Especially
with the continual rise of independent developers, free software downloads are
a ubiquitous, online resource. They appear, whether sought out or not, and it
can be difficult to tell which will enhance user experience, which are secretly
harmful and which are too good to be true. However, following the next 20 tips
will go a long way toward keeping you safe.
1. Be familiar with the differences between
freeware and shareware. A piece of software that’s truly free to download,
one without limits or restrictions, is classified is freeware. Shareware, on
the other hand, may appear to be free to use by either not prompting any
payment until you open the downloaded file or by offering a limited, free trial
period. Eventually, though, a shareware program will require payment (or maybe
a donation) that will continue or unlock the program’s full functionality.
2. Never trust internet ads that say you must
download a piece of software. These designed-to-dupe ads come in several
forms, from popups to distracting, flashing banners, but usually employ the
premise that your current computer performance is somehow inadequate or at risk
without the software the ad is peddling. Sure, sometimes these are deceptive
ads for real, if unnecessary, software, but odds are equally good they link to
malicious software that can mine your data, corrupt your existing files or
otherwise render your computer unsafe to use.
3. Employ antivirus protection. Running an
antivirus program guarantees the easiest defense against harmful downloads. If
you happen to download something that could infect your computer, an antivirus
program will (usually) catch it and give you the ability to quarantine and
delete the dangerous file(s). Additionally, built in virus protection on sites
like Yahoo! Mail ensure that attachments are safe before they’re downloaded.
4. Keep antivirus programs up to date. An
outdated antivirus program can leave your computer as vulnerable as having no
protection at all. Updating antivirus software often helps to impede the savvy
saboteurs looking for ways to beat security systems.
5. You don’t have to pay for virus protection,
but be careful. Gone are the days when tech giants like Norton and McAfee’s
programs were seen as the only reliable antivirus downloads. Now, free
programs, like Microsoft’s Security Essentials, are rich with features and
well-regarded. That is not to say, however, that free antivirus programs are
not popular fronts for spyware and malware, but that’s nothing a little
Googling shouldn’t help. Speaking of which…
6. Use a search engine to gather more
information about software. A search will allow you to quickly vet software
and determine if it is something you want. Any query that returns few results
or primarily negative results should be a red flag.
7. Check for compatibility. Before
downloading any software, investigate the specifications its designed to run
on. If the program is Mac or Windows only, you may be able to find a similar
alternative by searching. Similarly, if your hardware is not quite up to date,
you might be able to find an older, compatible version of the software.
9. Only download from sites you trust. To
ensure safety, don’t stray from sites with rigorous standards and helpful users.
CNET’s Download.com, ZDNet and File Hippo are the sites I count on, and each
boasts a large database of solid, free software.
10.
Find out
who developed the software. Big-name providers like Google and Apple offer
easy to trust downloads, but smaller developers with good track records can
prove to be just as reliable. Exercise caution with unfamiliar developers.
11.
When
possible, download directly from the source. Downloading from official
websites guarantees peace of mind and can turn up results not available on
third party downloaders.
12.
Look for verification. Companies like
TRUSTe, GeoTrust and Verisign award seals
to software that complies with certain privacy and quality standards.
13.
Read a bunch of reviews. Whichever site
you download from will likely have an integrated system
for reviews. These can
be particularly useful if a CNET, for example, assigns a high star rating, but
user comments should be taken with a grain of salt. Sifting through the ratings
to find the reviews that thoroughly review the pros and cons of software pays
off in the long run.
14.
Tap into social media. Monitor your
feeds for the programs your friends or other opinion leaders rave about. Or
type the name of the software into Twitter’s search engine to see what a large,
random sample of users is saying.
15.
Be wary of torrents. Aside from the
dubious legality of many of the files they offer, torrent programs are rife
with deliberately mislabeled files that can range from harmless pranks to
dangerous malware.
16.
Use a sandbox. Available in a variety
of formats, sandboxes let you run a downloaded file in isolation from the rest
of your computer. This way, you can test out the program without risking the
security of the rest of your files.
18.
Be sure you’re only installing what you
want. Many pieces of software, even from reliable developers, will opt you
in to downloading add-ons during the install process. Though they may be as
innocuous as an extra toolbar, they are taking up space on your screen and hard
drive that you haven’t accounted for.
19.
Check sites like Youtube for tutorials and
reviews. The visual medium makes it easy to learn how to get the most out
of software use. Video reviews can easily illustrate why an evaluator likes or
dislikes a product.
20.
Stay continually shrewd. Be a skeptical
downloader, and always exercise common sense. There are plenty of good, free
downloads out there, but to take proper advantage of them, aim to stay far
ahead of any deception.
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the
following information:
© Joanne Quinn-Smith, Techno Granny Show™ 2013,
Dreamweaver Marketing Associates, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15230, 412-628-5048
Or
on its unique radio channel at:
Additional blog posts at: http://technogrannyshow.com
Joanne Quinn-Smith is the Creative Energy Officer of
Dreamweaver Marketing Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and an expert on
Web 2.0 Branding.
2009 SBA Small Business Journalist of the Year, Author of “Folly
of Marketing Plan in Your Head, 101 Compelling Reasons to Write One”
No comments:
Post a Comment