Good News, Bad News
Some people were kind enough to send me words of commiseration following last week's / last year's sad commentary on what I didn't get for Xmas.
Others couldn't resist telling me of their good fortune. I was charitable enough not to regard this as being unkind... we all like to talk about new toys.
All literary donations are always appreciated even when it leaves me green with envy and considering dropping so called "friends" from next years Xmas card list. Nah. That's unkind Brian... maybe something to borrow in the future!
A common question this time of year is from those who have been fortunate enough to become the proud owner of a first or better computer system and where do they go from here for software. As always, my advice is to try the freeware marketplace first.
Forgive a dash of bias on my part but I always send people to Dee's site FreewareHome where you will find as good a selection as you will anywhere. As the entry level age for computer users and Internet surfers is always going down I include mention of the companion site KidsFreeware as well.
In the spirit of neutrality I'll also pass on this very good list of starting points as to varying types of freebies.
"So, you got a new PC for the holidays. It's the ultimate present--useful and fun. But why stop at the boring ol' gray box?"
For those who received good old fashioned cold hard cash or gift certificates and are drawing up a short list for a new system or maybe upgrades to an existing one this article, also from Cnet, is another source of good advice.
"So you're finally ready to buy a PC. But instead of strolling into a store and taking a couple of boxes home, you've opted to shop the Net. And now you've discovered the tyranny of choice."
I'm a glutton for feedback so do please let me know how you get on... I promise to keep any envious muttering to myself.
To turn to a somewhat more technical matter... last year was not a good year for the amateur or part time programmer just looking to earn some extra money on the side from their talents.
For a variety of reasons they're not particularly interested in releasing their offerings as Shareware and the increasing popularity of Adware seemed to provide a reasonable compromise. The author earned some income from the advertising revenue and the user got to use the program for free.
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