FreewareWire PC & Youtube channel

So if you haven't noticed, this site is not the most dependable thing when it comes to be updated. One of the reasons for that (other than my laziness) is that I really haven't had a computer upon which I could install a ton of different freewares on. I have an EEE 901 netbook, and the family computer. Or should I say, had. I decided to finally buy my own PC, and not only that, to build it, for a number of reasons:

1. I wanted to learn how to build

2. I wanted to get customibility/upgradibility

3. I wanted it to have Windows XP or the OS of my choice. (In other words, NOT Vista.)

Hopefully, if all goes well, the first ever FreewareWire PC will increase the amount of reviews I can make (and let me play games newer than Half-life 1...) Since this is not really a personal blog, but a blog of freeware, I'm going to make this more for the FreewareWire Youtube channel. "What?" You ask, "That exists?" Yes, it does. It's never had an update, but it is there. My first "series" of videos will be documenting my PC build, then after that, it will be showing off freeware as I discover it. (It will not take the place of reviews, rather just add on.)

So there are the two huge announcements: (1) FreewareWire PC, and (2) Youtube channel. If you want to find more about either, check out my intro video, streaming live to an internet near you!

-Jon

Personal Update + Update

UPDATE: I got the download links working at least. I switched to FileAve for hosting, which is going great so far. So links to Mojolauncher, Dropper, StartupSaver, and -of course- PEM should all be working.


To the people who might be actually still following this blog, life has gotten a little hectic lately, with school and all, so I apologize about not being able to keep posting reviews. (If anyone else wants to be a co-author, the position is still open.....)

Also, I know that ATM, all "FreewareWire Software" programs (programs written by me) are down, and have been down. For once, this was not my fault. Hotlink files decided to somehow randomly terminate my account with no explanation. This doesn't mean the files are gone, since they're on my computer, but this means I have to find a new file hosting service, preferably one that allows direct linking, so you don't have to wait through stuff like Rapidshare.

So FW is not "on the ball" lately, but hopefully, I'll get motivated to try to give a genuine review of at least 1 freeware a week. I've actually found a handful of new programs that are pretty nifty, that I look forward to reviewing, if I ever get the chance.

Thanks for bearing with me. The undying support of FW's 4-5 fans are what make it all worth it. ;)

-Jon

Great Resources

The internet is a vast and complicated place. One site simply can't provide all the info you need, and FreewareWire is no different. Here are some of the sites that I personally have found to be useful, or have been suggested to me by readers. (Click the images to go to the sites, btw.)

A+ Freeware is a site practically exactly like Freeware Guide, and since I've used Freeware Guide alot more, check its description. (I don't feel bad either, since I believe the same company owns both A+ and Freeware Guide.)

Freeware Guide is a simple little site that has programs that may not be as well known as entries on other sites. I like it mostly because most of the apps it has are fairly small, and some may be old, but still good. It's also good for hosting abandonware.

Freeware Mission is another freeware blog devoted to creating the ultimate "freeware only pc". It is really a great site, although the reviews are a bit short, in my opinion.

FreewareWiki is a great Wiki-style approach to Freeware. I do admit, it might be a tad hard to navigate, but the reviews are worth it. In addition to freeware, it also has alot of guides, but I haven't looked at those as much.

Gizmos (formerly known as Tech Support Alert) is a very useful, comprehensive site that provides insightful articles detailing each type of program. The useful thing about this site is that it has articles about the "Best Free Web Browser" instead of an article on Firefox or an article on Chrome. It's nice if you want to see a comparison of like freewares side by side.

Mohawk's Best of the Best is a list that is the author's opinion of the best freeware. Rather than argue about what's "best", I prefer to look at the site for ideas, since it doesn't have just one program per category. The site is a little dated, from what I can tell, but really, alot of the programs listed are still good.

PC Top Tips is a good resource for freeware of all types. It's a very odd site (it has ads about nuclear stuff....), but it's helped me find some golden apps. Just follow the links on the left. I especially enjoy "Tools and Utilities".

Portable Apps has quickly become a staple of the internet. The main center of the site is the Portable Apps suite/launcher which is essentially a collection of normal applications, made portable. The launcher is a start menu designed to run from your flash drive. In addition, Portable Apps hosts many versions of popular software, made portable. While it's collection is not the most extensive, the site creators are always updating current portablized software, and adding new.

Portable Freeware is the place to look for portable freeware. While Portable Apps does host it's own portable freeware, Portable Freeware helps by (a) discovering new portable applications, and (b) checking if an application is portable. If a program exists, odds are, it's been at least discussed in the Portable Freeware forums. In addition, Portable Freeware includes instructions on how to make it portable (ie, install then remove, unzip from ZIP, etc), and provides much detail to just how portable the program is (registry keys, for example.)

Tigsource is a very specific site, in that it is devoted to games. It is extremely vast, with hundreds of high-quality games...in each category. It is very frequently updated, and provides insightful reviews to each game. It also has games divided up into genres, similar to here on FW. It's a really wonderful site. So wonderful, in fact, that I haven't even explored it entirely. But the slogan contains pie, so it's amazing.

Tiny Apps is a tiny little site that has tiny little freeware. I've always had a fetish for tiny freeware, so Tiny Apps is good for people like me. The site really is tiny, with a simple look (not that I can brag about FW...). It has 7 categories of freeware, about 50 in each. The nicest part about this site is that all the freeware is stuff that you've probably never heard of. Other than a few programs here and there that are common (Foxit reader, for example), Tiny Apps has a completely original lineup. And again, the size probably averages about 100k, which is great.


If you want to suggest a site, e-mail it to freewarewire@gmail.com, do not post it in the comments. I don't want to sort through a mess of comments. Instead I want to sort through a mess of e-mails.

Only submit sites that you personally use. I cannot tell you how much I despise people who just say "Hey, here's download.com" when I ask for a specific program. "Where can I get a macroer?" Download.com. "What is a good word processor?" Download.com. It sickens me, and if I get something that I can tell is crap or I can tell that is just the default suggestion, I will probably block your e-mail. So word to the wise, no one suggest Download.com to me.

Don't suggest developers sites. Piriform is a great company, Mozilla is a great company, but they aren't resources, they are freeware. If you want to e-mail me about freeware, don't refer to them as a resource, say "I know of some new great freeware." Resources are sites that have freeware that is not developed by the site's creators. That last sentence is true like 90% of the time.

~Jon

And so it begins...

Welcome to
Freeware Wire!

Here's a few things you might want to know:

What is "freeware"?
Merriam-webster defines "freeware" as: "software that is available for use at no cost or for a nominal usually voluntary fee." So basically, freeware is free! There is a subtle difference between "freeware" and "shareware." Freeware is 100% free, but shareware is basically a limited trial. Usually there is either a time limit on use, or limited features in the trial version. I do not consider shareware as freeware (because it isn't), so I will not be making any posts about any shareware (with a few exceptions.)
Why freeware?
I love computers. One of my greatest hobbies is scouring the internet for new freeware to make life more fun and easy. I believe that, with a few exceptions, software should be free. By that I mean that people out there can make programs as good, and alot of times better than the big corporate companies. I do not believe in piracy, and therefore I do not believe that programs acquired illegally are "freeware."
What is "FreewareWire"?
Good question. See, in all my quests as a freeware seeker, there are few really good sites that I have come across. Sure, there are places like download.com, but really, how do you know what you're downloading? Every article is written by the maker of the program, so you never know if that freeware is the one that you want. In addition, alot of sites (that are very good) are not solely about freeware, and it's somewhat difficult to find what you want. FreewareWire is a way to stay "plugged in" to freeware.
So you're trying to compete with other sites?
No. I am in no way in competition with other freeware sites. I think that freeware is all about helping each other, so how could one site be in competition with others? I'm just trying to help people.
So this is about proving what is the best freeware then?
No. I don't believe any freeware is the "best." This is not the point of FreewareWire. The point is not to declare the "best browser" or the "best e-mail client," but the point is to give choice. Maybe Opera is faster than Firefox, but then maybe Firefox is more customizable than Opera. My point is, there are different facets that define a freeware, and it is not the point of proving what I want. That means that goes for you all too. I would prefer to have absolutely no comments about "Firefox sucks!" or "Opera sucks!" Present your statement about what you have found in a clear concise manner.
Is that all?
No. In addition to the blog, you can find FreewareWire on Youtube as well at www.youtube.com/user/FreewareWire
But keep in mind, the video channel is a supplement to the blog, not vise versa. With videos, it is so easy to show people, but not to tell. Plus a blog is alot easier to update than a video channel. Don't expect the video account to be updated as frequently as the blog.

With that, hopefully FreewareWire will launch successfully. I'm in college at the moment, so it might be a little harder to update than I want.