Almost all of the -ware listed on this site is Windows 9x/ME compatible, but not all. Much of it is compatible with XP, but not nearly all, especially the older programs. Make sure you check to see if the program you're downloading works on your operating system.

Be doubly careful about downloading and installing free- and shareware apps on a networked or worksite machine. Your innocent installation of a MahJongg program to while away your lunch hour could bring wrack and ruin to your company's network, whether it's because of a virus that piggybacked on the program and was let free to run amok when you installed it, or because three dozen coworkers saw the program on the shared servers, decided to download and install it for their very own, and caused the servers to crash. Not to mention the adware, spyware, and other crapware that can get into a network. As one CTO says, "If you're managing 500 to 1000 PC's, and half are downloading freeware, you can imagine the problems that can result." Some workplaces block all employee downloads, while others use a variety of filtering and monitoring programs and protocols to manage (or spy on) their employee's Internet habits. It's your responsibility to find out what your company's stand on Internet downloading is, or what the consensus of everyone on your shared network is when it comes to downloading files.

There's a variety of "wares" out there. Freeware comes free for the download, with no strings attached. Other programs are free for the taking, but ask you not to redistribute it. Shareware comes with a price tag attached, but works forever without a hitch. Users are only prodded by their consciences to pay up. As you might imagine, you see less and less programs offered on this basis. Nagware works, but continually throws up reminders to register and pay for the program. Trialware disables itself after a set period of time. Demoware isn't the full program, but a demonstration version that often lacks key features and may expire as well. Be aware of the variety of programs out there, and don't expect every program you see to be labeled clearly as one or the other. Poke around the author's Web site, read the FAQs, and familiarize yourself with the program before galloping towards the "Download" button.

You might be interested in surfing to Radsoft's "Bloatbusters" site, located at radsoft.net/bloatbusters/. It's their ode to the various idiots, parasites, and scam artists who infest the Web with their badly coded, horribly bloated applications and utilities. Fun stuff and valuable as well, although some of the humor and examples will be lost on the non-technical reader, and the navigation of the site tries one's patience. Give the page a moment or two to sit, and you'll be treated to Bloatbuster's parody of an amateur home page. I have a low personal opinion of the guys at Radsoft, but that doesn't invalidate the quality of their work.

Also, there seems to be a new and ominous trend out there: passing off various shareware and freeware utilities as someone else's and selling said ripoffs. So far I've only read of one distributor, Sutton Designs (www.suttondesigns.com/), who has been alleged as perpetuating such a fraud, but where there's one cockroach, there's more. This is directly from WebAttack (www.webattack.com/), so go there for more info and news.

Common Sense Downloading (from the kind folks at PC World)

• Read reviews of products before trying them. Everything in these pages has been reviewed by what I consider to be a reputable source. That doesn't mean the product will perform as written (or that the source is truly reputable, even!), but the chances are better that they actually will behave properly.

• Be careful where you download from. While I try to always list the author's site for the downloads wherever possible, you may find yourself going to a public shareware site to find a particular program, or you may find a program you want to try in your surfing. Stick to the reputable ones that make believable claims of screening their wares for viruses and other nasties. Chop Shop Joe's Midnight Downloads might have a program you want, but you have no guarantee that Joe is being careful not to let critters hitch a ride on his wares.

• Do you really need the software? Make sure you don't already have a tool somewhere in the depths of your computer that will perform the function you're looking for (Microsoft is notorious for hiding useful goodies hither and yon among the code). And, really, how many different fonts, game demos, screen savers, and so forth do you need? If you find yourself drowning in a welter of downloaded goodies, don't be afraid to uninstall. Chances are, if you haven't used the program in a month, you aren't going to use it.

• Does the author offer technical support? Many reputable providers do not, so this isn't a be-all end-all stumbling block, but it's nice to at least have a phone number or e-mail address when you need help.

• Read the software agreement before going any further in the installation. This means the whole thing, legal profundities and all. Sometimes you find amazing things in among the verbiage, as when KaZaA users found that by installing KaZaA, they had given permission for their computer to be "hijacked" during down time to be used as part of KaZaA's partner Brilliant's networking. All spyware doesn't advertise; check your program out at Spychecker (www.spychecker.com/) to see if your new acquisition is on their spyware or adware list.

• Use Ad-aware. This is a free and highly recommended program that sniffs out spyware and adware from your machine or network. Find it at www.lavasoft.de/, and keep it updated.

• Be ruthless in uninstalling. If the program is causing you problems, get it out of there fast. Don't give it a chance to stick around and cause more problems. Programs that insist on sticking around, i.e. are hard to remove, can be cleansed from your machine by any number of free removal programs.

• Clean out the mess left behind. Stray DLLs and Registry entries are a way of life with downloaders, and sooner or later these virtual dustbunnies WILL -- not may, but WILL -- cause you a problem. If you're hesitant about finding and purging lots of undecipherable files, there are plenty of programs out there that will do the job quickly and safely.

Note: PC Magazine's library of downloads are only available by subscribing. Magazine subscribers can access the software for $15 a year, while the rest of us either pay $20 a year or $5 for a month with a limit of 3 downloads. I'm not happy about this, believe me. Very disappointing decision from the folks at Ziff Davis.

Happy downloading!

If a program you'd like doesn't have its URL listed, or the URL given doesn't work, try looking for it at any of the shareware sites listed on the shareware sites of this site.

 

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