Software bloat

Software bloat is when successive versions of a computer program become noticeably slower, require more CPU processing power, more RAM allocation, disk space, battery power, or higher hardware specifications than the previous version, while the software's quality stagnates or decreases. The term is also used to describe the presence of feature-creep, or an increasing complexity of the source code. The term is subjective, being based on the perceptions of the end users; however, certain metrics of software bloat can be measured objectively, such as execution speed or binary size. It's typically caused by either adding new features to the software, or not properly optimizing the software. Actual (measurable) bloat can occur due to de-emphasising algorithmic efficiency in favour of other concerns like developer productivity, or possibly through the introduction of new layers of abstraction like a virtual machine or other scripting engine for the purposes of convenience when developer constraints are reduced. The perception of improved developer productivity, in the case of practising development within virtual machine environments, comes from the developers no longer taking resource constraints and usage into consideration during design and development; this allows the product to be completed faster but it results in increases to the end user's hardware requirements and/or compromised performance as a result. The term "bloatware" is also used to describe unwanted pre-installed software or bundled programs.