What is Bloatware

The early pioneers of software development faced limitation on the amount of computer memory and disk space to use for their programs. They spent long hours fine tuning their programs to fit within the limited resources of early micro and personal computers.

Now, PCs have what would of seemed to be a glut of resources to these early pioneers. For a software developer, memory and hard disk storage is nearly free. They no longer are bound by limited resources and are free to make their applications as expansive as they wish. But, as Uncle Ben said to Spiderman, “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

In a never ending quest to release new “improved” software versions, software companies today tend to tack on feature after feature. Most of the time, these features are not needed or used.

This trend has led to what many in the industry call bloatware. There are many examples of bloatware, for example.

• Microsoft Office
• Norton Anti-virus
• Adobe Acrobat
• Adobe Photoshop

There are dozens more.

While some people may need most of the features of these applications. If you are not one, then the downside of these bloated applications are.

• Slower
• More difficult to learn
• Use more system resources
• More expensive

Is there an alternative? Yes. Some applications such as Mozilla’s Firefox are using a modular plug-in approach. This allows them to ship a lightweigh fast applications but give the customer the ability to add only the features she wants.