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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

crapware en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Etymology tree Old Dutch krappender. Old French crappe Middle French crapebor. Middle English crappe English crap Proto-Indo-European *sem- Proto-Germanic *samþuz /*samftuz Proto-Indo-European *-yos Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Germanic *-jaz Proto-West Germanic *-ī Proto-West Germanic *samft(ī) Old English sōfte Middle English softe English soft Proto-Germanic *warō Proto-West Germanic *waru Old English waru Middle English ware English -ware English softwarebf. English -ware English crapware From crap + -ware.

Meanings

  1. (informal, uncountable) Software that is useless or of poor quality.
    • Malware distributors will often use them to try to con you into downloading their crapware. 2007, Larry Stevenson, Nancy Altholtz, Rootkits for Dummies, →ISBN, page 65:
    • MS [Microsoft] “crapware,” as some call it, is widely disparaged as inelegant and buggy. 1998 January 26, David Shenk, “Slamming gates: Is Microsoft-bashing good for you?”, in The New Republic, volume 218, page 21:
    • Can it download and execute dangerous code, including viruses and really buggy crapware? No problem. 1996 September 23, Ross Greenberg, “Java or ActiveX? Maybe both”, in Computerworld, page 98:
  2. (informal, uncountable) Unwanted software that comes pre-installed with personal computers or mobile devices.
    • 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. 2009, Eric Griffith, "Make the Most of Your New PC", PC Mag, Ziff Davis Inc. (ISSN 0888-8507), Volume 28, No. 1, page 68
    • 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. 2008, "Can Apple's Best Topple the PC Competition?", Maximum PC, Future US, Inc. (ISSN 1522-4279), No. 96, page 26
    • 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. 2012, Woody Leonhard, Windows 8 All-in-One For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →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. 2011, Guy Hart-Davis, The Healthy PC: Preventive Care, Home Remedies, and Green Computing, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill Professional, →ISBN:

Synonyms

shitware · cheeseware · bloatware · coasterware · foistware · crudware