Skip to main content

Cheap and Fast Software

An Introduction to Shareware

Visit any computer store or market place today and you’ll find what seems like miles and miles of software on sale. Certainly enticing buys, there are a few problems with buying software off the shelves. On the shelf, software – otherwise known as “commercial software” - can be expensive, and incompatible, and outdated when compared to what’s available online. Fortunately, there’s an alternative to commercial software and although it isn’t new, it’s one of the most under-exploited opportunities in the computer industry.

We’re talking about shareware – software that you can try before buying.

Shareware has a long history and was rather popular in the days where BBS (bulletin board systems) ruled the online industry. It hasn’t gone anywhere, but its competition with commercial software is fierce – so fierce that it tends to fall on the back burner among new computer users. This is unfortunate because shareware has so many advantages over commercial software.

One of those advantages is its cost. On the whole, shareware is generally cheaper than commercial software. But don’t misinterpret the cost. With shareware, cheap does not equal low-quality and there are plenty of examples that prove shareware often outperforms the quality of commercial software time and time again. How much savings are we talking about? You could purchase a quality word processor, spreadsheet, database program, or system utility anywhere from a mere $15(our posts will be valued in $ but not to discriminate against the N) to under a hundred. This is almost unheard of in stores like Best Buy, Circuit City or Egghead yet the shareware programs offered within this price range rival even Microsoft’s Office suite.

Another advantage that shareware has over commercial software is its compatibility. We’re not saying that shareware is compatible with all operating systems. What we’re saying is that since we can try shareware before paying for it, we can determine if the software is completely compatible with our systems first. In other words, we can discover whether the software performs the way we want them to and should anyone try to do the same with commercial software, they’ll be in for a big disappointment.

Commercial software policy doesn’t even allow for returns, let alone “borrowing” to try them.

The last advantage that shareware has over commercial software (but certainly not the least) is its applicability. Plain and simple, shareware is the best bet when you want to keep on top of the latest release of a particular program. Sure, computer stores do their best to keep their inventory up to date, but when you can download version 5.6042 of a shareware program as opposed to buying a commercial 3.0 version from the local computer shop, there’s just no comparison.

Which brings up our next point; just where does one get shareware? Shareware is all over the Internet and it’s really hard not to bump into it. The most popular places to find shareware is within thousands of download libraries, however the companies (and even independent programmers behind shareware) are increasingly offering shareware from their own websites. A simple Google or Yahoo search for a particular type of program will yield all sorts of results that point you toward items that you can try before you buy.

Be aware however, that because shareware is not commercial software, you may not experience a full program the way you would if you bought the software out of a box. Shareware may or may not be limited – meaning that some functions may not be available to you until the program is paid for. These limitations are often small and don’t interfere with the way its full version operates. They’re really just implemented as a way to prompt payment. Remember that shareware is not freeware. You shouldn’t try to use shareware as commercial software without paying for it.

About the only thing that’s similar between shareware and commercial software is the way in which they may be bought. With a credit card, you can be the new owner of your own software within minutes.

Contact Depeak Technology Services today for professional computer services/maintenance


08125338345

08039479877

08099742186

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Laptop Batteries

If your laptop battery can not backup as it used to and you can only get thirty minutes or at most forty five of work done before you need to start  searching for an AC outlet? Sounds like it's time for a replacement battery. It is true that laptop batteries are  expensive but without a good backup your pc hard drive is at a risk and you could eventually lost your data in the occurrence of a possible crash. Price vary from one model to another but new ones sell for a few thousands of naira if you know what I mean.  There are some as high as ten to fifteen thousand naira. When you consider that brand-new laptops now sell from as low as forty five  thousand naira, it can be a hard pill to swallow. If your laptop is your primary PC, and you are sure of constant power from your AC outlet (can't vouch for that anyway) you may be wasting battery cycles by leaving it plugged in all the time. Try removing the battery until you actually need to go somewhere with your l...
Post a Comment
Continue reading »

Black Friday

The effect of "Black Friday" is taking it's toll on Nigerians. It seems we are getting the feel and catching the fever more than the developed nations that introduced it. Moreover, we (Nigerians) are good at tweaking, adapting and making people and situations adapt to changes. "We no dey carry last". Jumia , my beloved Jumia has tweaked it's mobile app to adapt and conform to Black Friday (I am an agent o, a JFORCEite for that matter. You can send me your lists and let me order for you). Jumia Black Friday sales will start at Midnight November 27 (tomorrow), with star products going live starting at 12am up till 12pm same day. Every 2 hours, spectacular deals will be uploaded to withstand the shopping rush and intrigues. To grab these amazing flash sales, set your reminders, charge your internet devices, avoid all distractions from side attractions and let the Black Friday be your focus with a definite goal of getting your desired products as soon as i...
Post a Comment
Continue reading »

Innovate for change

Nigerians, what a blessed people we are. It is really a great thing to look at situations and find out ways of bringing them under control. You don't have to always wait for what the government can do for you but think of what you can do to make situation and life better for yourself and others. Checkout this website and the guys that set up this innovation if it is not a "good thinking, good product". I mean this is a good idea. Jekalo jooo ko wo n kan ti won se (come and check out what they are doing) http:// www.jekalo.com Don't forget you can still get a good deal on laptop batteries from this  reputable store on DealDey . You get 23% off on selected batteries. Check  it out if you are feeling lucky.
Post a Comment
Continue reading »