What would you think if I walked into your office changed the music, adjusted the height of your office chair, lowered the thermostat and left my dog without asking your permission? You’d call security. So, why do we let software companies get away with similar practices when they install software? They’re making decisions that should not be theirs.

My work requires I install a lot of software. What I’m noticing is more companies infringing on my space without asking. During the program installation, these companies did not have the courtesy to ask me if I wanted to have a shortcut icon. No, they went ahead and plopped one or more icons on my desktop. Their argument is they do this as a convenience to me and they are easy to remove. There is some merit to that, but it should be my choice on what is a convenience. Don’t make that decision for me.

The problems don’t stop at the desktop. Companies are also adding items to my startup group, taskbar or system tray without my permission. Why? I realize some programs need to do this such as security and backup programs. Those are acceptable examples for me. Too many other programs also want to add some start up process.

What baffles me is why these companies continue these practices. How much more difficult is it to change the installer to provide these as options? I suspect this needs little coding and testing time. It’s not like we’re breaking new ground. There are companies that do ask their customers. They offer choices and respect the customer’s decision.

While I’m on the subject of annoyances, here are some other items I think companies should reconsider.

Nag screens - I’m OK with the occasional reminder that I’m using a trial program. What I dislike is seeing this announcement each time I start the program or on a daily basis especially if I have to click to dismiss the screen. A software trial should be for me to evaluate the software and not be annoyed by these messages. How are these messages helping a prospective customer evaluate the software? They’re not.

The worst offenders are companies that combine these nag screens with a confirmation box and place the program in the startup group. I just finished testing an Outlook add-in that works with the Palm PDA. Each time I put my Palm in the cradle and the sync process started, I got the nag screen and had to hit Enter. Evidently, this company must find some value in this absurd practice. They’ve repeatedly ignored my pleas to change the practice for the last three versions.

Read Me files – If these files are so important, why don’t you have us read them first when the installer starts? The purpose of these files is to alert us to known issues that might affect the installation or the program. This is the type of information that reduces tech support calls. If your installer can show me your EULA, it can also show me this file too.

Default Bundling Options – Yes, you may have found a great piece of software or toolbar to bundle with your package. I’m happy for you. Go forth and prosper. Just don’t assume I want it installed by default. I don’t care if I can turn the toolbar off with a command. Don’t treat me like a child and tell me what other programs are good for me. Let me decide if I want to install them too.

Backup previous configurations - Don’t assume the user has backed up their program configurations or drivers. I routinely experience this issue with add-ins programs that change my existing program configuration to suit their needs. The problem is when you uninstall these programs; the main program no longer works as expected. In some cases it breaks. You need to ensure your prospective customer’s program reverts to the previous configuration if they remove your program. If I have a difficult time removing your software, what makes you think I’ll try another one of your products?

Trial Programs II - One of the funnier annoyances has to do with trial programs. Just because I opt not to buy one version doesn’t mean I won’t look at a later release. However, some companies have security cobwebs hiding in my system that prevent me from running the new trial. Of course, I don’t find this out until after I start to run the new version. At least detect the previous version during installation and save me the frustration.

You have to wonder what it will take for these companies to get a clue. Maybe they’ll get it one day when their customers have left. If they can’t get these starting points right and listen to their customers, I suspect there is a lot more they’re not hearing.