What do they mean by FREE?

[Hugh-AR]

When I go looking for some program or other I keep coming cross that word FREE. So what does this mean? Well, one common expression you'll come across is Free to Download, or Free Download. And that normally means it is FREE just to do that. To download it. After all, if you had to pay to get it on your computer you'd never do it!

The next consideration is, How FREE is to use?. Now there are some programs (Apps) that are completely free to use in all situations, but the version you are getting doesn't have the full features of the 'Paid for App'. So to get all the features you will have to pay for it. At least you get the chance to give it a go, see how it all works, and use it however you want to, with no 'time' constraints. If you think those 'extra features' would be useful to you, then go ahead and purchase it.

And there are some Apps that are like the above, but they are very naughty in that one of those 'extra features' will be to Save your work, or to Save in some format that is necessary to be useful. Unless you pay for it to do that. If you're not careful you can spend a lot of your precious time doing/creating something only to find at the end of it that you can't use it in the way that you wanted to. One such program that does it this way is Windows Movie Maker, which I downloaded for FREE, Used it for FREE, but paid £25 for unlimited use to Save my work in a format suitable for uploading to YouTube.

https://www.windows-movie-maker.org/

Then there are other Apps that do give you the full version (so you can SAVE your work too), but they can only be used for a 'Trial period', of, say 30 days. After which it will not work unless you pay for it.

And there are ones that you do seem to be able to use and 'Save' .. but when you look at the result they have sort of 'embossed' words across them, like 'This is a TRIAL version', or whatever .. which will disappear as soon as the product is paid for.

And then you can get the programs (Apps) that are completely FREE to download, FREE to USE and FREE to SAVE. Why would they do that? Well, it would appear that there are people who believe the internet should be FREE, and are happy for people to download their stuff and use it. The satisfaction of creating it is sufficient for them. And there really are programs like this! One that comes to mind is Audacity, for recording one's keyboard 'performances' as MP3.

http://www.audacityteam.org/

But there are some people who filch programs that should be 'Paid for', and alter their structure so they can be downloaded 'for FREE'. Then the people who created the programs won't get any money for their work. They often say that the program is available for FREE for 'Educational purposes only'. Maybe this is a way of making it 'Legal' in their eyes.

One such program they have done this to is Sony Vegas Pro 15. The cheapest version of this is £224, and the most expensive (with the most features) is £549.

So here is a YouTube clip of how to get this for FREE. I'm not suggesting that you do it! But I want to show you what goes on on the internet these days. This clip may be there, or it may not, depending on whether or not YouTube decide the content is illegal, and take it down.



If any of you have had any experiences on this subject and can add to this topic, please click on POSTREPLY and add your penny'orth.

Hugh

[Westgarth]

Apart from the popular Apps I use, the only free software I use is Open Source. I've also been a victim like Hugh. Spent hours muti tracking and editing and then find I can only save 60 seconds!

I always read the reviews now for all software. For some strange reason some people like to really slag off poor software and find it difficult to compliment the good programmes. So if software has a surprise in store for you someone is more than likely to shout about this on the web.

Look out for the poor reviews they are usually the most honest.

[JohnT]

Hi Hugh Very useful. I downloaded Movie maker with the help of Brian. IT would not let me do it but eventually downloaded something. Not sure what I am going to do with it or whether it works. I have enough trouble recording music and then getting on the site without photos. John

[Hugh-AR]

John,

Using computer programs is a little bit of It's easy when you know how. Even the simplest of steps can be daunting. Like when I had my first computer. I couldn't switch it off! What? You click on START? I don't want to 'start' the computer, I want to turn it off! It's easy when you know how.

If you can get Brian to go through it with you that would be good. But get him to do it slowly! And write down what to do as he is going along. I once had a friend come and show me how to program PARTS into a Style on the AR 80. He sat at my organ, pressed buttons one after the other, saying,"Now, we want a little bit of this, and a little bit of that" .. and the whole thing was done in about 10 seconds. Hang on a minute ... !

Hugh

[Brian007]

Hi All,

That video is one of the better ones as regards to free software as it makes it available, but please be aware that there are a lot of very nasty things lurking about out there so unless you know how to get yourself out of any trouble you get into , my advice would be leave well alone. All these big expensive programs do have a huge learning curve and if you already have a video editing program and it works stick with it until you have absolutely bottomed the program and feel that you are ready to move on, then go for it.


Brian007