Is Your Computer Slowing Down From Unwanted Programs ? Battling the bloatware blight

The Boston Globe reports:

There’s nothing like the fresh, clean feeling of unboxing a brand-new computer or smartphone. Too bad the feeling usually comes to an end the moment you hit the power button.

Almost every Windows computer and Android device on the market is cluttered with “bloatware,” programs that you never installed, never requested, and may not want. These can include preinstalled games, browser toolbars, or trial versions of antivirus programs. Software companies pay the computer makers to include these extras, and given PC makers’ paper-thin profit margins, they are glad to cash the checks.

Bloatware isn’t all bad — you might end up buying that antivirus program. But it can also slow down your machine and waste valuable storage space.

And every now and then, these unwanted programs will even threaten your privacy.

Check this out.