Beware Before You Shareware

Living in a small, rural community with no easy access to an electronics store can make finding good software hard.  Searching the internet doesn’t always help.  Much of the shareware or freeware is either worthless or harmful.  What’s worse is that there doesn’t seem to be an easy way for the non-techie to know the best from the worst.

Awards were once a way for you to know that what you were getting was worth it.  One of the oldest awards I know about is the “Good Housekeeping Seal” but I’ve seen, used, and bought products with that seal that I wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemy.

Software is the same.  I’ve tried asking people that are in the know what I need and every one of them has a different thought or opinion.  It seems that software can be as much about personal taste as it is about how it runs on your computer.

The best way to find the software that is right for you is to experiment - with caution.  Don’t download something because you think the site you are visiting is safe.  Take some time to do a little research about the company first.  And make sure you anti-virus and anti-spyware programs are up to date before you start to download.

Finding your way through the mounds of software available today is not easy.  The good AND bad news is that it will only become more complicated in the future.