S
sgmkevin
This is a Free Freeware (along with anything else I can think of)
column I'm thinking about starting. Your welcome to print it if you
want to.
Me? Pay for software………..
You know what a hypocrite is? Well I saw one this morning in the
mirror but didn't realize it at the time. I'm an avid downloader from
Hell and if I had broadband I'd easily be in the Hall of Fame. I am
also the most ANTI-payware Homo Sapien that ever hung ten on the
internet. Anyway, today I was going through my usual routine of
checking the various sites for any new freeware that may have been
posted in the last 24 hours when I locked in on an app I'd been
looking for for a long time. I cut loose my trusty downloader and
Presto it was mine. Now at this time everything sort of becomes
automaton with either opening the "setup" file of unzipping the zip.
This one was a "setter upper" so I "setter upped" it and after hitting
the install button a dialog box popped up asking if I'd like to donate
a few bucks to the Cause (I think the "Cause" was 'cause the writer
was hungry). This happens all of the time, in one way or another, and
I have been known to get just a bit perturbed at the audacity of
someone asking for money for something that they list as FREEWARE.
But this time I got to thinking about it. In the interest of science,
I decided to perform a little test. I fired up Miss Karen's free
Directory Printer and printed out all of the software on my system.
Then with list (and it was an extensive list) in hand, or on desk as
was the case now, I proceeded to track down and get the prices of
comparable programs e.g. WinXP for Linux, Norton Antivirus for
AVG....you get the idea. When finished I was absolutely stunned at
what I had come up with. $3,543.72! That's 3.5 Big Ones or "3 Large
and a Maybe" where I come from. That's when the other little voice in
my head, and it can get crowded up there sometimes but I'm still not
Certifiable, said "Why you Hypocrite" (that's not quite the word it
used but this is a family post/column of which I'm just starting
[shameless plug] so if you want more let me know they'll be free). It
said "Here you are with 3 large and a maybe worth of stuff and your
gripin' (I changed this word also) about some guy (genetic term)
askin' for a couple of bucks for something he probably worked for
weeks on. First time I ever got embarrassed at myself when alone in a
room. After a few minutes of self abasement I decided to write this
so maybe others out there will take a minute to think about the effort
that went into the freeware they use and how much cash they save at
the same time. Might even consider serving up a few bucks for the
hungry programmer also. Addendum to this story: The @!#$%* program
didn't work. I guess that made us even.
SGMKevin L
column I'm thinking about starting. Your welcome to print it if you
want to.
Me? Pay for software………..
You know what a hypocrite is? Well I saw one this morning in the
mirror but didn't realize it at the time. I'm an avid downloader from
Hell and if I had broadband I'd easily be in the Hall of Fame. I am
also the most ANTI-payware Homo Sapien that ever hung ten on the
internet. Anyway, today I was going through my usual routine of
checking the various sites for any new freeware that may have been
posted in the last 24 hours when I locked in on an app I'd been
looking for for a long time. I cut loose my trusty downloader and
Presto it was mine. Now at this time everything sort of becomes
automaton with either opening the "setup" file of unzipping the zip.
This one was a "setter upper" so I "setter upped" it and after hitting
the install button a dialog box popped up asking if I'd like to donate
a few bucks to the Cause (I think the "Cause" was 'cause the writer
was hungry). This happens all of the time, in one way or another, and
I have been known to get just a bit perturbed at the audacity of
someone asking for money for something that they list as FREEWARE.
But this time I got to thinking about it. In the interest of science,
I decided to perform a little test. I fired up Miss Karen's free
Directory Printer and printed out all of the software on my system.
Then with list (and it was an extensive list) in hand, or on desk as
was the case now, I proceeded to track down and get the prices of
comparable programs e.g. WinXP for Linux, Norton Antivirus for
AVG....you get the idea. When finished I was absolutely stunned at
what I had come up with. $3,543.72! That's 3.5 Big Ones or "3 Large
and a Maybe" where I come from. That's when the other little voice in
my head, and it can get crowded up there sometimes but I'm still not
Certifiable, said "Why you Hypocrite" (that's not quite the word it
used but this is a family post/column of which I'm just starting
[shameless plug] so if you want more let me know they'll be free). It
said "Here you are with 3 large and a maybe worth of stuff and your
gripin' (I changed this word also) about some guy (genetic term)
askin' for a couple of bucks for something he probably worked for
weeks on. First time I ever got embarrassed at myself when alone in a
room. After a few minutes of self abasement I decided to write this
so maybe others out there will take a minute to think about the effort
that went into the freeware they use and how much cash they save at
the same time. Might even consider serving up a few bucks for the
hungry programmer also. Addendum to this story: The @!#$%* program
didn't work. I guess that made us even.
SGMKevin L