"Free" software


jro11

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Win11 Home
- Everyone touts their software to be free.
- The rags (How to Geek, every other publisher...) fall right in line--'advertising' the software as free.
- Software companies have gotten very subversive about how they break you the news, at the very last minute, about how lucky you are to experience their software for, in the greater picture, milliseconds; or how the two features you can use or test now are nothing compared to the 98 features you can't.
- And it's one thing for software companies to offer their software for a price and another for them to allow you to rent their software--forcing you to adapt constantly to software changes some lacky, wanting to prove his/her genius, has decided might be useful or an improvement. (Oh yes, it's called a "subscription" to give it the patina that used to be associated with the New Yorker, Time Magazine, or the Wall Street Journal.
- And I'm expecting rent rates will be going up. Oh Wait! this has already happened, courtesy of Microsoft and it's Office line. (In fact, products have been eliminated, or offered as separate rentals in the suite...

Questions:
- Is there a way, are there ways, or are there precautionary measures you can apply, before wasting time going through the familiarization process, of knowing software advertised or reported as "free", isn't?
- And my latest pet peeve: What has happened to How to Geek? There are more ads--ads practically impossible to dismiss without implementing their download process (certainly on cell phones)) floating through this rag than wartime flotsam and jetsam (yes they're very different).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inc. Inspiron 16 7610
    CPU
    Dell Inc. 0FHWFD A01
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0FHWFD A01
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    2.30 gigahertz Intel 11th Gen Core i7-11800H
    Sound Card
    Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop (small) and 1 or 2 external monitors
    Screen Resolution
    -
    Hard Drives
    PC711 NVMe SK hynix 1TB 1.02 TB NVMe ANB2N582412102F0G_0001
    PSU
    -
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    fan
    Keyboard
    External!
    Mouse
    External
    Internet Speed
    -
    Browser
    Chrome (Chrome profiles), Firefox (Bookmark Search Plus2), Edge (History page), Opera (annoying)
    Antivirus
    WinDefender
    Other Info
    Win11 Home 23H2 22631.3447
  • Operating System
    Win10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    self
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B75M-D3H
    Memory
    8068 MB Usable Installed Memory
    Graphics card(s)
    2.30 gigahertz Intel 11th Gen Core i7-11800H
    Sound Card
    Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    3 Displays
    Screen Resolution
    n/a
    Hard Drives
    SSD and others (internal and external)
    Case
    Desktop
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    External
    Keyboard
    External
    Browser
    Chrome, Firefox, Tor, Brave, Opera, etc.
    Antivirus
    Win Defender
    Other Info
    Win10 & unfortunately OneDrive: Can't completely rid myself of this!!
Free Software = A perpetual journey of trail and error. 🤷‍♂️
Keep solid backups! (y)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
Free download and a thirty-day trial is reasonable. Why should companies offer software for nothing? But I won't fill in credit card details in case I for get to cancel.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2894
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Swift SF114-34
    CPU
    Pentium Silver N6000 1.10GHz
    Memory
    4GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD
    Cooling
    fanless
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot Secure Anywhere
    Other Info
    System 3

    ASUS T100TA Transformer
    Processor Intel Atom Z3740 @ 1.33GHz
    Installed RAM 2.00 GB (1.89 GB usable)
    System type 32-bit operating system, x64-based processor

    Edition Windows 10 Home
    Version 22H2 build 19045.3570
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot
I won't fill in credit card details in case I for get to cancel.
I've forever wanted to try Office 365, just for giggles, but, I refuse to hand MS my Credit Card info! :cool:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
Free Software = A perpetual journey of trail and error. 🤷‍♂️
Keep solid backups! (y)

In all honesty, can't tell the difference between free or paid software in this regard.

Correction, I've actually had worst experience with paid software - cause of the DRM they used - than same software with DRM cracked (so basically, people using the pirated version - for free - had a better experience than the paying customers).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WinDOS 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    Intel & AMD
    Memory
    SO-DIMM SK Hynix 15.8 GB Dual-Channel DDR4-2666 (2 x 8 GB) 1329MHz (19-19-19-43)
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia RTX 2060 6GB Mobile GPU (TU106M)
    Sound Card
    Onbord Realtek ALC1220
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung PM981 NVMe PCIe M.2 512GB / 1x Seagate Expansion ST1000LM035 1TB
I've forever wanted to try Office 365, just for giggles, but, I refuse to hand MS my Credit Card info!
t will allow you to install it and run it for short time (something like 7 to 10 days) without activating it.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built
    CPU
    Intel i7 11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A MB
    Memory
    64GB (Waiting for warranty replacement of another 64GB for 128GB total)
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
    3 x 512GB 2.5" SSD
    1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
    5 x 8TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case
    Cooling
    Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Home Computer Specifications, Configuration, and Usage Notes General Specifications ASUS Prime Z590-A motherboard, serial number M1M0KC222467ARP Intel Core i7-11700K CPU (11th Gen Rocket Lake / LGA 1200 Socket) 128GB Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4 3200 MHz DRAM (4 x 32GB) Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black CPU cooler Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Corsair LL-120 RGB Fans (Qty. 3)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    The five 8TB drives and three 512GB SSDs are part of a DrivePool using StableBit DrivePool software. The three SSDs are devoted purely to caching for the 8TB drives. All of the important data is stored in triplicate so that I can withstand simultaneous failure of 2 disks.

    Networking: 2.5Gbps Ethernet and WiFi 6e
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 11 Pro 24H2 - 26100.3323
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel XEON E5-2699 v3
    Motherboard
    ASUS X99-A
    Memory
    64GB Teamgroup UD4-3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ACER X34 Predator
    Screen Resolution
    3440 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT1000P 3P SSD8 1TB
    Crucial CT1000 BX500 SSD 1TB
    PSU
    GameMax Pro
    Case
    Fractal Design
    Cooling
    Corsair H110iGT + 6 140mm Fans
    Keyboard
    Corsair K4
    Mouse
    G-Skill G502
    Internet Speed
    50MBs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    OEM
t will allow you to install it and run it for short time (something like 7 to 10 days) without activating it.
While you don't have to activate it, you cannot get it installed without a valid payment method...even if you plan to cancel before the trial period ends, unfortunately.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.

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