The biggest takeaway from 'Superfish': We need to push for "No OS" buying option.

The Problem.

I hope we can all agree that bloatware is a problem; it saps our performance, takes up our storage space, drains our batteries, and can (intentionally or not) create massive security holes and attack vectors that destroy our ability to protect our privacy and identities.

More often than not, the laptop you buy from HP, Dell, Asus, Lenovo, etc., will be riddled with bloatware that is neither useful nor a necessary enhancement to your base OS of choice. Buyers in the know are forced to clean up the mess that's left for them on their brand new machine, and casual computer users are barraged with a cluttered, confusing UI/UX nightmare of slow, ugly, buggy, and insecure garbage.

We don't want your service centers, smart docks, targeted advertising, proprietary photo albums, command bars, anti-virus bundles, or any of your other 'enhancements'. I think it's safe to say that we're paying (often $1000+ USD) for some hardware and we want our OS of choice on top of it, nothing more.

The Solution.

We need to demand an option to buy laptops and other machines with no pre-installed OS.

As the market for traditional desktops and laptops shrinks, the core audience of PC consumers have to stand up and demand better service from OEMs. The only reason this option doesn't exist for most OEMs right now is simple: these companies care more about maximizing their profit margins by striking deals with other companies than providing a good service and computing experience to their users.

Frankly, that's no longer acceptable. One could argue that, if the out-of-box laptop experience wasn't unarguably hurt by bloatware it would be a "no harm, no foul" situation. But Lenovo's recent Superfish disaster is just a prime example of the extent to which bloatware and these kinds of corporate deals can not only ruin the buyer's experience, but destroy their privacy, their business, and expose them to identity theft.

As the market for pre-built PCs and laptops continues to fizzle out, it's the most loyal costumers who are left handing these companies thousands of dollars for increasingly worse experiences. And I'm afraid that, as the market shrinks, so will the per-unit profit margins - how will the OEMs recover these losses? Of course, by signing more deals with bloatware/adware/bundle companies. The bloatware problem will only get worse, unless we demand other options.

We simply can't trust "Dellindows" or "Windows+Lenovo's Greatest Hits" anymore, even after we've seemingly uninstalled all the bloatware we're aware of. I think we should demand the ability to buy blank-slate, No OS laptops and desktops from all vendors so that we can have the product we paid for with our own fresh and secure install of Windows, Linux, BSD, Hackintosh OSX, etc.

This is no longer a matter of 'freedom of choice' for users of different OSes, this is a user experience problem and a potential existing security nightmare.

Any good reasons why this shouldn't be an option?

submitted by katanaswordfish to technology

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