The Top 10 Most Annoying Things About Software

[SocBum]

These get my blood boilingChanges default settingsAdds desktop icons for trial softwareAdds items to the start menuChanges the banner name to whatever they want

[bazcook]

Programs that have a ReadMe but it is only available after the program installs - at which time you find out by reading this text the software is incompatible with your computer and much of what you have on it, prone to some fairly substantial bugs, is actually shareware with spyware included and the entire program has no known safe uninstall.______________________________Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum

[ibe98765]

- Software authors that don't answer emails sent to them. If you can't answer questions or provide support, then don't publish the software.- Authors who suck people into registering a product and then you find out that the product hasn't or won't ever be updated. An example of this is the web site for a product called Clip Cache (http://www.xrayz.co.uk/clipcache/). This author (John Williams) took my $20 a couple of years ago. After a year of many false promises without any updates or fixes and significant time lag between his responses, I bailed and wrote off the investment. The current release of Clip Cache is now almost 3 years old without an update. I have noticed that the author has updated his website to say that he now supposrts Win/XP, apparently trying to snooker new users into believing that the program is more recent that it is. I've switched to ClipMate which is head and shoulders above Clip Cache in functionality, is updated regularly and with the added benefit that the author quickly replies to issues.

[Agent007]

hi,I think the heading, "The 35 Most Annoying Things About Software" is too generalised and tends to include good software like GNUin one category..How about, "The 35 Most Annoying Things About Proprietary Software" This would send out the message in a more appropriate manner and the software industry would realise that better alternatives are on the way.007

[Guest LilBambi]

Hi Agent007 --Personally, I think all software -- good or bad, proprietary or open source -- can learn some valuable lessons from this thread.No software is perfect and every software developer, regardless of what type of software they write, needs to know what users think of different aspects the software they've used, and what's extremely annoying to them.As such, it is all valuable information and I think that this thread meets that need admirably. ;)As my son says, "It's all good."

[Peter Ski]

Two of the Most Annoying Things About Software to me are:1. The ability to buy Family (or Home) Licenses for software at a reasonable price. If software companies want to reduce piracy, allow parents (or legal guardians) with school age children to buy additional software licenses at a resonable price. I am using more and more freeware because I cannot afford to pay full price or slightly discounted prices for additional software licenses. How about full price for the first license and a cost of 10% (or 20%, I'll be reasonable) of the full price for each additional license up to, say 5 licenses per full price copy. The additional licenses cost a company peanuts compared to the cost of the first boxed package. I don't mind paying for software, because I believe you get what you pay for. Lindows has the right idea on licensing for Families (or Home), even though I'm not very fond of a yearly subscription price. (Even better yet, how about baking in the extra licenses into the cost and license agreement for Families (or Home). So you increase your software price say 10%. I would rather pay 10% higher price and get the extra licenses, than pay three or four times the price.)2. The growing trend in not allowing you to move the software you have purchased to a new or different machine. Microsoft started this trend with Product Activation and other companies are starting to follow. Listen Software Companies, if you lock my hands, I'll lock my pocket book and go somewhere else. Product Activation is not the answer. You would be surprised at how many friends and neighbors I know that are deciding they don't need that new computer, or a computer at all. And I live in one of the top 5 richest counties in the nation. Imagine what they are saying in the poorer counties in the nation. And you wonder why Computer and Software sales are flat.

[Agent007]

Hi Agent007 --Personally, I think all software -- good or bad, proprietary or open source -- can learn some valuable lessons from this thread.

hmmm...I did'nt think from that point of view....Good point.thanks,007

[Paul Thornett]

I know I've said this before, but surely modal windows must be one of the most annoying features of bad software design. I'm really surprised nobody else has brought this topic up. There are times when the use of a modal window is clearly the best choice - for example for the display of error messages - but there are many times when it's merely an irritation.

[choco]

One of my pet software peeves is setting options. Often the user can choose many different options. However the option box closes after each one is selected. Often this option box is two to four steeps deep so the user had to keep clicking too many times to configure the appllication.

[Guest LilBambi]

Hi Agent007 --Personally, I think all software -- good or bad, proprietary or open source -- can learn some valuable lessons from this thread.

hmmm...I did'nt think from that point of view....Good point.thanks,007

Your welcome

[epp_b]

Nonessential programs that are installed through pop-up web pages, fooling users into installation with seemingly official license information and/or installation instructions.  (Yes, I'm aware that many of these also distribute or are spyware.)  (e.g. Gator, WeatherBug) 

AMEN to THAT! All too often, the average Joe User doesn't know any better, and is actually sucked in to thinking that s/he "needs" the software they're being prompted to install. This is sick and wrong, and, not to mention, a BIG FAT LIE that these companies are telling them.And even for us advanced users -- all it takes is one accidental click on the "Yes" button Edited January 26, 2005 by epp_b

[caughran]

Software that puts important configuration or data information into the programs area. I like to back things up. I don't need to back up programs that are already on disk. The documents area is for documents (configuration, etc.), the programs area for programs.This is largely bad design from Windows, but software could overcome it. Windows should have very separate areas for the operating system, for programs, for configuration (operating system, and each program's configuration separate so it can be moved from one machine to another) and for data. This would allow you to back up what you need without extra stuff, make programs portable, and so forth. It might even reduce the mess in the registry.

[Jeber]

My latest irritation is software trials designed to time out after a certain period of days. Even if I'm given 30 days to try out a new program, some months I'm too busy to get a chance to use it more than once or twice. How am I supposed to decide the merits of it after only 2 uses? I'd rather see all trialware set to expire after so many uses. Limit me to 10 uses, that's fine, and it gives me a fair chance to try it out.

[Guest LilBambi]

I agree Jeber!They could always work it out so you can choose the option of a time or a usage trial, but then what program developer would have that forsight .. or want to go to the trouble of working in two scenarios for trials.

[BenEBrady]

Ok, I have read with interest a number of messages (about 5 pages worth) and wanted to offer the other side of the argument... Go to my web site at the folloing link to read my $.02 worth...35 Reasons why our software is better

[Hammerz]

My current pet peeve is realsched.exe...period. Can't get rid of it!

[siece]

and why does cooking lead to house fire 50% of friggin' time?? 

Wow! No one ever told me the Sims cook like my sister! Maybe I'll have to look at that "game" some time. ;)Back on topic, however, the number one thing that bugs me about software is bad coding. From your very first day in Comp Sci 101, your instructor should have been pounding the principles of good coding practice into your brain. It's in all the textbooks, and all the online tutorials/help files I've ever seen. Unless you had the misfortune of learning Pascal or BASIC as your first language, there's absolutely no possible way you could have learned how to program without also learning how to do it right. In addition, hardware manufacturers are aware of good coding practice, and take it into account when they build their chips. As a direct result of this, if you follow GCP, contrary to what you've heard from Micro$oft, your finished code really will compile and run flawlessly on any system, with any hardware configuration. This does, of course, assume that you've configured your compiler correctly, have all of the standard libraries available, and all the other "duh" factors, but it can be done, and won't take much longer than a quick and dirty hack. It's also considerably less expensive, in both cost and man hours, to do it right once rather than to do it wrong and need to hire dozens of extra techs to deal with support issues and developing a constant stream of patches for the entire life cycle of your product.Largely tied in with #1, #2 on my list is Micro$oft Frontpage. The only possible way I can account for the sheer crappiness of the code FrontPage spits out is that the folks at Micro$oft sat down with a list of all the GCPs in web page building, and then wrote a program to do the exact opposite.Close behind is software that claims it's full featured, but isn't. Invision's Power Board (yes, the one you're using right now) is a classic example. They're shills make it sound really great, but once you're tried out a system like phpBB you'll really start to miss little things like having a next and back button for the pages on each topic, and a consistent numbering system so you can navigate posts manually, not using the buttons at all if you don't want to. It's much nicer on the admin side, too.Number four on my list of pet peeves is putting flash ahead of substance. Pick your choice of modern games off the shelf of your favorite store. I gaurantee the box will tell you all about it's cutting edge graphics, realistic sound effects, and a random array of bells and whistles, depending on what's popular at the moment. Of them all, however, you won't find one with action game with the replay value of Angband, or a puzzle/strategy game to match the Infocom classics.In slot number 5 I'm going to get in line for bashing the PDF format. It's bloated, scrollng pages is slow, and navigation is annoying. HTML (and variants) is equally portable, runs faster, and requires no expensive proprietary software to write.Numbers 6 and on have already been covered. Since my post is already longer than most, I'll let the words of others speak for me.

[bsplhcb]

I was looking for Hall of Shame - this is the link I got from the news letter.I can't find any posts for Roxio - I really like it, but would like to know why others dislike it.Adobe Acrobat Reader?? Why don't you like it. It make things so universal and you don't have to pay for it. I used just a few minutes ago so I could get a users manual for an old telephone answering machine.

[Guest LilBambi]

I was looking for Hall of Shame - this is the link I got from the news letter.I can't find any posts for Roxio - I really like it, but would like to know why others dislike it.Adobe Acrobat Reader?? Why don't you like it.  It make things so universal and you don't have to pay for it. I used just a few minutes ago so I could get a users manual for an old telephone answering machine.

bsplhcb --Welcome!Here's the The Software Hall of Shame, which is also located here in the Windows and Applications Forum.Hope that helps. We look forward to your comments.

[RandomBox]

Not exactly a candidate for SW Hall of Shame but this one drives me absolutely batty:Those pesky little banner ads in websites that continually keep flashing like a strobe light; using iridescent colors! Am I the only one with this problem??? Maybe it is a "mind over matter" thing >> if you don't mind: it don't matter!I have a band-aid fix for it though, if anyone is interested!

[Prelude76]

I have a band-aid fix for it though, if anyone is interested!

lemme guess: right click, block image from server, using mozilla how anyone still uses IE is beyond my scope of thought

[RandomBox]

<=== Blows whistle and screams "FOUL" Prelude76 is a thief and he stole my punchline!waaaaaaaaaaah!

[RabidWolf]

I was looking for Hall of Shame - this is the link I got from the news letter.I can't find any posts for Roxio - I really like it, but would like to know why others dislike it.Adobe Acrobat Reader?? Why don't you like it.  It make things so universal and you don't have to pay for it. I used just a few minutes ago so I could get a users manual for an old telephone answering machine.

I don't use Roxio often enough to comment.I do almost agree on PDF's though. Issues with the PDF format may be the result of poor understanding of graphics by the users/originators as well as the format. I've got some PDFs from Oracle, and you can NOT read the stupid workflow charts! These are multi-megabyte PDFs, too. So why the cheesy unreadable gif diagram files? Sheesh!If your all your documents are only in PDF, make sure everything is zoomable including the graphics, PLEASE!RabidWolf

[jbredmound]

I was looking for Hall of Shame - this is the link I got from the news letter.I can't find any posts for Roxio - I really like it, but would like to know why others dislike it.Adobe Acrobat Reader?? Why don't you like it.  It make things so universal and you don't have to pay for it. I used just a few minutes ago so I could get a users manual for an old telephone answering machine.

It's slower than a turtlesaur. I was just trying to get a story from slashdot this AM, and the site was in Turtlesaur format...I escaped. It would be OK if I didn't have to ge the "Acrobat loading...there more than...just another 30 seconds" stuff. What, short of the Bible or the Constitution, is worth waiting around, and watching an advertisement, to see?

[Prelude76]

<=== Blows  whistle and screams "FOUL" Prelude76 is a thief and he stole my punchline!waaaaaaaaaaah!

LOLbetter be careful. there's lots of FLIES stuck to the front of my<------- about the image blocker, i wish it had a "ADD SERVER" button when you view the list, as I can't right click and block D*** TEXT or FLASH ads yet, but could find out it's server location by going to 'properties'. maybe i'll put in a request.

[TravisE]

I'm probably pretty late, because I came here from an old newsletter from Scot's website, and didn't realize it was old until I looked at the post dates on this thread. But oh well, I'm posting anyway. :)I know some of these have already been discussed. There are a lot of messages on this thread, so it's difficult to check them all. I'll try not to spend too much time on the already mentioned annoyances.1. The Windows Registry. I don't think any further comments are necessary. :)2. Lack of printed documentation.3. Programs that store your documents (or whatever) in the Program Files folder. Is it just me, or wasn't the Program Files folder designed for... uh, programs? Backing up my computer is already hard enough without this making it so much more complicated.4. Programs that default to opening or saving documents to some bizzarely obscure location (like their own installation folder or in a Windows system files folder) for no apparent reason. (This includes Open and Save As dialog boxes that default to these locations).5. Programs that can't remember the last folder you used in the Open or Save As dialog boxes, forcing you to specify the same file or folder every time. Or programs arrogant enough to assume a specific location every time without giving you an option to change it (like the Windows Paint accessory).6. Unhelpful error messages, especially ones humans can't be reasonably expected to understand. Also, error messages that give you NO information whatsoever on what happened, much less how to fix it. 7. Modal dialog boxes, and windows that are unresizeable for no good reason.8. Windows that have their controls truncated because the window isn't large enough (quite rare, but I've seen it happen; having it happen just once is one too many times).9. Documentation that's only available on the Web (i.e., clicking Help takes you to a web page, and there's no real indication beforehand that you have to be online). If the program itself is on the hard drive, shouldn't the Help be there too?? And what if the website is down or you don't have immediate access to the Web, but need help with a program right now?10. The term "online help." Back in the old days, it used to mean help that's always available; i.e., that's on the hard drive along with the program and is immediately accessible. But nowadays with the Internet so popular, does "online help" mean it's on the Web or does it mean what it always meant before? Apparently, it means whatever meaning the software developer wants. I'd be hard pressed to find a more meaningless term.11. Lack of hotkeys for window controls and menus. This is becoming more and more common. Apparently many programmers don't realize that keyboards still exist.12. Hotkeys that don't work. Or, duplicate hotkeys for window controls and menus, basically making them useless. If the programmer took five minutes to decide on all the hotkeys, is it that hard to spend another five minutes actually testing them?13. Help files with bad links, i.e., clicking a help topic displays a message like "This topic does not exist. Please contact the application vender for an updated help file." It doesn't happen very often, but it's infuriating when it does happen. IMO, there's no excuse not to test and retest the documentation, which is just as important (if not more so) than the program itself.14. Install programs that aren't installers at all; they just connect back to the Internet and download more files, especially when this isn't made clear up-front. Imagine this scenario: you're using a laptop and you've just downloaded a program you really need (or so you thought), and you're ready to take a trip to somewhere where you will be without Internet access for quite a while. Once you're on the trip, imagine the joy of finding out that what you had just downloaded was only a program that--guess what?--needs to connect to the Internet to download the real program installer. How about giving us the real program in the first place??15. Programs that don't respect Windows user profiles. That means programs that change settings for ALL users (rather than for the one user that installed the program) and automatically starts up on ALL users as they log in (instead of the one that installed it), without permission.16. Programs that muck with other system settings completely unrelated to the program, with or without permission.17. Program uninstallers that don't completely remove the program, all its files, all its directories, and every last one of its Registry keys (read: just about every uninstaller in existence on this planet).

[Guest LilBambi]

Welcome to SFNL Forums TravisE!Never too late for a thread in this forum :)Thanks for bringing the topic back to the surface!

[Neil P]

Hi TravisE, and welcome to the forums!! You make some good points, and I agree with most of them.Your number 6:

6. Unhelpful error messages, especially ones humans can't be reasonably expected to understand. Also, error messages that give you NO information whatsoever on what happened, much less how to fix it.

Is one of my least favorite things. Illegal operation??? WHAT illegal operation? Am I in trouble? :'( Number 9:

9. Documentation that's only available on the Web (i.e., clicking Help takes you to a web page, and there's no real indication beforehand that you have to be online). If the program itself is on the hard drive, shouldn't the Help be there too?? And what if the website is down or you don't have immediate access to the Web, but need help with a program right now?

Is something that I agree with...to a point. A good example of why I agree...Just yesterday, I was (foolishly) screwing around with my internet settings. Long story short I ended up not being able to connect to the internet. Whats the documentation say? "Consult our online help at http://www....." ...If I could consult your online documentation, I wouldn't need to consult your online documentation!! But on the other hand, I can see why some "in-depth" help is online. Consider The Gimp (or Photoshop ). Application help should most certainly be installed with the program itself. But, say there is a fantastic tutorial for said application. It contains many large image files, tons of text, etc etc. Nice to be included but not necessary. So...I can see where it is useful for online help, but I agree that it is being abused.Numbers 15 and 16:

15. Programs that don't respect Windows user profiles. That means programs that change settings for ALL users (rather than for the one user that installed the program) and automatically starts up on ALL users as they log in (instead of the one that installed it), without permission.16. Programs that muck with other system settings completely unrelated to the program, with or without permission.

I can see where you are coming from, but I have to disagree. Many people, when admin'ing a Windows machine (especially XP) will run as their name (I am not innocent, I run as an Admin myself) with Administrator privileges, instead of Limited User privileges, with a separate Administrator account. With Admin priviliges, changes can be system-wide. I'm not saying that the software makers are right for trying to change settings system-wide rather than for the user only. I also can't say whether being a Limited User rather than an Admin would completely stop this problem (I'm sure it wouldn't). Finally, "without permission" is a...shaky term. Many times, the License Agreement will state changes will be made...only that statement is after an hour of reading legal-speak. I can't tell you the last time I read a license agreement. It could say in large caps that ALL FILES ARE NOW PROPERTY OF MICROSOFT, and I would still "Accept" because I don't read them. (Again, I'm not saying software makers are not guilty of going too far, I'm just saying legally, they might be doing everything they have to).Overall though, I agree with you. Good points! And again, Welcome to the Forums!