He Hates Icons In His System Tray

Thorin · March 31, 2010, 12:40:50 PM

Can't remember how I got to this blog post, but I laughed while reading it. This guy hates unnecessary software as much as I do!

http://exodusdev.com/keep-your-icons-out-of-my-system-tray

QuoteI don't know about you, but I am saddened whenever I use a non-techie friend's computer and see more than two or three active tray icons in the Windows taskbar "system tray"*. (Usually I see six, seven, eight or even a few dozen!)

Why does it bother me? Because, most of the time, the computer owner has no idea what those icons are for, or how they got there.

It means that third-party installers (or worse, computer integrators or 'manufacturers' like Dell) have hooked more stuff into the auto start chain, which also means: more memory used, longer startup times, another prime opportunity to break the user's system with even more bloated, buggy software.

[..]

I suspect that the vendors have the best intentions in the world - "We need to install this in order to provide the best user experience, streamline support, blah blah blah" - thus putting down a new layer of pavement on the road to hell...

Mr. Analog · March 31, 2010, 06:01:38 PM

Ugh, I completely share this sentiment, where I'm contracted at right now (sounds like Bewlett-Backard) loads all the workstations with crapware that get in the way of development.

I usually have no problem if my compile takes an hour because the mass software updater decides to call home and scan every file on my system in the middle of the day to make sure I have the latest, superfluous help icon installed, more money for me, but it becomes a problem when a Sev 2 pops up and no one can get into anything because the network is overloaded trying to push a service pack that everyone already has across the network to each and every connected machine.

I won't even tell you what the virus scanner does when I start using TFS to do anything...

Thorin · March 31, 2010, 06:24:56 PM

Quote from: Mr. Analog on March 31, 2010, 06:01:38 PM
where I'm contracted at right now (sounds like Bewlett-Backard)

I must've missed something... You're not working on that lien-searching app anymore?

Mr. Analog · March 31, 2010, 09:19:16 PM

Quote from: Thorin on March 31, 2010, 06:24:56 PM
Quote from: Mr. Analog on March 31, 2010, 06:01:38 PM
where I'm contracted at right now (sounds like Bewlett-Backard)

I must've missed something... You're not working on that lien-searching app anymore?

Yes, EDS was CONSUMED by HP, it was quite surreal being in the middle of it all actually.

Melbosa · March 31, 2010, 10:08:02 PM

Yeah I found that out just last week... had no idea they were going that route.

Lazybones · March 31, 2010, 10:12:52 PM

Apparently this is a key feature of the Microsoft stores.. They only sell PCs with no 3rd party crapware installed.

What software update system are they using that pushes unnecessary updates to every system?

Darren Dirt · March 31, 2010, 10:50:48 PM

Yeah, devs who introduce yet another icon to the system tray (especially with no "right-click, [ x ]Launch on Windows startup" option) deserve a special place in hell, right next to the child molesters and people who talk at the theater

Thorin · May 31, 2010, 11:38:59 AM

Quote from: Darren Dirt on March 31, 2010, 10:50:48 PM
Yeah, devs who introduce yet another icon to the system tray (especially with no "right-click, [ x ]Launch on Windows startup" option) deserve a special place in hell, right next to the child molesters and people who talk at the theater

You know, I wrote a little app that put itself in the taskbar notification area. We used it to track our time (and called it the unimaginative TimeTracker). Double-click the icon, double-click the task you're starting on from your task list, click the X to hide the popup. After a while, most people had it running, and no one minded there being a TT icon in there.

My idea got copied for a bug alert icon - a colored icon that showed whether any HEAT tickets (bug reports) needed updating. Double-click it and your list of HEAT tickets would pop up. Again, no complaints about having that icon in the taskbar notification area.

I guess it comes down to the question: Is the app useful? Does having the icon there make any sense? Is this really a program that should be running all the time?

Other programs I have running all the time that I don't want removed from the taskbar notification area because it gives me a shortcut to their functionality:

Outlook (company email)
Skype (company IM)
Trillian (personal IM / personal email)
CCTray (monitors builds)
ESET (virus scanner)
UltraMon (taskbar for each monitor)