that many
computer manufacturers aren't focused on providing a good experience - they're
focused on releasing the cheapest laptops possible and making some additional
money by loading the laptop with bloatware.
The Bloatware Is There Because It Pays
Your laptop's manufacturer doesn't really believe Norton antivirus is the best
security solution, or that some obscure casual game portal has the best games
available for Windows. Instead, they're paid by software companies to
preinstall this stuff.
Instead, laptop manufacturers load their computers up with shovelware -
so-named because it seems as if manufacturers just shovel a pile of software
onto the computer without much thought given to is usefulness. This
often-useless software slows a laptop down, making it take longer to boot,
reducing available memory, and generally cluttering up the computer. Toolbars
may insert themselves into browsers and pop-up messages may urge the user to
upgrade to paid copies of trial software. Messages for trial antivirus programs
can be particularly scary, warning users they may be at risk if they don't open
their wallets and pay additional money.
These programs are generally trial versions that urge you to purchase paid
software, links to places where you can purchase software, or browser toolbars
that encourage you to use bad search engines. Software companies pay the
manufacturers so inexperienced users will end up purchasing complete versions
of the trial software, paying for bad casual games, and using less-useful
search engines.
How Much Does Bloatware Slow a Laptop Down, Really?
Do we geeks exaggerate the significance of bloatware on a laptop? Benchmarks
would help us understand just how significantly bloatware can drag down a new
computer.
Luckily, such benchmarks exist. They even come from an unlikely source -
Microsoft. Microsoft sells "Microsoft signature" PCs in its Microsoft stores,
which are laptops free of the usual manufacturer-installed crapware. Microsoft
even offers to turn any laptop into a Signature laptop, getting rid of the
bloatware for you -for only $99. Microsoft is making money coming and going
here - you pay them for a Windows license that comes with your computer and
then you pay them more than the cost of a Windows license so your new laptop
will work like it should.
Microsoft advertises their signature PCs by pointing out how much faster a
signature PC is than a non-signature PC - these statistics really tell us how
much faster a new laptop is once all the bloatware is removed. They've now
removed the statistics from their latest Signature PC page - maybe they were a
bit embarrassing to Microsoft's hardware partners - but we can view them with
archive.org. found at the link below. If using a screenreader, after accessing
the link, press the letter h once to reach the comparison material. You will
also find two links to side by side videos showing pros and cons. The page is
very accessible for a screenreader user.
http://web.archive.org/web/20120604192858/http://signature.microsoft.com/under-the-hood.aspx
this
Based on Microsoft's tests with six different Windows 7 laptops, removing
bloatware made the laptops start up nearly 40% faster on average. That's a
significant improvement that shows us just how much bloatware can affect
performance.
Worse yet, a 2009 PC Pro study found that bloatware could add over a minute to
boot-up times, with Acer's laptops taking an additional two minutes to boot
because of all the included bloatware.
The study can be found at the link below.
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/352927/the-crapware-con
Banishing Bloatware
If you have a new laptop packed full of bloatware but don't want to pay
Microsoft $99 for the privelage of getting rid of it, you have some options:
· Manually Uninstall Bloatware: You can uninstall bloatware that comes
with your laptop from the standard Uninstall Programs pane in the Windows
Control Panel. You'll need to know the programs you should uninstall and the
ones you should keep. Some utilities may help you take full advantage of your
laptop's hardware, while some are completely useless. Preinstalled bloatware
will vary wildly from laptop to laptop - if you perform some Google searches,
you should be able to find an explanation of what each program does. You may
even find a a full, user-created guide to the bloatware that comes on your
specific laptop, what it does, and which programs you should remove.
·
· Automatically Uninstall Bloatware: If you don't want to do all of the
grunt work yourself, try using the free PC Decrapifier program. Found at the
link below.
· http://pcdecrapifier.com/
·
· It will scan your computer for known bloatware and automatically
uninstall it. However, PC Decrapifier isn't perfect and it won't catch all the
bloatware.
· Reinstall Windows: Many geeks prefer to install a clean copy of
Windows on their new PCs, removing all the manufacturer software and starting
with a clean slate. If you opt to do this, you'll need a Windows disc. You'll
also need to download and install the appropriate drivers and hardware
utilities for your laptop afterwards - you can generally find them on the
manufacturer's support site for your laptop.
If you've ever purchased a new laptop and found yourself spending minutes
watching the bloatware load every time you power on your laptop, you can
probably understand why so many people buy Macs.
We geeks may know how to deal with bloatware, but the average computer buyer is
getting stuck with a laptop made worse by its manufacturer.
"Lord Jesus, grant this day, to direct and sanctify, to rule and govern our
hearts and bodies, so that all our thoughts, words and deeds may be according
to your Father's law and thus may we be saved and protected through your mighty
help."
Psalm 102:2-3,16-21
2 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to
me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!
3 For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.
16 For the LORD will build up Zion, he will appear in his glory;
17 he will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their
supplication.
18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn
may praise the LORD:
19 that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the LORD looked at the
earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to
die;
21 that men may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his
praise
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