Seven most stupid problems in computer programs
Why computer software began to annoy us? There was a time when the new release of the popular program was so delightful and useful that we could not resist not to install and not try it in action. And now there is a feeling that the software is specially created so as to take us out of ourselves: starting from constant automatic updates and registration requests, and ending with the expiration date, which spoils the pleasure from even the best application. Marketers defeated the developers, and the programs only made things worse.
I spoke with other editors of PC World and compiled this list of the most annoying factors in the software. Let's hope that the software publishers will pay attention to it.
1. Anti-piracy measures
I understand that publishers want to get paid for their work and that they cannot spread the software on parole. However, some technologies that are designed to test honesty, in fact, spoil our lives the most.
Here, for example, registration keys that are widely used by Adobe, Microsoft, Palm, Intuit and others. The problem with these keys is that when you change the computer or reinstall the program, they are never at hand, so you often remain in a foolish position, appealing to the mercy of the support service.
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If you can’t do without these keys, then why not turn to the experience of those companies that bind the license to an email address, so in an emergency, you can always generate a new key using a link received by mail. Adobe does this for registered users, as well as the publishers of some games.
Any conversation about anti-piracy measures would be incomplete without mentioning the Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage system, through which Microsoft scans the computer for an unlicensed copy of Windows. This is a normal mechanism if it works correctly, if authentication servers do not fall, as it was in the summer. However, it is terribly annoying when in order to download anything related to Windows from the official site (for example, Windows Defender antispyware program or non-critical updates) you need to prove again and again that your copy of Windows is licensed.
2. Confusion with DRM
DRM's digital rights management system for protecting licensed content works so annoyingly in so many different ways that it’s just impossible to list everything here. Heading to the list is binding to the media, which Apple, Microsoft, RealNetworks, representatives of the recording industry, and many other companies support to their shame, thereby proving that they do not think about regular users, their customers. After all, it is wrong to buy one song or video file first in the format for the iPod, then for the PC, then again for the DVD player, etc.
Device authorization technology sits in my livers. If, God forbid, you forgot to de-authorize iTunes on your old PC, then you will have to ask heaven for help in order to get permission for another machine. There must be a better way.
3. It is impossible to say "never"
Non-annoying windows that appear on the screen and offer to register the program after installation or inform you about the appearance of the update are not so terrible in themselves. But when such a window appears again and again and it can not be turned off, then I start to get angry. We are talking about the windows in which there is a tick "Remind me later", but there is no tick "Do not remind never again."
The worst offenders are anti-virus software vendors such as Symantec and McAfee. If they or other software vendors want to force a user to register or update a program, then they should just offer it. If not, give the opportunity to opt out on an ongoing basis.
4. Registration for spam
I understand that when I register software, I thereby allow to send me some kind of advertisement in exchange for receiving updates and tips on using the software. But I would like to always have access to these settings in order to be able to change them. Most companies show a standard contract on the site, and then they load a page where you can mark which advertising messages and other information you would like to receive in your inbox, and other settings.
Annoying when the “leave me alone” settings is not specified by default. You will first ask if I want to receive newsletters, discount notifications, offers from third companies, etc. We should not get something by default.
5. Where are "please" and "thank you"?
Irritating programs that feel on my computer masters. This can manifest itself in different ways. A colleague of mine, for example, finds automatic updates of Firefox very annoying. “Firefox, I love you, I love you very much,” he writes. “But if you make me wait until you download another minor update (without asking me for permission to do so), then I will have to switch to Flock.”
Another option is when the program sets itself to autoload or the default application for a certain type of file, also without your permission (for example, QuickTime or Acrobat Reader). Some appear in the system tray, so you can manually stop them, but others do not condescend even to this. Others simply do not allow you to remove the module from startup without uninstalling the entire program. I still can not figure out how to remove from autoload the user authorization program from VeriSign, which came bundled with my laptop.
6. Don't get too attached to this program.
Not very nice when your personal finance program or antivirus software stops working as it should, because they are supposedly outdated. A two-year-old Microsoft Money program or a three-year-old Intuit Quicken loses the ability to automatically download financial transactions from the Internet. The best thing you can do is to organize the export of banking information in a suitable format (for example, .ofx) and manually import the files into the program.
Old anti-virus software usually cannot update anti-virus databases. This is clearly a planned "obsolete".
Intuit and Microsoft claim that they do not have the resources to support automatic data download for old versions of Quicken and Money, because they spend resources on releasing new versions of programs with new features that users need. This is absolute and complete nonsense. The truth is that by eliminating support for a key product function, users are forced to upgrade, they need new functions or not.
If people had a choice, some of them might prefer a small subscription fee for supporting the old version of the product. If you have a program that does exactly what you need, why should you try your luck with a new version, where important functions for you can be redone beyond recognition? What could be so difficult to distribute a virus signature database in a format suitable for older versions of Norton or McAfee?
In the end, it is very sad when your favorite program specifically degrades to make you buy a new version. Companies need to come up with another way to make money.
7. Non-standard Windows applications
Windows gives software developers more freedom to create programs that work exactly the way the developer wants. This may stimulate creativity among programmers, but it would be better if they adhered to some standards in the field of interfaces.
For example, in Adobe's InCopy, unlike all other programs, the cursor continues to blink, even if the working window of the program is moved to the background. If for a moment you get distracted from the computer, and then look at the screen, then you might think that this is a working window and start pressing buttons.
Such incompatibility of programs with each other is becoming more common and confuses the user. For example, switching between windows. Excel, Word and most other applications require the user to first click on the window and make it active before doing something in this window. On the contrary, iTunes allows you to open a menu, and Firefox generally allows for a lot of things from the first click, being in the background. There is nothing wrong with all this, but let's define it and dwell on one thing.
I spoke with other editors of PC World and compiled this list of the most annoying factors in the software. Let's hope that the software publishers will pay attention to it.
1. Anti-piracy measures
I understand that publishers want to get paid for their work and that they cannot spread the software on parole. However, some technologies that are designed to test honesty, in fact, spoil our lives the most.
Here, for example, registration keys that are widely used by Adobe, Microsoft, Palm, Intuit and others. The problem with these keys is that when you change the computer or reinstall the program, they are never at hand, so you often remain in a foolish position, appealing to the mercy of the support service.
')
If you can’t do without these keys, then why not turn to the experience of those companies that bind the license to an email address, so in an emergency, you can always generate a new key using a link received by mail. Adobe does this for registered users, as well as the publishers of some games.
Any conversation about anti-piracy measures would be incomplete without mentioning the Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage system, through which Microsoft scans the computer for an unlicensed copy of Windows. This is a normal mechanism if it works correctly, if authentication servers do not fall, as it was in the summer. However, it is terribly annoying when in order to download anything related to Windows from the official site (for example, Windows Defender antispyware program or non-critical updates) you need to prove again and again that your copy of Windows is licensed.
2. Confusion with DRM
DRM's digital rights management system for protecting licensed content works so annoyingly in so many different ways that it’s just impossible to list everything here. Heading to the list is binding to the media, which Apple, Microsoft, RealNetworks, representatives of the recording industry, and many other companies support to their shame, thereby proving that they do not think about regular users, their customers. After all, it is wrong to buy one song or video file first in the format for the iPod, then for the PC, then again for the DVD player, etc.
Device authorization technology sits in my livers. If, God forbid, you forgot to de-authorize iTunes on your old PC, then you will have to ask heaven for help in order to get permission for another machine. There must be a better way.
3. It is impossible to say "never"
Non-annoying windows that appear on the screen and offer to register the program after installation or inform you about the appearance of the update are not so terrible in themselves. But when such a window appears again and again and it can not be turned off, then I start to get angry. We are talking about the windows in which there is a tick "Remind me later", but there is no tick "Do not remind never again."
The worst offenders are anti-virus software vendors such as Symantec and McAfee. If they or other software vendors want to force a user to register or update a program, then they should just offer it. If not, give the opportunity to opt out on an ongoing basis.
4. Registration for spam
I understand that when I register software, I thereby allow to send me some kind of advertisement in exchange for receiving updates and tips on using the software. But I would like to always have access to these settings in order to be able to change them. Most companies show a standard contract on the site, and then they load a page where you can mark which advertising messages and other information you would like to receive in your inbox, and other settings.
Annoying when the “leave me alone” settings is not specified by default. You will first ask if I want to receive newsletters, discount notifications, offers from third companies, etc. We should not get something by default.
5. Where are "please" and "thank you"?
Irritating programs that feel on my computer masters. This can manifest itself in different ways. A colleague of mine, for example, finds automatic updates of Firefox very annoying. “Firefox, I love you, I love you very much,” he writes. “But if you make me wait until you download another minor update (without asking me for permission to do so), then I will have to switch to Flock.”
Another option is when the program sets itself to autoload or the default application for a certain type of file, also without your permission (for example, QuickTime or Acrobat Reader). Some appear in the system tray, so you can manually stop them, but others do not condescend even to this. Others simply do not allow you to remove the module from startup without uninstalling the entire program. I still can not figure out how to remove from autoload the user authorization program from VeriSign, which came bundled with my laptop.
6. Don't get too attached to this program.
Not very nice when your personal finance program or antivirus software stops working as it should, because they are supposedly outdated. A two-year-old Microsoft Money program or a three-year-old Intuit Quicken loses the ability to automatically download financial transactions from the Internet. The best thing you can do is to organize the export of banking information in a suitable format (for example, .ofx) and manually import the files into the program.
Old anti-virus software usually cannot update anti-virus databases. This is clearly a planned "obsolete".
Intuit and Microsoft claim that they do not have the resources to support automatic data download for old versions of Quicken and Money, because they spend resources on releasing new versions of programs with new features that users need. This is absolute and complete nonsense. The truth is that by eliminating support for a key product function, users are forced to upgrade, they need new functions or not.
If people had a choice, some of them might prefer a small subscription fee for supporting the old version of the product. If you have a program that does exactly what you need, why should you try your luck with a new version, where important functions for you can be redone beyond recognition? What could be so difficult to distribute a virus signature database in a format suitable for older versions of Norton or McAfee?
In the end, it is very sad when your favorite program specifically degrades to make you buy a new version. Companies need to come up with another way to make money.
7. Non-standard Windows applications
Windows gives software developers more freedom to create programs that work exactly the way the developer wants. This may stimulate creativity among programmers, but it would be better if they adhered to some standards in the field of interfaces.
For example, in Adobe's InCopy, unlike all other programs, the cursor continues to blink, even if the working window of the program is moved to the background. If for a moment you get distracted from the computer, and then look at the screen, then you might think that this is a working window and start pressing buttons.
Such incompatibility of programs with each other is becoming more common and confuses the user. For example, switching between windows. Excel, Word and most other applications require the user to first click on the window and make it active before doing something in this window. On the contrary, iTunes allows you to open a menu, and Firefox generally allows for a lot of things from the first click, being in the background. There is nothing wrong with all this, but let's define it and dwell on one thing.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/31334/
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