Shareware

On the Internet you will find literally hundreds of thousands of great programs, utilities, games, screen savers, etc. that you can download for free. Typically, you are allowed to try out the software for some period of time (typically 30 days). If you find the shareware useful, the author expects you to send in a registration fee (most shareware runs between $5 and $40, with some higher-end programs costing up to $80).

In return, you receive something more, like a password that unlocks additional program functionality, or a printed manual. If you realise that the software isn't right for you, just delete it from your hard drive. Consider it a free test drive.

Shareware is a terrific concept:

With shareware, if you don't like the program, you don't pay for it - period.

One of the all time successes of shareware was Doom, the incredibly popular first-person shoot 'em up game. The company that released Doom, Id Software, allowed users to download the first level of the game for free. In order to play the other levels, you had to send in your registration fee. The company gives away a small sample of the game for free, but the users get so hooked, they will pay anything to get more. Hence the success of Doom, Doom II, and Quake.

Where do I get it?
There are LOTS of sites specialising in shareware located on the Internet. Here's a sampling of some of the better ones:

TUCOWS - The Ultimate Collection of Winsock Software

TUCOWS offers thousands of applications ready for download.

• Start with your operating system (Win 98, 2000 or Mac etc)
• Select the category of software you're looking for (web browsers, e-mail programs, FTP clients, games, audio applications, stock tickers...)
• Once in that category, you'll see a listing of the available programs, including file size, version number, date created and a unique rating system - cows.
• The number of cows, with one cow being the worst and 5 cows being the best, rates them.
• You will be asked to choose a region where you live as they have Tucows sites on different "mirrors" which means located in different parts of the world. The closer you choose to where you are, the faster your download will be.
• Choose one in Queensland and then you can choose from a whole range of software from games to applications.
  www.tucows.com

Stroud's CWSApps List

Similar to TUCOWS, you can search for software via a search engine or the drill down method. In addition, you can search by the name. So if you know the software is called "Web -something", you can scroll through the "W"s to find your program.

Stroud's also offers file size, creation dates, and one to five star ratings. What makes Stroud's stand out above the others is that it provides product reviews. Click the hyperlink and you'll get a few paragraphs about the software's features.
http://cws.internet.com/home.html

Jumbo

Over 89,000 (and still growing) programs available for download. Searchable, categorised. Provides file size, date created, and author created documentation about the programs. Extensive library of software, but I prefer the above sites for ease of use and the independent reviews. http://www.jumbo.com/

C|Net's Shareware.com

C|Net offers users quick access to the most popular downlands, as well as a 'select' list of shareware hand picked by reviewers across a number of categories.
http://www.shareware.com/

Galt Technology's Screen Saver Heaven

Select from over 450 multimedia screen savers, ranging from AeroSmith to ZZ-Top, and everything in between.
http://www.galttech.com