subject: Shareware - Fast - Economical [print this page] Cheap and Fast Software Cheap and Fast Software
Seems like miles of computer software offerings await any who venture to the computer store. Commercial software found in the isles can be expensive, and incompatible, and outdated when compared to what's available online. Software on the internet that you can try before purchasing is known as shareware.
Shareware became popular on BBS (bulletin board systems) in the early days of the internet. Shareware has many advantages over commercial software.
Shareware is generally cheaper than commercial software, however cheap does not equal low-quality. Shareware often outperforms the quality of commercial software, one can purchase a quality word processor, spreadsheet, database program, or system utility for under a hundred dollars, some less then twenty.
Shareware is often better than commercial software with regard to compatibility. Shareware may not work on all operating systems but we get to try it out before we buy it. Not many of the big software and computer stores will let you do that. Once the package is opened on commercial software the stores won't take it back many times, and they will never let you take it and try it first.
Another advantage is applicability, online shareware is updated constantly and you will find that you have the latest release of any particular program you decide to look into.
Computer stores would like keep their inventory up to date, but commercial manufacturing, packaging, shipping and stocking is done in such a way that you may be weeks ahead of your computer store.
Shareware is all over the Internet chances are you've already bumped into it. There are thousands of shareware download libraries and programmers that are offering shareware from their own websites. Do an internet search for the program you want and odds are you will find some shareware offerings in the search results.
Shareware is not freeware and you still have to pay for it, but the convenience of being able to try it first and getting the latest version of a program make shareware shopping an easy part of any PC users life.
