THE CUTTING EDGE : With ‘Shareware,’ Try Before You Buy
If you’re looking for good buys on software, consider “shareware,” software that you can try before you pay for it.
Retail software is so cheap nowadays that nobody is writing shareware word processors or spreadsheets anymore. But shareware remains a great source for utilities such as file managers, calendars, anti-virus programs, games and niche products such as wedding planning software.
Where do you get shareware? Three main places: on-line, from disk vendors, and on CD-ROMs, which come stuffed with thousands of programs.
Among on-line services, your best bet is CompuServe. One way or another, just about every piece of shareware ends up there. The best way to find it is to use the IBM File Finder (GO IBMFF, in CompuServe parlance), which will search the service for the programs you want.
Prodigy doesn’t have shareware collections like CompuServe. If you want a wide-rangingcollection of shareware, you’ll have to go to ZiffNet for Prodigy, and you’ll have to pay an extra fee for it.
America Online isn’t as comprehensive as CompuServe, but has lots of shareware too. Just GO SOFTWARE. On the Internet, there’s shareware in many places; to reach the great trove of Windows programs, ftp ftp.cica.indiana.edu (you netsters know how).
Disk vendors have large collections of shareware, which they sell for $2 to $5 per disk. Two of the best-known vendors are Public Software Library ((800) 242-4775) and Public Brand Software ((800) 426-3475).
The newest shareware source is CD-ROMs. They usually sell for less than $40, which gets you a CD stuffed with thousands of shareware titles. There are many sources; two are Public Software Library and the Assn. of Shareware Professionals ((616) 788-5131).
Remember, wherever you get your shareware--even if you buy it on disk--you’re morally and legally obligated to register any programs you keep. That means paying the author.
To get started in shareware, make sure you get:
* Pkzip. This package of programs lets you uncompress downloaded shareware files, or compress files to be stored or sent to another user;
* McAfee’s VirusScan virus protection software, so you can scan whatever you get later;
* The Visual Basic Runtime modules. Many Windows programs are written in VisualBasic, which means you’ll need these generics to make them run. They’re vbrun100.dll, vbrun200.dll and vbrun300.dll.
Some others worth trying:
* Time and Chaos. If you’re looking to take control of your life, this excellent “personal information manager” is the place to start.
* ClipMate. This Windows utility lets you save all the information you put onto the Clipboard, not just the last clip. It also lets you combine several clips into one large one.
* Drag and File. This excellent replacement for the Windows File Manager includes file viewers for just about every major program--something Windows doesn’t have.
* METZ Task Manager. Do away with Windows’ anemic Task Manager.
* WinPost. Get rid of the little yellow stickies all over your desk and computer. Use this electronic equivalent of Post-Its.
* Wolfenstein 3-D. Great game: Kill Nazis and their running dogs. Escape from the fortress.
* AM-TAX. You have filed your taxes, haven’t you? No? Then get this tax-prep program.
* QModem. The best DOS shareware telecommunications program.
* Top Fonts Sampler. Windows users can never have enough fonts, so try out this excellent TrueType collection.
* WinPaks. More fonts, icons and screen savers.
* 4DOS. For command-line junkies, a better DOS than DOS.
* Envision Publisher. DOS desktop-publishing program.
* WOPR (WinWord Office Power Pack). Macros and add-ins for Word for Windows, the popular word processor.
