Software
Cosmystic Design - Copyright © Roddy McKay - 2007 - All Rights Reserved
Apart from the software that came with my Mac I very rarely use commercial brands. There is so much excellent shareware and freeware out there that make commercial software look like the biggest rip off since the insurance, advertising and credit card industries were invented.
Since I took a step up from using a computer for emailing & internet surfing, I have taken the the time to try out hundreds of applications.
For those of you who have never tried shareware, the idea is that you get to try before you buy. Most shareware has some restriction imposed on its performance until you actually register and pay for it but, in the main, you can get a pretty good idea of whether it works for you or not before you actually have to part with your cash. Shareware prices are usually very reasonable and a typical price range is $10 to $80.
Freeware, as its name implies, is FREE! The quality of freeware ranges from unbelievably good to downright dangerous.
I am devoting these pages of the website to my personal recommendations of software that has proved to be invaluable in my efforts towards independent CD production and website design, construction and publishing.
I am providing links to the appropriate websites as a thank you to all those software designers whose products have helped me and who have provided me with tech support. The standard of this support has, in most cases, been astounding and should serve as an example to those commercial software companies whose only intention seems to be to dump their crap on us with the maximum possible profit and little or no customer service and tech support.
How To Find Software
THE place to go is Version Tracker. Sign up is free and, if you have a Mac, you can get to it quickly from your dashboard.
Go to.... www.versiontracker.com sign up and download their widget.
As I hinted previously, trying out freeware can be a dangerous minefield for the inexperienced and unwary. For this reason, the best site to start with is www.FreeMacWare.com where you can also download their widget.
The author of this excellent site tries out the software himself,publishes the gems and dumps the trash.
Their are many other sources of software and they will no doubt be insulted at their exclusion from these pages. I am not in the habit of criticizing other peoples efforts so I have made recommendations based on my own experience and personal satisfaction.
Checking out software is kind of an obsession with me so, if you get hooked, come back to these pages now and again as you can be sure I will be adding to them.
