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BOOT CAMP 287 (12/08/03)
Shareware and Freeware, Part 1,
Essentials
Imagine going into a shop, you see something you like but
instead of buying it the shop lets you take it home, so you can try out it for a
few weeks and if you decide to keep it you pay for it.
It sounds too good to be true but that’s more or less how
Shareware works. Shareware is computer software that you download from the
Internet so you can try before you buy, and quite often the cost or licence fee
is a lot lower than comparable over the counter software products. Some
functions may be limited, it stops working after the trial period has expired or
displays ‘nag’ screens but normally it’s sufficiently useable to allow you to
make an informed buying decision.
Freeware is even better this is software that is literally
given away. True, some products contain advertising messages, (and very
occasionally adware and spyware programs), you may be asked to make a small
donation to the author – and it’s only polite to do so if you find the program
useful -- but in general the best freeware is just that, free, with no strings
attached.
You may be wondering how software companies can afford to be
so generous? It’s simple; by marketing a product over the Internet the
distribution and packaging costs are drastically reduced. Some shareware and
freeware titles are condensed or ‘lite’ versions of more sophisticated packages
and the hope is you’ll be persuaded to buy the full program. Otherwise they may
be small add-ons or utilities, or third-party improvements to existing programs
and operating systems, created by genuinely altruistic individuals who simply
want to share their expertise.
It’s time for our annual roundup of shareware and freeware
programs and utilities but before we begin a few words about how to organise
your downloads. I strongly suggest that you create a new folder into which you
can save your downloaded files. This will avoid clutter and make them easier to
manage, so start by opening Windows Explorer and make sure it is showing the
root of your main hard disc drive (i.e. drive C: is highlighted in the left
pane) then go to the File menu, click New then Folder and it will appear at the
bottom of the right hand pane. The name New Folder should be highlighted, so
rename it simply by typing in a new name, something like ‘Downloads’ (without
the quotes) and hit the Enter key. When you download a program from the Internet
you will have the option to Open or Save it, you should select the latter, and
direct it to your Download folder.
We’ll finish off with a couple of essentials, next week in
part two the emphasis will be on Internet and email applications.
WINZIP, shareware, 1.8Mb, Windows 95, 9x/NT/2000/XP, www.winzip.com
You will definitely need a copy of WinZip on your PC if you
are using Windows 9x (98/SE/ME). It’s the de-facto decompression utility, which
basically means it extracts or ‘unzips’ files that have been ‘compressed’ to
make them smaller and hence easier and quicker to send over the Internet. Many
of the shareware and freeware titles we’ll be looking at are compressed or
‘zipped’ and although Windows XP has a similar utility built-in, it’s not as
versatile as WinZip, which has the facility to check files and view Readme
documents, before they are decompressed. WinZip also has a useful compression
function, which is handy for saving space on your hard disc drive, or for
sending large files and images as email attachments or on floppy disc. To get
WinZip just click the ‘Download Evaluation Version’ button and follow the
instructions.
AVG ANTIVIRUS FREE EDITION, freeware, 6.2Mb, Windows
9x/NT/2000/XP, http://www.grisoft.com
A virus scanner is absolutely essential on any PC with an
Internet connection. AVG Antivirus Free Edition compares very favourably with
the better-known commercial scanners and it is regularly updated with the latest
virus ‘signatures. It checks all incoming emails and file downloads and can be
set to regularly scan your disc drives.
Disclaimer: you download and install these programs entirely
at your own risk and we cannot provide any help or support.
Next week – More top shareware and freeware
JARGON FILTER
COMPRESSION
A technique that reduces the size of files by replacing large
repetitive blocks of data with much shorter codes
NAG
SCREEN
A
window or display that appears when a program has started to remind the user to
pay a registration fee or indicate how many days of the trial period
remain
SIGNATURE
Essential a virus’s fingerprint, a unique section of computer
code that a virus scanner uses to identify infected files
TIP OF THE WEEK
As you probably know by now Google is the Internet’s
favourite search engine and in Boot Camp 275 we looked at how to make best use
of it and improve its functionality but here’s a Google tip especially for Star
Trek fans. Lock your sensors on to this rather special version of Google, in
Klingon, which is apparently the Galaxy’s fastest growing language…You’ll find
it at http://www.google.com/intl/xx-klingon/.
Make it so, Qapla'…
NEXT
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