Software Tips Article
It’s funny. A long time ago, I started writing down software tips each time I made a software purchase, download or install mistake. Five years later software is more often known by the term, “web application.” Freeware is “open source.” PC game software development is floundering in the shadow of console titles. I’m wondering what kind of future remains for offline software. Anyway, here’s an excerpt and a word of caution not to take Software Buyers Myths, Miffs, and Tips too seriously.
As a newbie software user overwhelmed by the many programs being cranked out every day by developers, I’d visit software sites and download and install just about anything that looked interesting, even if I wasn’t exactly sure what the software did. I’d buy software from retail stores packaged in some of the most graphically appealing boxes ever seen and find out later that the functionality was lacking. After this age of personal software discovery had passed and my Windows registry was deflowered and full of garbage, I had learned a few things about choosing which software programs to buy, download and install.
January 20th, 2006 at 12:30 am
I think you missed something. Consider, what if the company stopped development of the product, then started development of a new product, with functionality very same to the former, in order to extort money from its users, because users of former product had to buy (or upgrade to) new product? (remember, even with lifetime updates, upgrades, and download policy in place, this is completely allowed, since there is no “lifetime development policy”)
August 27th, 2006 at 11:46 am
Best to dump Windows altogether, and embrace Linux and free (as in GNU – http://www.gnu.org/ ) software. Windows is simply a marketing platform to sell you things. A lot of people eventually get sick of this- I know I did. After countless pop ups, spyware, add ware, etc. I had enough. With truly free software, you never have to pay for an update, and you always have access to the most cutting edge versions of the software you like.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:26 am
The only holding me back is that some programs that I use don’t have Linux versions. Photoshop is one example. I don’t want to use Gimp.