[xubuntu-users] unwanted packages

[George F. Nemeyer]

On Wed, 16 Jul 2014, steve wrote:

> There are some packages that should, in fact, be left alone. Zeitgeist I
> would leave alone. It has some stuff that meets up with any messenger
> based program and can work with several non-messenger based apps.

Zietgeist left alone??   It should be nuked from orbit!

- QUOTE:  Zeitgeist is a service which logs the users's activities and
events, anywhere from files opened to websites visited and conversations.
It makes this information readily available for other applications to use
in form of timelines and statistics. It is able to establish relationships
between items based on similarity and usage patterns by applying data
association algorithms such as "Winepi" and "A Priori"

    Zeitgeist is the main engine and logic behind GNOME Activity Journal
which is currently seen to become one of the main means of viewing and
managing activities in GNOME version 3.0
- UNQUOTE

Now just WHY would anyone want this NSA godsend of profiling spyware on
your machine, or indeed within 1000 miles of it?

How many would knowingly WANT or knowingly give consent to their machine
profiling them and 'establishing relationships', and 'making this
information readily available'?  The fact this garbage is installed by
default, with no user awareness should be criminal.

I for one do NOT welcome our new Ubuntu overlords.

> Pidgin, however, you can just get rid of.

Pidgin's not spying on all you do.  It goes away when you close it down.