How to Choose Your Computer Software
Contents
– Software: free or paid?
– Downloading, installing, and removing software
– Different categories of software
When you have a desktop or laptop computer, it is necessary to download software to access certain functions.
Software: free or paid?
When you want to buy software, it isn’t easy to choose software, and the question of selecting free or paid software is often raised.
The choice of free or paid software will depend on the following:
– the type of software you want to install,
– the expectations and uses that you will have of it.
Free software: often outstanding software
Contrary to one might think, free software is not just a limited version of paid software.
Free software can be excellent and meet your needs. Some software categories exist almost exclusively as freeware, such as Internet browsers and instant messengers.
But you have to be careful because some trial versions of paid software are often presented as free.
It is therefore important to distinguish between these different softwares:
|
Types of Software |
Characteristics |
Examples |
|---|---|---|
|
Free software (freeware) |
– Software made available for free by its creator. |
Skype, Paint.net |
|
Free software |
Software whose use is free but whose license also allows the modification and distribution of the software freely. |
Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, OpenOffice, Gimp |
|
Open Source Software |
– Software that is free to use but for which users have access to the source code and can therefore modify it, create derivative software and redistribute it freely. |
aMSN, Mixx |
|
Free trial software (shareware) |
– Software that can be used for free for a given period of time. |
Virtual Dj, Mix Vibes |
Paid software: affordable prices
To use paid software, you will have to pay for its license.
Paid software can scare some people because of its price. However, you should know that softwares are sold at affordable prices.
The price of paid software varies mainly according to the following:
– the category of software,
– the type of software;
– the complexity of the software.
When you buy paid software, you get a license number that will allow the publisher to identify you in case of a problem and prove that you have purchased the software.
Paid software often offers complete software, is regularly updated, and is more suited to the needs of professionals in certain fields.
Individuals and professionals tend to buy paid software in the following categories:
– antivirus,
– office automation,
– drawing-graphics,
– compatibility – management,
– office automation.
Anyway, before buying software, you will always have the possibility to benefit from a free trial period.
But be careful not to give in to the temptation to obtain paying software illegally and for free, thanks to a crack. Indeed, this is considered an act of piracy, punishable by law, with penalties ranging from a simple fine to a prison sentence.
Downloading, installing, and removing software
It is possible to get paid software by buying a CC or DVD, but with the development of the Internet, it is more and more common to get free or paid software by downloading it directly from the publisher’s site or from download sites.
Downloading software
When you have chosen software to download, you will have to choose the version of the software according to the:
– The Operating System: Windows, Linux, or Mac. But also the version of the operating system (Windows 10, 11…)
– the language (sometimes, the choice of language is made during the installation).
You download an installation file. It is possible to install the software directly from this file but also to save this file on a CD, an external hard disk, or a USB key…
Software: an easy installation
To install your software, simply follow the instructions on the screen.
You will have to:
– choose a destination folder for the software (a default folder is often proposed),
– check that you have enough space on your computer to install the software,
– accept the license agreement,
– choose the language of the software (if it has not been done before) and other options proposed,
– wait for all the installation steps to be completed,
– restart the computer.
When installing a program, a desktop shortcut is often proposed. You can choose to keep it or not.
To start the software, you can use the desktop shortcut or find it directly in the program list:
– Start menu – Program – Name of the program
Removing software
If you no longer use a program, if a program is not what you expected or if you have exceeded the trial period of a program that you do not want to buy, it is best to delete it.
To remove software, you need to go through the “add/remove programs” function of your operating system:
– The name of this function may vary from one operating system to another.
For example, under Vista, it is called “Programs and Features”.
– In all cases, you can access it via the following path: start menu/control panel,
To uninstall a program, simply select it from the list of programs and click on “uninstall”:
– A confirmation message appears; you must click on “continue”,
– Depending on the software, the uninstallation windows may vary, so you will have to click on “next” or “continue” each time,
– Once the software is uninstalled, a message will appear.
If you do not do this and just delete the software in its folder, it will not be deleted correctly, and the operating system may be slowed down.
Different categories of software
In order to find one’s way through the multitude of existing software, the software is grouped into categories related to its use.
Everyone can easily find software according to the category in which it is located:
– Antivirus: includes all software related to the defense of the computer. Antivirus software can, therefore also include anti-spam, spyware, etc.
– Internet browser: a browser allows access to the Internet. There are different Internet browsers grouped in this category.
– E-mail: to send and receive e-mails, you need an e-mail program, which can be installed on your computer or directly accessible on the Internet.
– Instant messaging: even if Windows Live Messenger is the most widespread messaging software, there are many other Internet messaging solutions with different functionalities from one.
– Voice over IP: the inevitable Skype software allows you to call the other side of the world thanks to voice over IP. But other software has also developed this technique.
– Office automation: whatever the use of your computer, you always need to have one or more office automation software, if only for the needs of daily life.
– Audio/video playback: with computers becoming more and more powerful and Internet networks becoming more and more fluid, audio/video playback is very common. Discover the audio/video playback software.
– Photo: visualization of photos or photo editing, the software offers you enormous possibilities, adapted to everyone’s needs.
– Drawing / Graphics: drawing and graphics are no longer limited to paper and pencil; they are also increasingly produced on computers thanks to powerful and varied software.
– Mixing/editing: would you like to create your own mixes or video montages? Mixing and editing software offers exceptional possibilities for mixing and editing, whether for individuals or professionals.
– Accounting/management: for a company or for personal accounts, accounting software facilitates the management and accounting of accounts.
– Games: as powerful and realistic as on a console, computer games are aimed at a very wide audience, with a variety of games adapted to the expectations of each.
– Torrent: torrenting allows the exchange of files between different users and computers.
Hope this post has been informative for you. Please remember to leave a few comments in the section below.