|
Finding Free Services & Software on the Web
By Wendy S. Klepfer
Some have bemoaned the supposed commercialization of the World Wide Web.
Sites that serve as ads and Internet get rich quick schemes have added to
the perception that the Web is a place of buying and selling.
While that may be true to a certain degree, you can still find a lot of free
and cheap stuff on the Web. Anyone can do it; all it takes is determination
and a little bit of searching. To make things easy, I've rounded up some
software and services that have made my computing life easier.
The only drawback is time. As with most Internet activities, you'll find
that an hour or two has passed in the click of a mouse. Sometimes download
times are slow, so you might have to visit the site a few times to determine
the best time to do your download.
Enough talking--on to the free stuff! Here are some sites to get you
started in finding your own free stuff.
Free Services
Remind U-Mail
This is a free e-mail reminding service. You can set up events on your own
web calendar and specify when to be notified of each. You can update your
information at any time.
Freeway Greeting Cards
This is only one of many great greeting card services on the web, but it's
one of my personal favorites. You can make a web page greeting card for
your loved one, complete with graphics, text and personalized hyperlinks.
Consumer Information Center Online
The Consumer Information Center has gone online! You can download all
available reports from the Center, saving fees and snail mail postage.
Download everything from parenting tips to how to cook a turkey.
This is a very small sampling of free services offered on the web. Use the
major search engines to find more!
The following section includes both freeware and shareware. Freeware is
free software, no strings attached. Shareware is software that's free for
an evaluation period and then you have to pay if you decide to keep it.
Payment is usually on the honor system so you could choose not to pay the
shareware fee but if everybody did that, programmers might decide not to
offer their programs to the Internet community anymore. The fees are usually
reasonable and the programs are high quality.
Popular Freeware & Shareware to Ease Our Computing Lives
Juno
Freeware: This terrific e-mail program is not only free, the service is
free as well! The makers of Juno believe that e-mail should be readily
available to everyone with a computer. They support this service by
downloading small ads along with your messages. The ads are infrequent and
non-intrusive. My kids (ages 13 and 8) now have their own e-mail addresses.
EZee Exit
Freeware: This Windows 95 utility replaces many of the steps normally used
in shutting down your computer. This may not seem like much, but after
shutting down your computer a few times with a simple double-click, you'll
wonder how you ever got along without this.
Dunce
Freeware: A must for users of Windows 95 dial- up networking. This utility
automatically presses "connect" in the "Connect to" dialog box, and re-dials
your Internet service if you get accidentally dropped. It also
automatically starts programs you specify (i.e. Netscape or Internet Explorer).
Winzip
Shareware ($29): This windows utility "unzips" compressed files. Most
Internet files are compressed, so this program is a must-have. It has an
easy "drop-and drag" system that allows you to check out programs before you
install them.
LView Pro:
Shareware ($30): LView Pro is an image file editor for Windows. It's great
for quickly viewing and editing images for web page or general use.
TrayText
Shareware ($15): Do you have text that you use in
many applications? This program stores up to 14 text items in your Windows
95 tray and types them into any application with a double-click. Great for
storing different e-mail tag-lines.
Freeware & Shareware Listing Sites
Tudogs
This site bills itself as "The Ultimate Directory of Gratis Software." It
offers everything from recipes to web tools.
Father of Shareware
Brought to you by the Father of Shareware himself, Jim Knopf. Jim says he
started the shareware revolution in 1982--you can get the full story at the
site. The site offers tons of free software--you're sure to find something
useful here!
c|net
A big network site, c|net offers news, reviews, and free software.
ZD Net
This is the home of Ziff-Davis Publishing. The site has a huge library of
freeware and shareware and also has links to other Ziff-Davis sites.
To look for your own list of free stuff, rev up your modem and go to any of
the major search engines. Do a keyword search for
"free," freeware," or "shareware" and you will some up with a list of links
that will have you happily trolling for your own bargains.
|
"Look
Ma, I did something useful on the web today"