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The definition of "bloat" - RE: Software

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justice:
IMHO an application becomes bloated when it starts to do things outside the realm for which it was created.
-Ampa (February 07, 2008, 11:59 AM)
--- End quote ---
I'd like to add to that. As this is a subjective quality, one could say Nero is now an all round removable media manager as opposed to a burning application.

So my definition would be as follows:
an application becomes bloated when it incorporates functionality outside the realm for which it was created and this functionality impacts on the responsiveness and / or footprint of the application .
--- End quote ---

Which for Nero is still the case. But software evolves through user needs. It's rather like cars: each successive VW Golf added more options and upgrades until there was a need for a new value model, to which more features are added over time to seduce users to keep spending cash etc. That's how Photoshop elements was born I guess. That's how there is an increasing need for Firefox Elements :P, Windows Elements..

iphigenie:
To me bloat is not just about responsiveness and footprint (i never worry about footprint much within reason), it is about confusion/clutter in the interface and operation of the tool.

i.e. the tool has features I couldnt care less about and they get in the way

app103:
To understand bloat, one must look at a classic in bloatware:

AOL's traditional dialup software.

It's a browser, chat client, instant messenger, email, ftp, photo album, radio, media player, etc, etc, etc.

It wants to be every application you will ever want to use for any and all purposes.

And they created an artificial need for this software to exist, by using a nonstandard way to connect to the internet that required the use of a software utility, rather than doing it the normal way with what is already built into a user's OS.

Josh:
App: You just described the opera "web browser". A more appropriate term would be suite, but they dont have that title. I dont know any other browsers which have an email, torrent, or chat client built in. Heck, even mozilla realized this and shutdown the mozilla project.

Target:
for me there are a couple of instances where an app could (would) be classed as bloatware -


* an app is significantly larger (both download and/or install size) than a comparable app and either

* doesn't provide any significant performance benefits, or
* doesn't provide any extra features or functions, or provides lots, most of which are of little value (to me)
* provides heaps of features and functionality, but little in the way of value add when compared to compared to similar tools
Target

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