crapware

English

Etymology

From crap +‎ -ware.

Noun

crapware (uncountable)

1. (computing, informal) Software that is useless or of poor quality.

   Synonyms: cheeseware, coasterware, crudware, (vulgar) shitware

   • 1996 September 23, Ross Greenberg, “Java or ActiveX? Maybe both”, in Computerworld, page 98:

     Can it download and execute dangerous code, including viruses and really buggy crapware? No problem.

   • 1998 January 26, David Shenk, “Slamming gates: Is Microsoft-bashing good for you?”, in The New Republic, volume 218, page 21:

     MS [Microsoft] “crapware,” as some call it, is widely disparaged as inelegant and buggy.

   • 2007, Larry Stevenson, Nancy Altholtz, Rootkits for Dummies, →ISBN, page 65:

     Malware distributors will often use them to try to con you into downloading their crapware.

2. (computing, informal) Unwanted software that comes pre-installed with personal computers or mobile devices.

   Synonym: bloatware

   • 2008, "Can Apple's Best Topple the PC Competition?", Maximum PC, Future US, Inc. (ISSN 1522-4279), No. 96, page 26

     We suspect that its extra pound of heft is made up entirely of crapware—the Vaio ships with a ludicrous number of useless preinstalled applications. We understand the economic necessities of subsidizing inexpensive PCs with third-party crapware, but there's no excuse for whoring out a notebook of this price.

   • 2009, Eric Griffith, "Make the Most of Your New PC", PC Mag, Ziff Davis Inc. (ISSN 0888-8507), Volume 28, No. 1, page 68

     Big-name system vendors typically install software on their consumer PCs at the factory. These "extras" go by many names: bundleware, begware, bloatware, and my favorite, crapware. That's because a lot of it is just that: useless crap. […] A few vendors, like Sony and Dell, offer some options to avoid crapware, but usually just for small businesses. Boutique manufacturers, like Velocity Micro, do a better job of providing a clean system.

   • 2011, Guy Hart-Davis, The Healthy PC: Preventive Care, Home Remedies, and Green Computing, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill Professional, →ISBN:

     All crapware programs can be useful—but each program is likely to be useful to only a few of the people the PC manufacturer inflicts it on. The PC manufacturers claim they install crapware to provide useful software, but the real reason is that the software companies pay them to include it.

   • 2012, Woody Leonhard, Windows 8 All-in-One For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN:

     I hate it when the computer I want comes loaded with all that nice, “free” crapware. I'd seriously consider paying more to get a clean computer. You don't need an antivirus and Internet security program preinstalled on your new PC. lt'll just open and beg for money next month. Windows 8 comes with Windows Defender, and it works great — for free. Browser toolbars? Puh-lease.

Translations

unwanted pre-installed software