All About Freeware

Here are two additional advantages of free software which I neglected to mention in a previous post…

1. Users can easily download and try out different freeware programs without having to commit to buying an expensive software package. This way, if the program doesn’t meet the user’s needs or won’t work on his/her computer, it is easy to remove it and install a different one.

2. Freeware is more environmentally friendly and consumes fewer natural resources in manufacturing/distribution. Unlike with typical commercial software, there is no shipping, packaging materials, compact discs, or paper manuals involved.

Other advantages include its free availability, convenience, and often lower system requirements.

Freeware computer programs can be distributed free of charge, and they perform a broader array of functions than commercially available software. However, it is important to avoid downloads containing spyware or viruses. While this is not as widespread a problem as some Internet users believe, it is safest to take the following precautions…

1. Try to avoid downloading freeware from disreputable web (and FTP) sites. Major sites like tucows.com and download.com are safe, but many small sites also provide virus-free software.

2. After you download freeware, always scan it for viruses with an antivirus program like AVG Free. Make sure that your antivirus program has the latest updates installed beforehand.

3. If the application causes your computer to behave abnormally, it is safest to fully remove it, disconnect from the Internet, and run a virus scan of the computer’s hard disk drive.

Many businesses spend a great deal of money on commercial software like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Corel WordPerfect, and so on. Using freeware computer programs can save a business money, and in many cases allow it to continue using older computers. Just the savings from implementing one free program (like a word processor) are substantial.

However, it is important to find freeware that is reliable and legal for business purposes. Be sure to examine a software program’s license and read reviews of it before taking the time to install and set it up. Some free programs can only be legally installed for personal or non-commercial usage, but many of them are available to businesses as well.

While free software concepts like freeware, shareware, open source, and trialware are relatively common, other lesser-known types can also be found. One of these is called postcardware. Here are some details about what it is…

According to wikipedia.org, the programmer of a postcardware application or game asks that the user mail him or her a postcard. Such programs and software add-ons are otherwise free for anyone to download and use.

Some examples of postcardware include Bome’s Mouse Keyboard, Dan Smith’s Fantasy Fonts, Xmas List, command-line file downloader HTGET, and text editor EditPad Classic. Games of this type also exist, such as Piramidka and Ancient Domains of Mystery.

People often pay for CD-ROMs containing free software like Linux or OpenOffice, because they lack high-speed internet connections or equipment necessary to download and install this software manually. A number of eBay sellers earn money by offering such CDs. A couple examples of recent sales: OpenOffice 2.4 for $2.40 + $2.04 S/H, Linux XP ‘09 and Ubuntu ‘09 for $7.48 total.

It won’t make you a lot of money, but it’s relatively easy for someone who can “burn” CDs. For earning money by selling free software to be possible, you will need a fast internet connection (or already-created CDs of the programs or operating systems you plan to sell), blank CD-R discs, and a computer with a CD-ROM “burner” drive. Always be sure that it is completely legal to distribute all of the software in question.