Bloatware: Difference between revisions
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==Why it is a problem== | ==Why it is a problem== | ||
Most bloatware tends to be pre-installed because the device manufacturer (OEM) has a contract or partnership with another corporation who's interested in "getting exposure" (actually, to advertise itself and collect user data).<ref> | Most bloatware tends to be pre-installed because the device manufacturer (OEM) has a contract or partnership with another corporation who's interested in "getting exposure" (actually, to advertise itself and collect user data).<ref>https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332932516_An_Analysis_of_Pre-installed_Android_Software</ref> | ||
Bloat, in any of its forms, raises privacy and security concerns<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hubert |first=Bert |date=2024-02-08 |title=Why Bloat Is Still Software’s Biggest Vulnerability |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/lean-software-development |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=IEEE Spectrum}}</ref>. As a rule of thumb, every added line of code makes a program exponentially harder to prove for correctness{{Citation needed}} (ignoring the nuance that some code can aid [[wikipedia:Static_program_analysis|static analysis]] or even completely enforce [[wikipedia:Invariant_(mathematics)|invariants]]), making it impractical (hopeless) to verify that a program is not malicious (such as [[spyware]]) or has an exploitable [[wikipedia:Software_vulnerabilities|vulnerability]]. The problem is exacerbated if the app is not [[wikipedia:Open-source_software|open-source]] (or at least, [[wikipedia:Source-available_software|source-available]]), since [[wikipedia:Reverse_engineering|reverse engineering]] is hard and (in many cases) illegal, forcing the user to be at the mercy of the developers and distributors of the app. | Bloat, in any of its forms, raises privacy and security concerns<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hubert |first=Bert |date=2024-02-08 |title=Why Bloat Is Still Software’s Biggest Vulnerability |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/lean-software-development |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=IEEE Spectrum}}</ref>. As a rule of thumb, every added line of code makes a program exponentially harder to prove for correctness{{Citation needed}} (ignoring the nuance that some code can aid [[wikipedia:Static_program_analysis|static analysis]] or even completely enforce [[wikipedia:Invariant_(mathematics)|invariants]]), making it impractical (hopeless) to verify that a program is not malicious (such as [[spyware]]) or has an exploitable [[wikipedia:Software_vulnerabilities|vulnerability]]. The problem is exacerbated if the app is not [[wikipedia:Open-source_software|open-source]] (or at least, [[wikipedia:Source-available_software|source-available]]), since [[wikipedia:Reverse_engineering|reverse engineering]] is hard and (in many cases) illegal, forcing the user to be at the mercy of the developers and distributors of the app. | ||