Free Software
Topic: Freeware
I first posted this article at Livejournal on 4 Sep 04

There are basically three ways to get software. The first way is to write your own. That is way beyond the scope of this column. The other ways to get software are to pay for it or to not pay for it. We are going to deal with the not pay for it way.

There are two ways to get software for free. (While I'm dividing things up into groups, I'll throw this one in for free. There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't.) The first way to get free software is to find someone who obtained it and get them to share it with you. I am not going to delve into the morality or immorality of proprietary software. It is safe to say that companies and individuals who market proprietary software go to great lengths to keep you from sharing it. I will enumerate some of those.

First, your software comes with what is referred to as a EULA--End User License Agreement. It basically says that you are not buying the software, you are only purchasing a license to use the software, and you will use it the way they say so or they will hunt you down like a dog and throw you into prison (I'm not making this up).

For instance, lets say I have two computers. I buy a copy of Microsoft Windows XP for$150. Since I have two computers, and I paid for the software, I ought to be able to put it on both of my computers so that whichever computer I am using at any given time, I can use my software, right? Oh no. I only purchased a license to use it on one computer. If I want to use it on my second computer I must buy a second copy (or license). It might be ok if I deleted it from my first computer whenever I wanted to put it on the second, but that would be highly inconvenient. But if I use it on both computers, I am stealing from Microsoft and poor Mr. Gates will soon be out on the street. Software vendors can get really snotty about this. Once I purchased a software package that Betty saw in the store and decided she had to have. After we got home I was reading the enclosed documentation, which, of course, contained the obligatory EULA. Not only did it say the license was only for one computer, but it was only for one person. That's right. If I wanted to sit down at the same computer and use that software they expected that I would pay them for a second license. (I'm still not making this up. Can you imagine trying to buy sheets for your bed and having the store clerk say, "If both of you will be sleeping on these sheets, I will need to charge you for a second license.")

The second way some outfits try to prevent you from sharing software is to put code into the programs themselves to prevent this. For instance, I paid 30 bucks or so for a software package on the internet. After using it a while, I switched computers and went to install it on my new one. The software told me that my license was no good, because it was for the first computer not the second. If I wanted to use it on the new computer, I had to contact the author of the software and get his permission to use his software on my new computer. Even though I had already paid for it. Because, as we discussed, I really didn't by software, I only bought a license. The aforementioned Windows XP does the same thing. If you go out and do something silly, like upgrade the processor in your computer, you may find your operating system calling the FBI to report you.

I see that I have waxed very eloquently, and some of you may be bored to tears, so I will move to the next way of getting free software. That way is to find people who write software and who want to give it away.

That is correct ladies and gentlemen. Some people write software and give it away. Why would they do this? Well, that would depend upon the individual. You may contact them and inquire if you wish. I am simply going to write some reviews of free software I have used and tell you how to get it so you can also use it if you wish.

First, the ground rules.
1) I assume most if not all of my readers are running Windows. I don't have a Mac so I can't tell you about Mac software. Also, my experiences with the software I will tell you about are all with Windows XP. All the computers in my house run XP, and you couldn't pay me to go back to earlier versions of Windows. XP is bad enough, but it's better than it's predecessors.

2) I take no responsibility for any alleged problems any software package causes you and your computer. It's your computer and you are responsible for the software you install on it.

3) I will not talk about any software I do not personally use or least have tried for myself. I'm not going to recommend something I know nothing about or that I think is useless.

OK, then. In the coming days I will tell you about software you can get for free and use without worrying about being hunted down like a dog.