Downloading Software From The Web

You can download a wide range of useful software over the Internet.
The following summaries provide information on download management,
tips, web sites, and other resources.

Management. Some software installs over the web using a custom install
application, in which case you should simply follow the directions,
and there is very little management required on your part. However,
many applications require you to download the software and then
install it locally. The following four steps will help you efficiently
manage the download process:

Download folder. If you don't already have one, create a folder called
Download Files (or something similar) and store it on your desktop.
Download software. Download the software into your Download Files
folder (see tips below).
Decompress. Open up Download Files and double-click the downloaded
file. One of two things will happen:

It starts up an install program, in which case follow the directions
to install the software.

It decompress a folder of files, in which case look for a file called
"Readme", and if there is one then double-click it and read it. Then
look for the startup file, usually called "setup", or "install",
double-click it, and follow the directions to install the software. If
your system needs help decompressing the file, try using the WinZip or
Stuffit applications.
Delete. When the installation is finished, unless you want to save the
original downloaded file to perform additional installations later,
delete the file to save disk space.
Tips. When you click on a link to download a file, some browsers try
to load the file into the browser window instead of downloading the
file onto your computer. These techniques can help:

Internet Explorer. Right-click on the link and select "Save Target
As...", and then save the file to your download folder.
Mozilla Firefox. Right-click on the link and select "Save Link As...",
and then save the file to your download folder.

Sites. The following sites are good sources for free software downloads:

Google - Freeware
Google - Shareware
Yahoo - Shareware
CNet -- Download.com
CNet -- Shareware.com
File Transit
IT Pro Downloads
Nonags.com
Rocketdownload
Shareware Junkies
Simtel.Net
Strouds CWSApps
Tucows.
Resources. Additional downloading resources are listed below:

Common Internet File Formats
Graphics File Formats
Virus Protection Software.

Downloading Software From The Web

You can download a wide range of useful software over the Internet.
The following summaries provide information on download management,
tips, web sites, and other resources.

Management. Some software installs over the web using a custom install
application, in which case you should simply follow the directions,
and there is very little management required on your part. However,
many applications require you to download the software and then
install it locally. The following four steps will help you efficiently
manage the download process:

Download folder. If you don't already have one, create a folder called
Download Files (or something similar) and store it on your desktop.
Download software. Download the software into your Download Files
folder (see tips below).
Decompress. Open up Download Files and double-click the downloaded
file. One of two things will happen:

It starts up an install program, in which case follow the directions
to install the software.

It decompress a folder of files, in which case look for a file called
"Readme", and if there is one then double-click it and read it. Then
look for the startup file, usually called "setup", or "install",
double-click it, and follow the directions to install the software. If
your system needs help decompressing the file, try using the WinZip or
Stuffit applications.
Delete. When the installation is finished, unless you want to save the
original downloaded file to perform additional installations later,
delete the file to save disk space.
Tips. When you click on a link to download a file, some browsers try
to load the file into the browser window instead of downloading the
file onto your computer. These techniques can help:

Internet Explorer. Right-click on the link and select "Save Target
As...", and then save the file to your download folder.
Mozilla Firefox. Right-click on the link and select "Save Link As...",
and then save the file to your download folder.

Sites. The following sites are good sources for free software downloads:

Google - Freeware
Google - Shareware
Yahoo - Shareware
CNet -- Download.com
CNet -- Shareware.com
File Transit
IT Pro Downloads
Nonags.com
Rocketdownload
Shareware Junkies
Simtel.Net
Strouds CWSApps
Tucows.
Resources. Additional downloading resources are listed below:

Common Internet File Formats
Graphics File Formats
Virus Protection Software.

What is Shareware, Trial Software and Freeware?

In the Mid 1980's Bob Wallace developed a word processor program
called PC-Write. To further describe his program, Wallace came up with
the term Shareware. Many users in the industry consider Jim Button,
the creator of PC-File - a database program, and Andrew Fluegelman,
the author of PC-Talk - a communication program, are considered to be
the "fathers" of the Shareware concept. However, the three of them
clearly established the Shareware model to be the viable marketing
method for their software.

In the early days of software distribution, it was a standard practice
to share computer programs across a global bulletin board system. This
allowed users to share and exchange them with other users that may
have a need for it to accomplish or simplify daily tasks. As the
progress of the software industry continued to develop, software
authors and vendors started to request small payments for their
software in order to help support continued improvements and offer
technical support of the software.

Computer software was distributed and shared between friends and
colleagues; however, it wasn't until the development of the Internet
and e-commerce, when the concept of Shareware really took off and
became more popular than one could have ever imagined.

As the Internet became more popular, so did the use of Shareware,
Trial Software and Freeware. In the early 90's the Internet lead to a
new software distribution model that revolutionized the software
industry and the way software was distributed. This new found method
of distribution has been so successful over the past 20 years, that
now almost every software development company uses it today to bring
about awareness of their software.

To make this network of Shareware and Freeware distribution even more
powerful, Webmasters began making Website archives based on the
software that was available to download. These massive libraries of
software are commonly known as software download sites.

What is Shareware?
So what exactly is Shareware? Shareware is software that is
distributed on a trial basis with the understanding by the users of
the software, that there may be a small charge by the author to
continue to use it. Most Shareware is delivered free of charge by
downloading it from the Internet; either from the authors Website or
from a software download site. By registering the software and paying
the small fee, you become registered with the author and you can
receive technical support and updates of the software when they become
available.

You can copy Shareware and pass it along to friends and colleagues, as
long as it is the trial version of the software and not the registered
version. They too are expected to pay a registration fee if they
intend on using the software regularly beyond the trial period.

The trial period of the computer software is entirely dependent on the
software author and can vary a great deal. Typically, the trial period
can be anywhere from 10 - 30 days or even 45 - 60 days. I have also
seen some software where the trial period was based on usage and only
allow you to use the program an X number of times. So there are many,
many variations of trial periods and usage time for you to evaluate
the software before you buy.

The functionality of the software can be limited as well; some authors
will release fully functional software and others will offer a limited
or a lite version of the full program. For example, all of our
software here at CoffeeCup is offered to users to try out the fully
functional program for a limited amount of time. You can download
coffeecup software here: http://www.coffeecup.com/software/.

Trial Software vs. Shareware
What is the difference between Trial Software and Shareware? There
really is not much of a difference. Shareware is an older term that is
becoming superseded by the term Trial Software. Back when Shareware
first evolved, it meant that Shareware could be shared freely with
each other, friends and colleagues. Many users started to think that
it was ok to register the software and then share it with others; this
is simply not the case. To avoid this problem the term Trial Software
was introduced. The term Trial Software is more precise and means
exactly what it is - Trial software.

Freeware vs. Trial Software
What exactly is Freeware? Freeware unlike Trial Software, is software
that is completely free for anyone to use or pass along to other to
use. The difference between Freeware and Trial Software is that
Freeware is just that - Free. You never have to pay to use Freeware
and can pass it along for others to use too free of charge. This is a
huge advantage for using Freeware.

There are a few disadvantages of using Freeware as well. One
disadvantage of using Freeware software is that the author may no
longer be developing it and improving it. So if you use a Freeware
program on a regular basis, check with the developer of the software
to see if they are still going to be developing it and offering
updates. Another disadvantage of Freeware is that you may not get the
help or support you are in need of to use the software. Of course,
this is dependent on the developer on what exactly is offered with the
Freeware version of the program, you should check directly with the
company to see what the policy is regarding the software.

Where can you get Trial Software, Shareware and Freeware?
Often times you can download programs that offer Shareware, Trial
Software and Freeware versions directly from the authors Website or
software download sites. Software download sites are archives of
thousands of different programs; such as educational software, web
design software, network software, and so much more. Best of all, it's
available all in one place.

Websites such as www.tucows.com will review the software and make sure
that it works properly, and will also give it a rating based on a set
of criterions that the software must meet to receive a rating. Other
sites such as www.download.com will have their editorial staff review
the software but also allow users to comment and give feedback on the
software. This can be especially useful to get other opinions before
downloading and trying out the software.

Software vendors will often submit the latest version of their
software to these download sites so that the users of these sites can
be sure they are getting the latest version of their software.

The Advantages
So what are the advantages of Shareware, Trial Software and Freeware?
Well, the advantage of Freeware is just that - it's free. For
Shareware and Trial Software, however, the big advantage is that you
can try the software before you buy it. Using Shareware through the
trial period allows you ample time to test out the software before you
buy it.

With Shareware, you can try out several different products and see
which one best suits your needs for the project or task you need it for.

Another advantage of Shareware or Trial Software is that it is usually
a lot less expensive that store bought software. Software authors
don't have to pay the extra overhead for packaging and printed
materials which allows them to sell the software and at much lower cost.

Overall, the distribution of Shareware, Trial Software and Freeware
continue to improve with new methods of marketing and more vendors are
producing software for users to try before they buy. With the support
of users, authors are continually developing Trial Software versions
of their software to make their software even better to meet the
growing needs of their registered users.

Tips for Downloading Software Online

Do you ever find yourself surfing the Internet, looking for software
to complete a task you need to do, or to get something accomplished
faster than you are now? I'm sure we all have at least once, and if
you haven't, well, that's inevitable; eventually we all will do it at
least once. If you use your computer regularly to get things done,
there are loads of different software packages out there than can
simplify even the most complex tasks.

Many times you will come across software companies that are very
well-known and their outstanding software has won several awards, and
to top it off, the features or benefits of the software seems to fit
what you are looking for. However, if you are on a budget like me,
then chances are you will want to download the software first to make
sure that it is exactly what you need to get the job done. The
unfortunate thing about it is that not all companies offer software
downloads of their programs. So now you have to make the decision to
take the chance and go ahead and purchase the software, or you can
look around a bit and see if there is any other software downloads out
there that may fit the bill.

Some of the places you can check to download software is the
manufacturers' Website; like CoffeeCup Software, or you can look at
some of the software library sites on the Internet like Tucows or
Download.com. These are all reputable sources for downloading software.

If you are new to the Web, or have not downloaded anything before,
downloading software and testing it out can be fun! There are many
programs out there that can suit your needs and perhaps it can also
help you to define more of what you maybe looking for; you may
download a program that has a particular feature that you didn't think
of which could be very useful to you.

When downloading software from the Internet there are some things you
should keep in mind. Here is a brief listing of the most important
Do's and Don'ts on downloading software from the Internet:

Do - Make sure that you read the installation instructions. Some may
require that you uninstall the previous versions before installing the
new one, or you may need to have another type of software installed.
Do - Make sure that you download software that is compatible with your
operating system. There may be several different versions available
for download; such OS X, Windows or Linux. If you don't download the
correct version, you could run into troubles or the software may
simply not work; leading to frustration and wasted time for you.
Do - Backup your system just in case something doesn't go right. If
you are using Windows XP there is a rollback feature that will allow
you rollback your system to a previous restore point; make sure that
you've created a restore point before downloading.
Do - Make sure that you scan the file before opening it even if it is
from a trusted source. Typically you can do this by right-clicking the
file and selecting scan from the pop up menu.
Don't - Download software through a file sharing program, you have no
idea what you may or may not be getting.
Don't - Install software that you don't own. There are many sites out
there that distribute registered software which violates the license
agreement, downloading from these sites can lead to trouble.
Don't - Download software through e-mails unless it is from a trusted
source. Most software companies do not send their software as
attachments in email.
Don't - Download from unreliable sources. To avoid getting bad
software you should download software from a trustworthy site; such as
the developers Website or a download software archive library.
How to Download Software
When you have found the right software and you are ready to download,
the site you are visiting will more than likely have a download link
in which you can click on to start the software download process.
After you click on the software download link, a box will pop up and
you will be given the option to Run, Save or Cancel the download. It
is very important that you choose the Save option so that you can save
it to your computer in the place that you want, and so that you can
run it at a later time if you wish to. If you choose run, it will
download the file to a temporary folder and automatically start the
installation.
When you click on Save, you will be prompted to save it in a specific
directory on your computers hard drive. You should download it into a
directory on your hard drive so that after you download the software
it will be easier for you to find. The simplest way I have found to do
this is to create a download folder on the desktop and download the
software into that folder. Or you can simply download the file
directly to your desktop. This way, you know exactly where the file is
and it can save you time from trying to hunt down the software on your
computer.

Once you've downloaded the software, you can then double-click on the
.exe file and it will start the installation process. Do understand
though that some of the software you download may also be in a .zip
file. A .zip file is a file that has been compressed to make it
smaller in size so that it is faster for you to download. In this case
you will need to have unzipping software installed on your computer to
unzip the file first, and they you can run the installation file
During the installation process, you will be asked questions as to
where you want to install the software, what program group you want to
add it to etc. Unless you have a personal preference where it
installs, I would suggest sticking with the default settings.

Once you are done installing, and depending on the software, you can
choose to have a desktop icon created so that you can simply click on
that to start the program. The desktop icon will allow you to quickly
start the program and save you the steps from hunting it down on the
Start menu.

The best place to start with your newly downloaded software is the
help file. The help file will walk you through the steps of using the
software, and many help files often have a Quick Start Guide included
so that you don't waste all your time reading and can start using the
software right away.

Removing Software
Once you've installed the software and decide that it's not quite what
you are looking for you can uninstall the software from your computer.
There are a few different ways you can do this.
First, and probably the easiest way to remove software from your
computer is to use the uninstall feature that is built into the
software. Typically, the uninstaller is installed as an option in your
program group. You can find this by clicking the Start > Programs >
Program group name > Uninstall.

If the software you installed doesn't have an uninstaller, you can use
the add/remove programs option in your control panel.

If you have a program that you like and decide to purchase it, you
should uninstall the demo version that you have on your computer.
Running two different versions can cause your program not to run
properly and causes conflicts in your system.

Sometimes, companies will give you access to download the full
version, while others may offer to upgrade your trial version that you
already have installed. Normally, the upgrade is done with a
registration key sent to you by the company.

By following the simple outline above for downloading software from
the Internet, you should have loads of fun testing out different
software applications without harm to your system.

Final Note
Downloading software from the Internet can be a little scary at first,
because you really have no idea what to expect. Once you have
downloaded a few programs and start to gain experience, you can really
have fun testing out many different software titles that are available
to you.