[xubuntu-users] unwanted packages

[Neil Winchurst]

On Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:54:32 -0400 (EDT)
"George F. Nemeyer" <tigerwolf at tigerden.com> wrote:

> 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.
> 

Interesting. I had read the same information about zeitgeist and I have
removed it.  I do not want such information about me to be made
'readily available'.  I agree that it should not be installed by
default and it was only by chance that I noticed it and decided to
query it.

I have also removed pidgin, in this case simply because I have no need
of it.

I wonder how many other such 'helpful' programs are installed without
our knowledge?

Neil