Filed under: Audio, Business, Internet, Features, Windows, Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, Analysis
The 5 most annoying programs on your PC
by Ian Smith Jan 1st 2008
Elephantware. That is what we are talking about. Bloated programs that make brand new PCs boot like Pentium 2s with 64 MBs of RAM. This is software that causes your screen to freeze while it works, consumes enough system resources to display a reminder box letting you know there is a new, even bigger, version available for download. Software we've been forced to install so we can read some special document format, enjoy some DRM infected piece of media, or communicate with others who also live with the same brand of behemoth riding on their backs.
We all have it. We are all stuck with it. And, aside from a glimmer or two of hope, we can't expect to escape their boot screens, quick launch icons, or update reminders anytime soon.
This is the worst of the worst.
1. Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader is like a stocky frat guy you never want to invite to your Halloween parties, because he'll show up wearing a giant gift-wrapped box with a "To: Women, From: God" label on top. He thinks he is all that, but he really just wore a costume so big he can't get through the front door and has to stay outside by the fire all night (true story!).
Back on topic though, Acrobat reader does one thing poorly -- read PDFs. To do this it needs to download updates at least twice a month. Acrobat's other big feature is the ability to bring your system to a roaring halt while it boots up its massive amount of plugins and libraries. All this to display (wait for it) -- a page.
FoxIt Reader is a much better solution. Download it, and you'll no longer cringe each time your accidentally click on a PDF link while browsing the internet.
2. iTunes
I CAN HAZ MANY HOURS OF IPOD SYNCING? KTHXBYE!
For the love of Apple, why is iTunes such a cow of an application? It is a media player! It should be light and the media should be heavy. Instead we have a bloated and increasingly complex application that takes so long to load, is so ugly, and takes up so much memory the only option is to not use it and pull up Pandora. And let's not even talk about the painful process of syncing a new iPod using this pile of cowplop.
3. Real Player
Real Player could have been YouTube. Instead it is, well, Real Player. Like a pushy kid on your front lawn trying to sell you a magazine subscription, Real Player just doesn't leave you alone. It is constantly trying to take over all the media on your hard drive, your web browser, and your MP3 Players. To make matters worse it continuously tries to upsell you on Rhapsody and SuperPass. Yeah, let's just SuperPass on those options. Thanks.
You might try Real Alternative instead.
4. Internet Explorer
Yes, the great drunk-and-raving-at-family-Christmas-gatherings granddad of bad software. Will Microsoft ever fix this? Sure IE 7.0 is better than IE 6.0, but that is only in a "at least Mussolini made the trains run on time" sort of way. It is still evil. Can't believe it? Ask any web developer to explain how many hours they've spent in the last month getting their site to work in IE and you'll get the picture.
If you aren't using FireFox, do.
5. Microsoft Outlook
Hello Microsoft! Please! It is nearly 2008! How is it possible GMail and Yahoo Mail are so much faster and so much more feature-rich than your flagship mail client? How is it, in the world of 500 spam messages a day, that Outlook becomes pitch-drip slow as soon as you have a couple thousand messages? How is it your business contact manager is always trying to do mysterious things, always failing to do them, and always complaining about it in the middle of startup? And how, oh please tell us how, can you justify a message search that scans a folder at the same speed we do?
Let's face it, no matter how fast your processor, how big your hard drive, or how many Gigs of RAM you have -- your PC will still never run like a gazelle. With junk like the aforementioned software cluttering up your C Drive from day one, you'll always be stuck waddling along at Winnie-the-Pooh speeds. And if that is too fast for you, perhaps a downgrade to Vista is in order.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 12)
GoOrange said 9:16AM on 1-01-2008
So true. I cringe when surfing the web and I click a link that opens a PDF. Just take a break, get a cup of coffee and perhaps when I come back my computer will be responsive again. One of these days I'll have to try foxit.
ITunes works great as long as you don't sync your ipod, which has one of the slowest transfer rates known to mankind.
Realplayer is the devil.
People still use IE?
I've been a die hard Outlook fan for a long time, but recently have committed myself to being rid of it. I'm currently using Thunderbird and Gmail.
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phil said 2:53PM on 1-01-2008
Ok, I still use IE, and I like to think of myself as a little IT savy. Just now getting into Linux and open source stuff. For that reason and that reason only do I consider Firefox.
See my homepage is Google total customized with 4 tool bars; yahoo, advanced tool bar, google, and than the MS menu stuff, and the IE favorites.
The last time I downloaded Fire fox, everytime I started my computer a screen would popup with 2 Mozilla icons giving me the option to launch or go into safe mode (?). I didn't know that browsers have safe mode? I gave up, but I always hear everyone talk about how Fire Fox is so much better. Why? What is it you can do with Firefox that you can't do with IE? Gmail, got that too, but it is also hard for me to figure out, not as hard as outlook! Skype (or something free like that) would probably be cool to. Never figured out Thunderbrd. Ok, maybe I am stupid. I also got my first Linux machine up and running. Ubuntu. Now that I got it what do I do? What can you do with Linux? Yeah, I got books, but I took 29 units last semester and will be taking 30 in spring. Want a good subnet calculator! For some reason Ciscos isn't working. I also like Real Player only for the way that the library is set up. I never use super anything. I hate media player and the fact that you can't get windows to play this or that codec. Ok, I am long winded too.
seren6ipity said 3:13PM on 11-04-2008
O Boy! I've had zero success rate with opening pdf's thru links. Thanks, am gonna try foxit right away.
I liked the article, humorous and informational.
Bobh said 4:03PM on 1-01-2008
I'd use Firefox more if it didn't randomly crash and suck up 500MB of RAM....
EnigmaBrand said 11:46AM on 1-02-2008
Thanks for mentioning the webmasters in regards to Internet Explorer! We get to ghettoize our code whenever we need it to run in IE. Christ, IE sucks the bag.
tim brown said 12:02AM on 1-02-2008
I had the chance to buy acrobat pro last year and happily installed it on my computer only to find that it took 3 gigs of space. 3 GIGS! Are these people insane? It is acrobat reader for gods sake. The entire adobe production studio (you know photoshop, after effects illustrator, etc.) isn't even 3 gigs. My complete install of MS developer studio for every frickin programming language in the world only is like 2 gigs. To make things even better, if you opt for the slimmer install by disabling almost every feature that would make AcorbatPro worth owning in the first place, you still have to let them cache a couple MORE gigs of stuff somewhere if you don't want to have to fish out the installer DVD ever time acrobat updates. Which of course means I haven't updated the thing in a year because I have better things to do than track down my installer dvd's every few weeks. This is 2008 people! Acrobat should win the bloatware of the decade award for sure.
BLIND TIGER said 1:13AM on 1-02-2008
Try FoxIt now. M u c h faster than Adobe.
Realitista said 8:14AM on 1-02-2008
An Outlook Fan? Those always amaze me. Mostly because if you've used any IMAP client in the known universe, you can see what a mail client should look like. Outlook has always amazed me with how successful and shitty it's been at the same time. That's one program I hate.
michael said 12:17AM on 1-04-2008
IE7 isn't that bad folks. There's just as many free add-ons you can put to make it better, and I found enough that seriously makes it trumps Firefox. Not kidding here.
angrykeyboarder said 1:02AM on 1-05-2008
I abandoned Outlook years ago. I tried out the 2007 version only to find it more bloated than ever.
And frankly Thuderbird has a number of features I find important that Outlook has always beeen lacking.
Not to mention there is NO comparison between Outlook's and Thunderbird's spam filters.
Thunderbird's is top-notch. Outlook's is quite the opposite.
Crome Tysnomi said 9:25AM on 1-01-2008
Heh, Top ## Worst lists amuse me, we could do with more of these around here!
This list is pretty accurate, though I'm in disagreement with Outlook. Well, I don't have the latest version, but the XP (2003) version still works like a charm and is awesome for quick access and storage of emails (not too fond of web interfaces, ie. GMail). Though, the latest office suite looks bulky from the outside so I wouldn't be surprised if the new outlook is just as bulky from the inside.
As for iTunes, it's alright during run-time (apart from the odd rendering glitch or two now and then) except, as pointed out, during iPod operations. It has to rely on two external processes (the hell?) to pick up and work with a connected iPod, through some non-standard voodoo that freezes everything for 10 seconds. But the biggest downfall of iTunes is the installation. Let alone the fact it uses InstallShield/MSI, it's a bastard child of Apple's design philosophy and tinkers waay too much with the system, leading to a half-hour install time at best. Tch.
A perfect Apple software that really only works well on a Mac.
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cjmjcrlm said 9:28AM on 1-01-2008
Great article, just wish it had 20 more entries because I didn't know there were some alternatives available. If anyone has any other suggestions for better alternatives please post them.
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StillUsingWin2000 said 9:40AM on 1-01-2008
You guys forgot to put Vista as Elephantware Enemy Number One. I remember a few years back when Microsoft's rumor mill boasted that Vista would have '30 second boot times.' What happened? Even with a clean install (plus Kaspersky), I was waiting ten minutes for my computer to start up!
vespaboy said 11:48AM on 1-02-2008
I just love the mozilla products, Firefox, Thunderbird, etc.
Matt said 9:48AM on 1-01-2008
You are totaly true on using Firefox but in the light of this article you are wrong. IE does less memory consumption then Firefox does. But either way everybody should use Firefox. It is just the best browser there is.
It has everything you want and more and is not asking you stuff you don't want. And if it does you can always turn it off.
So everybody, start using Firefox.
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Klink258 said 10:52AM on 1-01-2008
Unfortunately, it's true. Firefox is memory leak public enemy # 1. However, mozilla says it's fixed up a lot in Firefox 3.
DrWatson said 12:16PM on 1-01-2008
I hope you follow up this list with a mac version. I'd like to see some Firefox bashing too. It's pure garbage in OS X.
BTW, Outlook suck until you have to use Lotus Notes.
Michael T said 10:36PM on 1-01-2008
I suppose I should just contact the Mozilla team to say this, but I just can't specify my problem in enough detail to help the team duplicate the issue.
I don't understand why it takes firefox 2 minutes on my PC to show itself after I double click the damned Icon.
I'm noticing that on some websites, some command buttons don't work when those same buttons work on MSIE. And yes, I do have Javascript enabled.
Fant0men said 12:15AM on 1-02-2008
I'd guess that most of IE's memory consumption is hidden cause its built into the OS itself.
Nightrider said 1:36AM on 1-02-2008
Actually Opera is the best browser available. Firefox has simply done a better job marketing itself. Unfortunately, we have the most problems developing sites that work correctly in Firefox. Whenever there is a display problem, of all the browsers, Firefox is usually the problematic one...
Opera is faster, more stable, and works correctly with far more sites than Firefox and it includes what you have to install as addons in Firefox...
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