Freeware and Shareware

Cut down on buying expensive software for just the odd use

There are some who, when they want an anti-virus programme for their PC, will pop down to their local store and spend out £35 for one. There is no need, there are ample free programmes you can download for nothing. This applies to many things and can be split into two areas...

FREEWARE

Freeware is just that, a completely free programme which you can download for nothing.These can range from PC Speed up utilities to Digital Photography editing.

Especially useful are spyware and firewall programmes. On many websites you go on (not this one) they will leave a cookie in your PC, a small nosey parker which passes information on to a company which keeps track of your viewing habits etc. These are used for marketing and advertising purposes.
By installing a free anti-spyware programme, you can run these to show you the spyware cookies you have accumalated over any given time and delete them if you wish.

Some cookies however, you may like to keep, for instance forums or sites where you have a login and password, but these shouldn't show up on anti-spyware anyway.

There are literally hundreds of freeware tools for 'makeing your PC run faster' etc., and one should research these with care and don't overload your PC with things which are going to interfere with each other ie. Registry Cleaners, Dead file clearance etc. Also, watch all the windows on the install as you don't want too many things starting on PC logon and running in the background using up valuable PC resources. Most programmes are quite OK by just turning them on when you want them.

SHAREWARE

It seems that the definition of Shareware is 'try before you buy', 'trial' or 'demo'.

These are programmes which ultimately you have to purchase, if you want them. Some don't give you the full version, but enough to try it out.

Shareware is particulary useful on the more expensive stuff. For example, I brought a camcorder and needed a software programme to 'author' DVD's.
By using the demo / trial method, I whittled down from six to one. Some of the programmes crashed my PC, some were too clever for me and some I just didn't get on with the interface.

This particulary useful if you've borrowed a camcorder and just want to make a DVD or PC file as a one off.

The same applied to owning a good Digital Photography editor, although none crashed the PC, I wanted one which would optimize my photos best for putting on the website and secondly 'non hi-tech ease of use' to fiddle around with them.

What you can also do with Shareware is to have a continuous utility, albeit some other companies every 30 days or so (although I don't suggest this on Anti-Virus and Firewall programmes as some are hard to delete off your computer and you have problems).

TELEPHONY AND VIDEO-CONFERENCING

If a relative or friend has a PC (and preferably Broadband),
this opens up a free world to communication.

For the price of a microphone you can use various
programmes,
mostly free, such as Messenger or Skype and
speak / listen
to them as if they're in the room with you. A
microphone
will cost you about £5 upwards and the off-cost to making
phone calls, especially abroad, are well - the skys the limit !

Add a webcam as well and you've got video conferencing. Just plug it in, open up the programme, make sure the other person is online, call them and you see and speak to them and vice versa.

It never ceases to amaze me why on these TV programmes of people moving to the other side of the world use the telephone. It costa money and they don't get to see the grandkids etc., growing up !

Adding up the things you have purchased over the years and hardkly used them can be a shocking experience.Why spend money when you could get things done for nothing!
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A computer salesman, a hardware engineer, and a software engineer are driving in a car together

.Suddenly the right rear tire blows out, and the car rolls to a stop. Our three heroes pile out to investigate.

The salesman announces sadly, "Time to buy a new car!"

Says the hardware engineer, "Well, first let's try swapping the front and rear tires, and see if that fixes it."

Replies the software engineer, "Now, let's just try driving the car again, and maybe the problem will go away by itself."

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I know you have to buy a PC and pay for an internet service, but beside all the information there is available on the net, there's vast amounts of money to be both earnt and saved
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"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." – Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949.

"I think there is a world market for may be five computers." – Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
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