Software Revolution

"Free usually means inferior. In the upside-down world of software, free often means superior."

After reading the assigned article, I learned many aspects of freeware, open source, and shareware that I have never known about. I feel this software is the beginning of a revolution on the internet. Opensource software seems great for the computer literate because many minds are better than the ones being paid to improve software in offices such as Microsoft. It adds a certain creativity spark because it can be the combination and imagination of so many people. I did not know much about open source software before reading this article. I knew about shareware, I have used programs such as McAfee, and before I bought it I did the trial version. Freeware also seems great because one can have the same advantages as the software that costs hundreds of dollars. My dad spends thousands of dollars on software, and after reading the article I am definitely going to have a talk with him about trying freeware and open source software.

I concentrated on download.com to see an example of a website that supports the free software on the web. I had no idea that there was so much software one could legally download, and the fact that there was such a variety! I liked how the amount of times each program had been downloaded was posted, so one could see what was more popular. I also liked how there was user ratings, as well as a part where reviews were posted so one could see the pro's and con's of the software. I feel it is important for the consumer to see what other people "just like them" thought about the software.

After browsing through the site, I ended up downloading a couple programs. The first I downloaded was Ad-Aware. I figured one could never have too much spyware protection, and it is one of the most popular software downloads on the site. After installing the program, I was very happy with my results. I have Norton Internet Security that I use, and I ran a system scan before I installed this program. I had 0 infected files. After running Ad-Aware, it found 12 objects. This free program found infected files that my paid program did not! I am definitely keeping this program on my computer. I also downloaded Cyberlink DVD Solution. This is a program that lets you record, copy, and play DVD/CD files audio and video files. It also lets you create movies and record them as DVD's, as well as other functions I consider fun! My favorite part was the part that let's me create my Lightscribe CD'’s. This is so when I put the CD in, my computer lasers my label on. I tested one out, and it'’s seriously one of the greatest part about my laptop. I am definitely keeping this program as well.

I did not know about these websites before I started the assignment. Again, freeware and open source software are pretty new to me. However, I will definitely start using these sites when I need new software.