ASK JIM: ; Appwiz.Cpl Will Show Programs to Be Removed
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By James Coates  Q. I have acquired from my son the laptop he used during his last year of college and for a couple years after that. He did a lot of online gaming, watching videos, downloading of stuff from the Internet, etc., that I do not do.
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Also: Windows worm travels with Tetris [News.com Extra]
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Microsoft plans to block access to some features by unlicensed versions of OS.
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Here's a screen shot of the HTML source.  Looks like it's trying to serve some kind of ActiveX control. Happy to be using a Mac.  PS: Scoble just showed up and TM works on his cell phone so there's something weird going on.
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I was reading LWN where there were reports of security holes in a dozen different packages based off Mozilla's Gecko. Someone complained about the lack of a universal library that they should all use so that users would only need to update the library and not each program separately. Apparently such a library exists as libxul, but its use is uncommon enough that the bugs were reported as being for the several separate programs and not for "libxul".
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Also: Software speaks dogs' language. See what people are saying on News.com Extra.
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Keynote Kathy Sierra gives designers the antidote for apps that can't read faces, movement, tone or anything: Give users a way to express themselves. Plus: TV panel goes rogue. In Listening Post.
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Yahoo reopens a 5-year-old case that banned the selling of Nazi memorabilia on its auction site. Also: Dell leads in computer sales despite tax levies&hellip;.  Europe still watching what Microsoft does&hellip;. and more.
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roundup Free-roaming source code breeds new Netsky pest. Also: From IE to Opera, browsers are a likely prey.
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Plus: Taxicab chats threatened by technology. [News.com Extra]
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Is Microsoft-served ads slowing down Web sites? Plus, what is Ask erasing, and what are the others keeping? And a 'Knight Rider' comeback and more.
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Blog: Recently patched browser from Apple springs another leak.
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After months of hearings, Microsoft loses EU court battle and must strip Media Player, share code. Also: Federal judge refuses spammer's guilty plea.... Mobile companies dispute evidence that phone radiation damages DNA.... and more.
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(InfoWorld) - Dell is allowing its customers to decline the unwanted software applications loaded on new PCs, after hundreds of users complained about such "bloatware" on a company blog. Many software companies pay PC vendors to install their applications on new computers, hoping to gain new customers or persuade users to upgrade to a new version. But customers say it can take a savvy user hours to remove unwanted programs, and those who are less sophisticated may never be able to reclaim the wasted memory. On Monday, Dell agreed to give buyers of certain models the option to avoid what the company calls "preinstalled software." Buyers of Dimension desktops, Inspiron notebooks, and XPS PCs can now click a field in Dell's online order form that will block the installation of software for productivity, ISPs, and photo and music. "Since we launched IdeaStorm, there has never been a shortage of conversation about 'bloatware' here! Well we've recently taken action on your feedback on this topic, and we're working toward giving customers more choice in the amount and type of software that is preinstalled on their systems at the time of purchase," Dell said on the blog. The company has also loaded an extra "uninstall utility" program on Dimension and Inspiron computers sold in the United States, making it easier for new computer users to remove software they don't want. However, Dell will continue to install three applications on its new computers, including trial versions of anti-virus software, Adobe Systems's Acrobat Reader, and Google's Google Toolbar, said Michelle Pearcy, Dell's worldwide client software manager in another posting. The company includes anti-virus software because many customers expect their PCs to be protected at first boot, Acrobat because it is required to read electronic copies of system documentation, and Google Toolbar because it aids Web surfing by suggesting likely alternatives to mistyped URLs, she said. "The end result is that customers can tailor the amount and type of software that is preinstalled on their systems to meet their specific needs at time of purchase," Pearcy said. Many users said Dell had not gone far enough, however. Dozens of comments attached to Pearcy's blog posting pleaded with the company to abstain from loading any software on a new machine except for Microsoft's Windows OS and Office tool suite. "Would love the ability to have a clean Vista install. No AOL software, no EarthLink software, no Google software -- just a clean, original OS," said someone writing under the name "ootleman" in a Feb. 16 posting that has since received thousands of votes on Dell's site. That post helped start the idea for Dell to give users more control, since it has remained one of the most popular ideas on the company's IdeaStorm Web site since being posted on the blog's first day, Pearcy said. Despite users' persistence, some may find it challenging to find a PC vendor that does not load extra software on new machines. Gateway did not respond to a request for comment, but Hewlett-Packard said it also preinstalls software. HP does not sell any PCs running only an OS, but it does allow individual users to remove the programs they don't like, said Melissa Stone, a spokeswoman for HP. "HP offers third-party software with its consumer PCs in order to provide customers with programs that will enhance their computing experience," Stone said. "Not all users will have the same preferences, therefore each user has the ability to keep or remove the programs he or she finds most valuable. Current products offer a very carefully chosen set of HP, Microsoft, and third-party software and services that HP believes will bring the most value to the customer."
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Q How can I keep track of updates for the programs that I've added to my computer?
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Blog: The most serious involves poisoned PDF files. The update also includes patches for Bind, Fetchmail, and GNU Screen.
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Also: Virtual golf takes over cubicle life. See what people are saying on News.com Extra.