I’ve added a page, simply called “Free Products”.
Check it out from time to time, as it’s not part of my automatic blog feed you may have subscribed to – if you didn’t, why not subscribe right now, using that big orange RSS feed button up top, or the email subscription form to the right?
Quite the Useful Resource
There are many useful free products and services online and I’ll be adding links to my favorites on that new “Free Products” page regularly.
Where Does this Stuff Come From?
There’s an interesting software cottage industry where smaller software developers, programming hobbyists and one-person businesses write software for markets that are too new, too small or not profitable enough for the big guys. There are some real gems in those niches – usually at very low prices or even free.
Best Freeware Directories
To find almost all free and cheap software available online, I recommend a visit to CNet.com > Downloads. Use their search feature for “Windows” and try different search terms for the type of product you need.
SourceForge is another resource for freeware – it tends more toward the technical and is a part of the “Open Source” software collective.
Then there’s Major Geeks for more freeware and shareware. And I shouldn’t forget Tucows.
Precautions
Don’t be careless about what you try out or download. The sources I listed are reputable, but even they may feature some software that will entice you with “free” security or diagnostics or other “quick easy fixes”. Some of these programs are good (I see a couple I used to use and recommend), but some are either worthless or will actually install spyware (or worse) onto your computer – as they claim to protect you from that very thing. It’s a kind of software protection racket. It’s like “See, your computer is (now) infected, let us clean it up – for a price”. You won’t find that sort of thing on CNet.com or SourceForge.
For diagnosing and fixing problems on your computer, please use these safe, top-quality tools:
- See my maintenance posts
- Use JV16 Power Tools
For security:
- See my several ‘security’ tagged posts
- Use AVG Internet Security for a home office or small office, you’ll want the “Home Security” version. Notice that they offer a free version (which has some limitations) and paid single licenses or bundles of 3 licenses, for those with multiple computers.
Glossary:
The Open Source software movement
The Shareware software movement.
Do you have favorite free or cheap software to recommend? Please comment and share.
Until next time – enjoy the freebies…
_jim coe
Tags: open source
