For some reason buisnesses are afraid of using shareware and freeware as opposed to commercial software. The reasons they state:
1: Shareware/Freeware contains lots of Viruses.
Do you think this is true?
2: We get support with Commercial Software.
There are two types of support: First, upgrades and continued advances and then telephone support. Lets examine telephone support. Phone call to **BIG** software company, who write and supply XXXXX:-
User: "Hi, I'm using XXXXX with OS/2, and I'm having some problems, can you help me?"
Support: "No, contact IBM"
User: "But the problem is with XXXXX not OS/2"
Support: "Sorry, you'll have to contact IBM"
User: "But on the box, it says it compatible with OS/2"
Support: "Sorry, you'll have to contact IBM"
This is not fiction, it was a REAL phone call by a friend. So where was that support? Lets take another example, this one based upon my own experiences (this has been "edited" - it actually took more than one phone call, and was a long and painful phone call)...
User: "When I do this, it crashes my computer"
Support: "We haven't had that reported".
User: "I'm tried it on lots of machines, and it does the same"
Support: "Oh yes, its a known bug, it will be fixed on the next update"
User: "When will that be, because I need to use this feature?"
Support:"Within the next few weeks"
The new update, by the way, took months not weeks, and still contained the bug, even though I had spoken to them several times.
Now, although this isn't true of all shareware/freeware authors (since most do it in their spare time, and cannot afford to maintain a product all the time), take a case of someone I know who was having problems with their Linux kernal - after a bug report to the man himself, he received a fix back within 6 hours. OK, thats not realistic for most fixes nowadays, but even so.
What I'm saying is, do what my friend does, who uses Visual Basic with VBX's and DLL's - he talks to the company and wants to discuss them with the people who wrote said extensions. He talks to them about their limitations, and finds out if he has a problem whether he has any chance of a fix. As you might guess, he tends to get on best with small companies, who really believe in their product. My friend works for a big U.S. company. He doesn't mind paying money for the developer licences but prefers to know what he's getting. He won't buy if he can't talk to the people writing the software.
Also, with regards to continued advances: didn't the software do what you wanted to start with? Mind you, if we look at operating systems for example, some companies do maintain that it will be fixed/better/really good in the next revision, people just can't wait. Its a pity that all those people haven't realised that the next revision never comes (just like tommorow really).
3: If something goes drastically wrong, we can sue the company.
Really?? I know this differs depending upon what country you are in but: (a) they usually limit (or try to limit) their liability. Very few software companies will undo that liability. (b) And if it trashes all of your data, who says they won't blame the OS (want to try sueing the O.S. company do you?), or other third party extensions, or your computer system. Did you read the small print about backing up your data, and not relying on the data the program gives you? One thing about commertial companies is that they can sure afford more lawyers.
I would like a program that doesn't crash, but I can't rely on commercial
software to do it. Only by trying myself...
HIT YOUR BACK BUTTON or click Random Rob