Software running in the background ? BBC Iplayer, Kontiki and 4od Sky on demand etc…

OK – I loved 4od, sky on demand and BBC iplayer, they are all great services in principal and I have nothing against a P2P distribution system.

But this software is just wrong – I have just switched on my laptop and despite explicitly saying ‘no I don’t want it running when I start the computer’ it’s there in the background according to the software explorer.

I often use a mobile internet connection so my download / upload limits are pretty low at times and I want to be pretty in control of what services are running. I strongly object to any peice of software that insists that it should be run in the background every time you switch on your PC.

This includes Adobe Reader (I have switched to Foxit, much cleaner) and millions of other bits of invasive software – thanks to Microsoft for allowing us to see these clearly with their Software Explorer application (great for seeing whats running in the background). I am often surprised by how much quicker my laptop will switch on when I disable or remove these applications! Although Ashes to Ashes is a serie I was enjoying, it is more important to me, productivity.

So this is my message to BBC Iplayer, 4od and Sky – great service but allow people to have control over their computers if you want people to leave them installed.