Murphy's Law: Separating the Power-Downloaders from the Newbs
Murphy's Law: Separating the Power-Downloaders from the Newbs
Posted 05/10/2010 at 8:07am
| by David Murphy
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I'm often surprised by what people find popular in the world of freeware and open-source applications, let alone Web apps. It's tough to use the comments on Maximum PC's website as an official barometer, as they don't take page views, click-throughs, or raw downloads of whatever apps I/we recommend into account. Nevertheless, judging by the wrath, boundless joy, and heavy presence of spam-filter-nose-thumbing-signatures attached to the various weekly software articles, I can sometimes get a general vibe for what's appreciated... and what's not.
But I'm not about to dedicate the next 700 words or so towards tooting my own horn--not unless there's an app for that. I do find it interesting, and a little bit funny, that a relatively innocuous application like last week's "Instant Elevator Music" received such an exuberant amount of interest via the blog comments. Of course, that's after weeks can go by with nothing but tumbleweeds greeting other applications that, honestly, I find much more useful.
I'm a power-downloader by force, not by choice. But even though I frequently install app, after app, after freeware app in a valiant effort to bring you interesting, tested choices to check out, I'd much prefer to keep the installed software on my computer to a dull roar, if possible. I'm just one of those people that can't stand a cluttered PC, which is why even seemingly awesome applications like Instant Elevator Music don't last long on my system--the second something more useful comes along, the rotating door hits less practical applications square on the bum.
But wait, you ask! This is Maximum PC! Surely there's some awesome trick for ditching old or unwanted programs--that or, really, clutter shouldn't matter. We're all rocking eight-core systems with 16GB of RAM apiece, right? A few freeware apps, or twenty, should be nothing but a speck on the platters of our two-terabyte hard drives.
I exaggerate, of course, but the point still remains. Indeed, I'm more concerned about keeping a clean and sleek system when I'm rocking my tiny netbook instead of my kinda-powerhouse desktop PC. And Revo Uninstaller is the de facto program of choice for eliminating any and all traces of unwanted applications. But here's the deal--it's all a mental thing.
This concept is the big elephant in the room for all the freeware applications I recommend and/or write about. For no matter how awesome an application might be, it's utterly worthless to you if you mentally bookmark it for a later download... and forget. The same holds true for de-cluttering a system: No application in the world can solve user sloth. And I'm a prime candidate for this one. While I might be fairly diligent at keeping errant or unwanted applications off my system, I have folders and folders of files copied from previous backups of my drive's many states that have yet to be organized into some clear, useful fashion. It's a great way to go down memory lane, I suppose, but that's about it.
I think this is one of the larger issues that common folk have against freeware and open-source programs: Not that these applications aren't, themselves, useful in some capacity. But installing a new application and learning its nuances, even for the simplest of apps, is enough of a process to deter one from clicking the download link to begin with. Apathy conquers all. Or, better put, why investigate another solution if what you're already using works fine enough?
This is perhaps why applications like Instant Elevator Music achieve more of a verbal vote than roundups of security software or Windows tweaks. Gimmicky as it may be, the muzak-playing application is unique enough to deliver an experience that you simply can't get any other way. Security software? I could tell you that X program is better than your Y virus-scanning application, but if you're happy with what you have, that might not be enough to force you out of your comfort zone. And if you don't even know the very basics of what constitutes a successful virus-scanning app, why would you jump into confusion when you can remain cradled in the arms of Windows' default security solutions?
The best part of my job is that it's based on limitless material--there are always newer, better, funkier applications to check out and showcase for those that might never hear about them otherwise. But what compels you to click? To install? To uninstall? I wish I had an application that told me that every week.
David Murphy (@ Acererak) is a technology journalist and former Maximum PC editor. He writes weekly columns about the wide world of open-source as well as weekly roundups of awesome, freebie software.
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WayneW
May 10, 2010 at 7:53pm
But GOTD has a cool nature sound download today.
Anyway revo is great. I also carry it around on a stick. Yeah, I'm that guy. Never fails.
I've got a "line" of apps on my desktop right now waiting on final approval for installation. Utilities to air apps.
Seems like everytime I go to revo to uninstall something I always end up junking another app or two.
Keith E. Whisman
May 10, 2010 at 6:38pm
Well as for me I mostly comment on articles because I'm an Asshole Web Troll. But aside from that I usually comment on articles that interest me. Sometimes I get emotionally involved like when Jon wrote in his article in the mag about how he felt about touch typists I had to respond and frankly I'm surprised I'm the only person to call him out on that one.
BTW I really liked IEM. I did post a url for a free MP3 of the Jeopardy theme music.
bingojubes
May 10, 2010 at 3:56pm
i always turn to Revo when uninstalling apps and cleaning my PC. the free version is basic, but most of the other features the paid version has, i don't see me ever needing to use them. and the elevator music? that makes my system fun to be on. i have turned the rest of the Windows sounds off because i don't wish to hear every click and prompt. so having and using the elevator music for downloads abnd moving files, the waiting experience is improved. no moredo i have to slowly watch the number of files tick down to zero, i can listen to fun music, instead.
mdkplus
May 10, 2010 at 9:59am
Murph, I used to buy the cd's you could get from your local computer store- the ones with "504 free programs/games/misc." because I just wasn't satisfied that I was using my computer to it's full potential. I have the same feeling now everytime I upgrade any of my machines, that I need newer software and games to run it and take advantage of it's newer technology. That can get to be pretty expensive. I don't have time to scan the net looking for all the options of freeware and opensource that are available, and research them enough to know which ones will work for me. If I find something I like based on your research into it, I will install it knowing it has the "Murph stamp of approval". If it isn't as useful as I thought, or I need room on my download storage drive, or I find myself never using it, I will uninstal/delete it. I also have a stack of Max pc disks going back to about 2001, I don't know why but I won't get rid of them, even though there is a lot of software redundancy involved in that collection!
PawBear
May 10, 2010 at 9:49am
I respond to programs that go well beyond my expectations. Riva Uninstaller is such a program, highly useful and useable, free, on par with or better than commercial programs. Nothing less will get my attention or be considered, much less downloaded and installed.
As for lack of comments, I suspect the writer fails to appreciate the impact the spam filter has had on this site in regards to readers and commenters and the general level of frustration it has generated.
Yes, some tag lines are an irritant, but let's not damage what little enthusiasm remains here.
And to this I add my own:
"Either we conform the Truth to our desires or we conform our desires to the Truth."
griffinii
May 10, 2010 at 9:39am
I see what your saying but I think the title of your article is a little misleading. The title tries to distinguish the power downloader from the newb but the article tries to distinguish between the useful app we install and keep and one we install and get rid of. You then try to figure out what causes to keep them and get rid of them.
I'm not a power downloader but I'm also not a newb to computers, I download what I need and when I need it.
I think what constitutes a good or "keeper" program/utility is in no particular order:
1. Performs a function without a lot of overhead or extra junk not needed. Example (HiJackThis this does one thing and one thing only, no fluff. Not a lot of options to overwhlem a user and confuse what is actually needed.
2. Freeware or cheap, self explanetory. I avoid program demos unless they are the only program I can find to do the aboslute thing I need.
3. Stable code, few bugs. If a program, including games, constantly cause problems with my machine, I get rid of them. Example: Bye-bye Norton, MacAfee, Far Cry 2, and any software that comes with printers, scanners, cameras, etc.
4. Not resource intensive. After installing a program and I see it chews up memory, it's gone. I'm not going to waste my time on a program that arranges icons but takes up 100MB of memory. - That was just an example, not sure if a program like that actually exists.
If it satisfies those 4 things it's worth keeping or downloading to begin with. I could give a good list of software I like that does these but I find most of them have been reviewed and deemed "good" already. I think filehippo does a great job of this also, just stay away from the commercial demos.
Rocketpop
May 10, 2010 at 7:04am
I don't think I'm catching the message the article is going for, but to address the idea that Instant Elevator Music gets more attention than Windows updates, it's because IEM was interesting and unique and worth saying a few words about. We'll only comment on something that invokes an emotional response, otherwise it's not worth commenting over. Are Windows updates really that necessary to voice an opinion? They rarely include anything all that interesting or change the basic Windows experience. I read a comparison of free antivirus apps you did months ago (and it influenced my switch to Avira), but I didn't have anything to add because I had nothing about it that I wanted to discuss. I was convinced, and I had no counter-points or emotional reactions to voice.
I downloaded IEM, and I think it's pretty neat. I run very little in the background and keep all my services and startup programs in regular check. IEM is resource-light, so I figure it's worth the little bit of my 4 gigs of RAM. Aside from that and basic services, I run Avira, mouse software, and Rainmeter, and that's pretty much it.
You misinterpret the reason we comment. It's not true that the more comments an article has, the more it's appreciated. It's just that we have stronger emotional responses to some articles than others, and that's why we comment.
On a side note, since you mentioned signatures, the signatures people have are annoying as hell. It's a freaking comments section, not a forum. Although the quotes from TV shows get annoying after seeing them in every single article in which they post, the worst ones are the system specs people add at the end of their posts, as if anyone actually cares at all. I have never understood the fascination some people have with posting their system specs for no reason relevant to the post content.
Jims45wow
May 16, 2010 at 2:28pm
The same signature is used in the forums. It's personal, but not.
I read signatures for amusement, or info about the commentor. Dope about their system is as good as some of the jokes.
jm 2/100
Jim
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