Is Best Buy's "Software Installer" a Crapware Killer?
Is Best Buy's "Software Installer" a Crapware Killer?
Posted 05/14/2010 at 11:42am
| by Paul Lilly
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Electronics chain Best Buy this week announced the launch of its Software Installer, a connected desktop application that's supposed to help consumers customize their new or upgrade their existing PCs and netbooks with only the software and services they want.
"Software Installer is really a connectivity tool, developed for those of us who want to seamlessly transform our computers or netbooks into hard-working personal productivity machines or entertainment powerhouses," said Jason Bonfig, vice president of computers at Best Buy. "It short-cuts the path to selecting reliable programs and services, and helps manage and record your transactions so you don’t have to."
What's interesting about this is that it's sort of like Steam for trialware. Best Buy says it has been working with PC manufacturers to reduce unnecessary third-party trials and software through the Software Installer, and we're certainly not opposed to reducing performance resource robbing programs from startup. And if it works the way Best Buy is promoting it, this could actually end up being a good thing. But if this ends up being installed on new PCs in addition to the usual assortment of bloat, well, color us unimpressed.
Check out the Software Installer product page here and then post your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Lhot
May 15, 2010 at 4:39am
......FORCING Best Buy to install the crapware in the first place. So, I really don't think MORE Crapware is a solution.
I tend to agreee with the poster that said...it's just more customer tracking software :/
The "CLOUD" is the biggest mistake this country has made...EVER !
Bloody_El
May 15, 2010 at 12:07am
Alright guys, you are looking at this from one perspective.
Now I do work for Best Buy, but hear this:
Everyone knows someone who doesn't know crap about computers. They know Facebook, and they know how to navigate the internet, so they get by. People just don't know that they can get software from downloads.com. They look at the computer like I look at a car engine; I just know how to drive it.
This is a great step for them to learn more about other different software (there are still a ton of people who use norton and mcafee; both of them terrible). They can compare and not have to go to a store to get the software. Including Best Buy.
HP doesn't have Best Buy installer installed on any of their units. Gateway, ASUS, and Toshiba have it preinstalled.
No offense, but you guys are unfairly biased against Best Buy. I would take off the Installer like everyone else here, but you aren't seeing how this could be good at all. You jump on the BB = Crap like what seems like everyone on the internet.
IFLATLINEI
May 15, 2010 at 10:01am
It remains to be seen what intentions this software really has. If it is what it says it is then Ill agree with you. It would be a good step to help the uninformed or lazy user. But companies like Best Buy have a responsibility to their customers to protect privacy and provide a value with their products and services. Best Buy has already proven on a number of occasions how they are willing to take advantage of the uniformed already with over priced services. Im just skeptical as of now.
On a positive note because of Best Buys less than respectable business practices I have made alot of money on the side fixing or optimizing PC's for half sometimes even less than half of Best Buys cost while providing a superior service.
Michael Ellis
May 14, 2010 at 7:23pm
No offense to any Best Buy employees, but Best Buy is a retail chain not a development company, I doubt that they have the resources to pull off writing software that can be stable on so many different machines, each "needing" different software. I would not be suprised if there are a lot of glitches.
HP Pavilion Elite e9280t AW020AV-ABA
Daemon
May 14, 2010 at 3:44pm
Oh great, another damning way for BestBuy/GeekSquad to potentially install rootkits and spyware to keep track of their customers. No thanks.
Biceps
May 14, 2010 at 1:56pm
I'm sorry, (ok, I'm not really sorry), but after all the ridiculous garbage coming out of Best Buy and their Geek Squad 'team', I'm not buying anything that has been designed,created or conceived by Best Buy. Especially not something that is supposed to 'optimize my experience'. Their track record is just too poor.
publicimage
May 14, 2010 at 1:20pm
I saw the announcement for this utility buried at the bottom of a Best Buy email a few months ago. I was curious so I downloaded and installed, hoping it would be the digital equivalent of going to their store -- like maybe being able to browse and download everything they have on their shelves. If it were more like Direct2Drive or Steam, and if it also honered the sale prices you can get at the stores, it would be a great idea.
Unfortunately instead, it's just a way to re-download all of the crap I uninstalled right after I took the computer out of the box. I also can't see HP, Dell or Asus voluntarily giving up their own proprietary app utility managers in favor of this one. This seems like it will add to the pre-installed clutter in the long run instead of eliminating it. Sorry BB, try again.
michaelsonline
May 14, 2010 at 12:51pm
Pass on this.
Last thing I would want is to have some bloated garbage created by a big box "bargin" electronics dealer installed on my or my friends/families pc's.
Seriously who would want this cr*p on their pc.
Michael
PawBear
May 14, 2010 at 12:45pm
Sounds like a new and convenient way for Best Buy to upsell overpriced and probably needless software. If in addition they provided access to all the good free and open source software and useful online tools we all know are available I would really be impressed, but they wont.
*** "Either we conform the Truth to our desires or we conform our desires to the Truth." ***
bingojubes
May 14, 2010 at 12:42pm
seems like this is a wasted add-on. dont HP laptops come with a similar tool program, that manages updates and software?
the HP software that helps create backups and looks at other HP offers and programs that come with those laptops is already there - i dont think that best Buy needs to inject another program for that.
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