Ways You Can Avoid Getting Junk Programs On Your New Computer

Personal Technology ^ | 04/12/2007 | Walter S. Mossberg

[Swordmaker]

Mossberg article - Avoid Craplets: Buy a Mac - PING!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[The_Victor]

Avoid Craplets: Buy a Mac

$1000 more for the computer or fifteen minutes of work to uninstall the trial software "craplets". Gosh tough choice.

[ShadowAce]

De-Crap-ify your PC

[Military family member]

Right, for that $1,000 I bought a computer, not a bunch of software to protect my system from viruses, spyware, and other pain in the butt problems.

Let's not forget the time necessary to constantly check that PC to insure it isn't infected. The multiple crashes, the painfully slow boot up.

I run a top-end Mac, three older Macs and a high-end PC. My 11-year old Mac G3 hooked up to my network easier than my PC, which require several hours a a call to the help-line to get it to work. I just plugged in the Macs.

[kevkrom]

Avoid Craplets: Buy a Mac

It ain't a "Windows" problem, it's the OEMs who are making money off of shipping this stuff pre-installed.

[tubebender]

Some of us choose to not drive a Yugo...

[Spktyr]

Um, no - Macs are often cheaper than Dells.

[George W. Bush]

$1000 more for the computer or fifteen minutes of work to uninstall the trial software "craplets". Gosh tough choice.

That's hardly the reason to buy a Mac and the article doesn't pretend that is so.

No wonder Dell and HP succeed at selling craptastic computers with low-quality components. The buying public are mostly idiots.

Beyond that, it's a valid criticism of the PC makers. Why should their customers tolerate their attempts to profit from them after the sale or use the product as a slipstream to other purchases, even if those revenue enhancers are known security risks?

[MarineBrat]

Lots of IBM-PC -vs- MAC stuff in this thread, so I thought I’d throw in my opinion.

Buying a MAC is like buying a laptop. If you want something for it you have to go to the OEM.

Buying a IBM clone is like buying a piece of property. If you want something for it you can go where you please.

[ThomasThomas]

Choice of vendor when you purchase a new computer could solve this problem. Microsoft dosen’t sell computers it is the different computer makers and resellers that add all this additional products. Many which are not available on Apples products.

So if this is a big problem in your life after spending the short time it takes to remove this programs stop and take time to thank God that your life is so blessed that you have time to complain of such small things.

[antiRepublicrat]

$1000 more for the computer or fifteen minutes of work to uninstall the trial software "craplets".

Or pay less for an equivalent system and don't even have to worry about this software. Was the last time you checked Mac prices back in the 90s?

[SunkenCiv]

LOL! Bravo!

[gondramB]

One thing to consider, at least with Dell, is to buy models aimed at business. Dell Diminsions have lots of crap on them. Dell Optiplexes do not.

[Tribune7]

$1000 more for the computer or fifteen minutes of work to uninstall the trial software “craplets”.

????? How do you figure Macs cost $1,000 more than an equivilant PC?

Mac Minis don't even reach $1,000

[The_Victor]

That's hardly the reason to buy a Mac and the article doesn't pretend that is so.

Uhm, just FYI, my comment was not about the article itself but the commentary in the Mac ping.

[The_Victor]

Um, no - Macs are often cheaper than Dells.

The cheapest Mac I can find is $599 without the monitor or any software other than OS. Not cheaper than a Dell. I can also spend the same amount of money on an Acer 64 bit AMD machine and get ten times the computational power. Even if the price difference is only a few hundred dollars, my position is the same. A few minutes of work or hundreds of dollard more in price. Duh!

[Spktyr]

Compare a top of the line Dell Optiplex to a Mac Pro.

The Mac Pro is *faster* and cheaper.

In anything but the bargain-basement category, Macs are cheaper as a rule.

Of course, there’s always people who buy bottom feeder computers, just like there were people who bought Ford Festivas, Chevrolet Chevettes, and Yugos.

I just don’t happen to be that stupid.