Holy Bundled Software, Batman!
Last week, I installed Netscape 4.79 on a virtual machine to verify my bold claims only to end up with:
- Netscape Navigator
- AOL Instant Messenger
- RealPlayer
- Winamp
- Netscape Messenger
- Netscape Composer
…as well as palm top sync tools and a bunch of utilities. And people tell me Microsoft are bad for bundling software, pfft!
PS. fresh layout 
![[feed]](/images/feed.gif)
Woah! Talk about a lot of bloat. I hate installing things only to realize a bunch of other programs have been installed too.
I like the layout but wish there was more contrast between the content background (white) and the main background :/
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 8:01 pmI love your new layout - simple, nice colors and not full of crap, just like it’s supposed to be
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 8:07 pm… and here I thought that being forcefed iTunes, just because I wanted QuickTime was annoying.
And “holy”? LOL
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 8:07 pmLovely, nothing like useless crap you don’t want bundled with useless crap you do want…
Love the new layout, very clean.
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 8:22 pmI love this design. It is blue and clean.
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 8:26 pmOoh, nice layout! So simple and clean!
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 8:27 pmCor blast!
I like the new design. I’m not sure what people mean when they say that it’s “clean”—is web design ever dirty?—but it’s nice. Would be nice if it was grid-based, however.
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 8:34 pmWish I could see the full benefit of the layout, but not using my monitor and am viewing this on a tiny laptop screen set for a 1024 resolution. Damn it.
Anyway, that totally sucks ass. I hate it when installing one program requires or decides to stick in a few other programs with that. Did you do the standard install or did you do a custom? They should allow you to decide if you want those installed, no?
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 8:54 pmNice layout!
It scared me a little, actually… I thought “OMGZ Jemjabella changed! :O” when it really was just new a layout. Silly me.
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 9:01 pmBeautiful new design, Jem! When the page loaded I initially thought I had clicked the wrong bookmark. It’s very refreshing and easy on the eyes.
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 9:11 pmLove the new layout Jem!
So when you installed Netscape it didn’t even give you a prompt to where you could choose to have those programs installed or not? I know a few programs that try to make me install the Yahoo! toolbar but at least they give me the option of saying no.
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 9:19 pmYou sure are addicted to blue.
I like this one. 
It’s very nice. I like the gradient on the navigation. 
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 9:30 pmAIM has been bundled with Netscape for the longest time, I knew that much, but I didn’t know it came with all that other stuff.
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 9:49 pmI like the new layout! It’s nice and fresh : ) Really like the gradient in the top nav.
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 9:53 pmSorry to be the one to rain on the parade… but I don’t like the left-hand bar…
I like it otherwise! I just feel like I can’t pick where to look… it’s distracting to me :\
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 10:30 pmUrgh, that sucks. I hate it when installing something a screen comes up to tell me if I want to install such-and-such toolbar, but this is beyond annoying!
Anywho, the new layout is lovely!
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 10:34 pmThis layout is fabulous! I love it.
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 10:49 pmNice clean layout!
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 11:03 pmIt looks a little bit corporate though.
Like the layout although I too feel it’d benefit from a slightly darker background. No more style switcher?
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 11:28 pmOoh, layou’ts looking nice. I’d go with a darker background. Not much, just enough to distinguish where the content-y bit is
I hate having to install extra stuff with one thing. Every time I install Firefox (I have to a lot because my dad is constantly re-booting the darned thing to ‘make it go faster’) it asks me if I want to install all these junky toolbars which is crappy. I just want what I asked for, thanks!
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 11:55 pmYou know, I knew I’d make a mistake somewhere in that because I didn’t proof read…
layout’s*
Comment added: July 12th, 08 @ 11:56 pmI think what I liked more about PC bloat is that Sony has (had? Don’t know, it was a few months ago) a service called FreshStart that sent you a computer without any of the pre-loaded trial software crap. Only, it costed $50 EXTRA to get it! They promptly removed the fee and made it free of charge a couple days after they introduced it.
Nice layout.
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 12:06 amI refreshed your blog in one of my tabs and got rather of a shock. Everything went from dark grey to white. But it looks very nice. Not fussy and pretentious. I love the bouncy guestbook icon in your footer. ^^
Sorry about the massive bundled software overload…but I’m sure Netscape Composer will be useful. Maybe. Possibly. What is it?
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 12:45 amThe layout is fantastic! Love it!
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 1:35 amLoving the new layout! It’s so bright and crisp
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 3:46 amI remember when I was once using Netscape, it wanted to install pretty much everything including the browser. I didn’t like Netscape… But I like this new layout
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 4:14 amThe new layout looks amazing!
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 4:24 amToo bright, hurts my eyes
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 6:01 amAs always a very nice layout and colors. I am as well a sucker for blue. Soft blues for sure!
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 6:44 amIs that how I ended up with all of that stuff back in the day? At least I used some of it back then… Hey, Netscape may be responsible for introducing me to Winamp! (Just looking for a bright side, I guess.)
@Cel: Netscape Composer is a WYSIWYG HTML editor. I tried using it a couple of times — not sure which version, but it must have been 7-10 years ago — and of course, I ended up going back and editing the HTML source myself.
Wow, this post calls to mind the days when I used to “design” separate layouts for Netscape & IE; I loved Netscape, but most people used IE — because of bundling!!
About the layout: Glad you delivered more blue! I was also going to say thanks for making the fonts bigger, but then I realized I should hit ctrl+0 because Firefox is now remembering my previous settings. So, thanks for always making sure I can resize your text without ruining the look
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 7:46 amLove the new layout Jem! I clicked on my bookmark, and thought I clicked on the wrong link! Very refreshing!
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 9:09 amThe new layout is awesome. I like blue
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 9:50 amWinamp? Yuck.
I also like the new layout. Feels lightweight!
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 1:43 pmI like the new layout except I’m a sidebar on the left hand side (as you look at the screen) fan so I may switch to another that has that.
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 4:34 pmI really like the colour scheme though.
… Do you not have your skin switcher any more? I am unable to find the link to it.
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 4:36 pmNo, I’ve removed it, because it doesn’t work with the caching plugin that I intend on using.
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 4:40 pmOK Jem, thanks for letting me know.
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 4:45 pmAdding my voice to the new layout love!
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 5:30 pmI LOVE the layout. Clean, sleek, awesome.
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 5:33 pmOoh! Blue!
I love it!
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 5:37 pmVery clean and refreshing
Nice and it renders relatively sensibly on my PDA, too. (Most of your layouts are pulled to bits by mobile browsers, but I was able to read your posts with only minor cosmetic mischief)
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 7:01 pmI love it Jem. It is so nice & simple looking. It doesn’t hurt my eyes, & I can easily sit here & read it without having to select the text like I have to on some of the other’s websites.
Comment added: July 13th, 08 @ 9:37 pmHmm… This looks much nicer on this PC than it does at home, but… I think what’s making it look slightly “odd” is that the “jemjabella” isn’t centred over the “articles”… Or maybe the articles isn’t in the centre and it’s making the jemjabella look off-centre. Hmm…
Comment added: July 14th, 08 @ 12:19 pmThe “jemjabella” text is centred in the div, the navigation word “Articles” doesn’t come in to it as it’s given a 20% width and centred in that… no ‘relation’ to the header whatsoever.
Comment added: July 14th, 08 @ 1:09 pmYeah, I gathered that. It just looks a bit unsettling because it’s centred on my screen at home but not at work. I’m not suggesting you change it, I’m just saying I find it unsettling.
Although in theory, they should match up… jemjabella is central in the header, and articles is central in the central block of navigation. Weird.
Comment added: July 14th, 08 @ 6:00 pmLovely new theme Jem, very clean, light and airy.
Comment added: July 15th, 08 @ 5:58 pm