I hate it when I download something and it tries to install more stuff than what I asked for. Thus I composed this Directory of Bloatware comprised of software that I’ve encountered recently that try to install more than what was listed.
I know a lot of companies use these additional installations as their revenue stream in order to provide free software, but the ‘bloat’ label is still accurate. It unnecessarily increases the size of the installer I’m downloading and the amount of software installed on my computer if I just go through the default install. A bigger installed software footprint means there are more applications that need to be kept up-to-date or could potentially have system-compromising vulnerabilities. I would like to see an industry standard where tag-along software must be listed along with the download link.
| Software I’m trying to Install | Software it tries to Install |
|---|---|
| Adobe Flash | Adobe Download Manager / GetPlus+, McAfee Virus scan |
| Adobe Reader | Adobe Download Manager / GetPlus+ |
| Adobe Shockwave | Google Toolbar |
| Apple Updater | Safari, MobileMe |
| Avast! 5 | Google Chrome |
| CCleaner | Yahoo! Toolbar |
| DAEMON Tools Lite | Sidebar Gadget, Browser Toolbar, DAEMON Tools default Search Provider, Browser Start Page |
| HotSpot Shield | HotSpot Shield Community Toolbar |
| IrfanView | Google Toolbar |
| iTunes | QuickTime |
| Java | Carbonite Backup 30-day free trial Previously: Bing Toolbar, Yahoo! Toolbar |
| QuickTime | iTunes |
| Winamp | Winamp Toolbar, Winamp Search default search engine, 50 free downloads from eMusic |
Feel free to add any others that you know of in the comments and I’ll update the list.