Freeware Software.

[insulin]

Freeware software nears extinction tanks to profit hungry software developers. What I really hate is demo software masquerading as freeware software. I feel this is false advertising to start with. Secondly most developers don’t understand that the whole world doesn’t reside in America and that every Tom, Dick and Harry has access to credit cards! How naive can and thick can a COMPANY be!

Now there are “options” but nearly all of them are illegal and is simply riddled with viruses designed to steel information or just to stop the computer in question from functioning. However this being said the only other alternative is get the software from your local computer store.

Is this really an option? After all there is literally tons of software on the net that you will not get in a shop “EVER” So there is no accesses for these types of software thus the majority of South Africans have do without cheap powerful programs.

Now let’s say the banks actually grow a brain and accommodate credit transactions via another type of system and make it easy for the general public, I suspect that online software might see phenomenal profit growth. However will the telecommunication accommodate downloading at cheaper prices?

Thanks to the poor ability of the banks and the telecommunication industry to understand the importance of this market. The internet software industry is left with two options:

(A) Accommodate.
(B) Go Bankrupt.

As for freeware, Let us hope that it will endure and free the net from these profit hungry monsters. A bit of a mix massage but an Important one if you are considering online marketing systems.

[Dave A]

Huh! I thought freeware was coming along quite well

[insulin]

Freeware with limitations yes. There are millions of little programs that will give you some function however normally the handy functions are only available once you upgraded you’re so called freeware to a more powerful version. “Normally for about $25 US.”

Fact is freeware isn’t freeware anymore. It is not as abundant or as powerful as it once was. Case and point normally you get burning software with your NEW DVD RW. For this example I will use Nero burning software.

Normally Nero was powerful and useful. Not anymore. See Nero’s functionality is compromised to a point where you just want to get rid of it. Every single add on that comes with the software is a DEMO. It is not even worth installing anymore...

[Dave A]

Hmm. Maybe my problem then is that I'm lumping open source as part of freeware. But then from a non-coder user's point of view there isn't that much of a difference.

[insulin]

No you are spot on, open source is free and for the most part it work much better than some of the crap you buy for only R1200. AVG on the other hand is wonderful powerful free antivirus software and it works! It’s really not bad for something that is free. Also if you upgrade it you get your money’s worth. It’s just “SOME” of the once free applications are now under the control of profit junkies. Applications like good old PC Ghost. Once you got it free with every driver diskette that came with your main-board. Now you pay for it.

[twinscythe12332]

yeah, I get what you're saying on this one. But there is still plenty of free software going, it's just that some of the apples are spoiling the rest. When you go onto one of these big file sites, the programs can be uploaded. I don't think it's the site that is categorizing them as much as it is the person uploading them. freeware is always sought after, so they'll place their stuff in freeware. however, they've also labeled things as "shareware" and i think that's the area that has the fog around it.

shareware seems to be try as long as you want, but it's X if you want to buy it.

[AndyD]

There is still lots of freeware around and some of it is actually streets ahead of the paid offerings of the same genre. I've attached a zipped Word document with a handy little list that was compiled by the members of darksiderg with particular credit to Pete21.

For an alternative to Nero try Infrarecorder or ImgBurn or my personal favorite ripit4me.