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Comment by johnchristopher | Hacker News Reader

> While Windows and Mac users have to run graphical installers — you know, where you hit Next a few times and try to avoid installing bundled crapware — Linux users can just open up a command line and type sudo apt-get install vlc.

Right. As if VLC on windows comes with crapware.

As if apt-get [0] never asked cryptic messages [1].

[0] or yaourt or any other package manager

[1] and it's more about the package than the package manager

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Technically, MSI has supported GUI-less command line installation from the beginning, with relatively good dependency management and error reporting. I've invoked MSIexec from install/provisioning scripts fairly often as part of continuous integration toolchains and it works great. Some of my applications also know how to pull down dependencies (like the windows SDK, or the MS CLR) off microsoft's servers via HTTPS and then invoke the installer automatically so features that depend on them can Just Work.

If the package manager knows how to leverage this (no doubt it will), that will allow GUI-less installation of a huge percentage of windows apps (MSI is relatively popular now despite its quirks.)

> As if VLC on windows comes with crapware.

At least it did, in a way

http://www.howtogeek.com/194993/the-windows-store-is-a-cessp...

> The Store Even Pollutes System Search

> rse yet, the Windows Store is now integrated with the system search feature. Search for an application using the Start screen search or search charm and these garbage apps from the Windows Store will appear. For example, whenever I use the system search feature to launch Firefox, I see a link to install “Firefox Training Lite” from the Windows Store.

This is insane.

But it's hardly VLC's fault. You could say Windows is distributing malwares.

There are a surprising number of malicious repackages of common FOSS utilities like VLC and 7zip i've seen non-expert Windows users install. It's actually not all that uncommon.

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