COMPUTER SHAREWARE FOR $5 OR LESS.

COMPUTER SHAREWARE FOR $5 OR LESS.

The IBM PC and IBM-compatible machines are the ultimate tool for

the small business. With a PC, you can instantly access individual

records for your customers, write letters and marketing materials,

keep track of your books, and more.

You can't do it without software, though. Software are the computer

programs you need in order to do anything with your

computer. Unfortunately, most business software is quite expensive,

into the hundredsof dollars. There is a way, though, to get

professional quality IBM computer software for $5 and less. The

software is a special type called SHAREWARE.

Shareware programs, in most cases, are distributed directly by the

author of the program.

Why would they want to do this?

It is much easier for their program to get wide distribution if they do it

themselves, rather than if they try to get a major company to produce

and distribute it. Many shareware programs are as good, if not

better, than commercial programs (the ones you buy at a computer

store).

What's better, the pretty much unwritten rule in the shareware

industry is that you shouldn't charge more than $5 for a shareware

disk. If you know where to look, though, you can get the programs for

FREE!

Shareware is meant to be shared, hence the name. It's OK for you to

copy a shareware disk and give it to a friend, unlike commercially

released programs, which are protected by copyright.

What this means, is that you can get PC-WRITE, a word processor

that rivals WordPerfect, the industry leader, for free. WordPerfect, on

the other hand, costs over $400.

Other great shareware programs include FILE EXPRESS (a

database, great for customer mailing lists, and inventory records)

and AS-EASY-AS (a spreadsheet, for accounting and

bookkeeping). All these have the features of a professional

program.

So, where can you get these programs? There are dozens of

shareware dealers like Software Labs (800-569-7900), which sell

programs by the disk, usually for $5 per disk. Some programs, like

the ones mentioned above, are so big they come on more than one

disk, and may be priced differently than single- disk programs.

There's also a way you can get this programs for free. How?

Through bulletin board services that offer free sharewares.

First you'll need a modem, which lets you connect your computer to

the phone line. Then, you'll need a "terminal program," which turns

your computer into a terminal which can communicate over the

phone. The best terminal program to use would be QMODEM.

Call computer bulletin board services, which have programs you can

"download" (transfer) through the phone line into your computer. The

best sources for these programs would be America On-Line.

A shareware program is meant to be a trial program. If you like the

program, and use it a lot, you should REGISTER it with the author.

Registration is outlined in the program itself, or the documentation

that comes on the disk.

You will have to send the author a payment, varying from as low as

$5 to a high of $100 (vary few are more than that). For registering,

you will usually get a package of items from the author than can only

be gotten by registering.

This usually includes a copy of the latest version of the program,

sometimes with extra features, and a printed instruction

manual.Items might include free or low cost updates to the program

when available,phone support from the author, or other programs

the author has written.

It really is worth it to register the program. After all, you've gotten the

opportunity to inexpensively try the program to make sure it will fill

your needs. You will get a full-fledged software package at a much

lower price than the commercial equivalent. Also, you will be

supporting the author, so he or she will be able to continue

upgrading the program and/or writing new programs.

Registration fees are how the shareware author makes a living, and

it's unethical to use shareware permanently without registering.

With shareware, you get the best of both worlds. You get to "try the

software on for size," without getting stuck with a $300 program you

won't use. Once you find the program for you, you can register it and

have a professional quality program that still cost a fraction of the

competition's programs. Any way you look at it, shareware makes

sense!