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Ask HN: What's the worst piece of software you use everyday?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the worst piece of software you use everyday?

#282

Microsoft Teams. I am forced to use it (work) and it is missing really basic features that messenger software had in the 1990s like Push-To-Talk, real multi-window (even with the recent "pop-out" functionality), and its UI is all the worst modern trends. You cannot extend it or fix these issues (e.g. plugins, custom CSS styles, etc). Plus it is buggy, I keep not getting calls/messages/etc, and every time my computer…

+ 1. While in a chat if I open a voice call with that person, it creates a new instance with the chat frame closed. If I want to navigate into a channel and open a file, if I go back to the discussion the file is closed, I need to navigate again. It should have multi-window, multi-tab capabilities.

Re: Ask HN: What's the worst piece of software you use everyday?

#283

Dropbox. I've used it for a decade, but now it's slow, bloated, and takes over CPU and memory like there isn't a single other program I need to run... and I was paying $20 for the privilege. But a few weeks ago I switched to Syncthing[0], and it's the best software transition I've ever made. Opposite of everything Dropbox is now: fast, simple, and I don't even notice it running in the background. Seamless setup, and…

What's your plan for off-site or cloud backups?

Re: Ask HN: What's the worst piece of software you use everyday?

#286
post #140

Google Drive. I have no idea how a company with a search background produced software where it is impossible to find something.

Everyone one of these cloud storage services (Dropbox, Box, Drive, iCloud, S3, OneDrive) has adopted the same mental model of file storage that computer systems from the 80s devised to mimic filing cabinets. Namely: folders. I think a folder hierarchy has some value but they should really all be using a tagging system instead. Orgs tend to have multiple hierarchies based or org charts, projects, disciplines, timeline…

google drive isn’t hierarchical and the folders are just a decoration

Re: Ask HN: What's the worst piece of software you use everyday?

#288
There's a lot of essential software that I would improve, but I wouldn't replace or rewrite:

- Nautilus. Serious usability/UX problems.

- Audio in linux. Ubuntu often selects the wrong audio devices (microphone, headphones, speakers)

- Linux sleep/hibernation. System hangs are common.

- GRUB. The interface is dated, why is it so ugly?

Re: Ask HN: What's the worst piece of software you use everyday?

#290

Unless your answer is “ERP”, you haven’t actually seen how bad software UX can be.

I work in "document capture" (OCR, data extraction, and process automation) and every ERP I've had to integrate with has been a terrible experience. I was on a screen share with a consultant for one trying to get my service about the correct permissions and he was scrolling through a list of, what seemed like, two hundred possible roles. Let's not even talk about the atrocity that is their rest API, but at least they have an API as many don't and require RPA (ewww) or similar to input data.
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