• NO request for money in the documentation.
• NO nag screens asking for payment or donations.
• NO time limit or disablement to any of its functions.

Very Important, Please Read.
VIRUS CHECKING A DOWNLOAD FILE:
Freeware Home only gives you LINKS to download sites maintained by other people. We do NOT keep program files on our server therefore WE cannot check the download file for viruses, you MUST do this yourself.

• Adware
• Beta versions
• Bug or virus
• Demos, trial versions, shareware
• E-mailware and postcardware
• Bad links
• Pot-pourri

Q. Do you list adware?
A. We used to, we do not now. We do still have a few listings that we haven't found and removed. If you find one PLEASE TELL US! Go to our Contact Us  page and use the form there.

Q. Why do not you list adware now?
A. The original idea was that the programs would run some ads and the authors would earn a little money. Great idea! Then the companies who provided the ads developed ad tracking to be able to target the ads. No big deal! BUT they didn't stop there, they made the tracking invasive! It follows you everywhere you surf, all the time, on every page, including secure ones. You can close the adware program, the tracking is still running! You can uninstall the adware program, the tracking is still running! BAD idea! There may be some adware programs that do not do this but we're not prepared to take the chance. We do not now list adware.

• Beta versions

Q. Do you list Beta versions?
A. We do in certain areas like 'Programming' where we know our visitors will be experienced computer users. It does give people the opportunity to try a program that may cost a lot of money in its final version, and it does help the authors, but we do not recommend beta versions to everyone. Using a beta version carries a responsibility to the author. He/she's letting you use the program for free but, in return, expecting you to provide useful feedback and bug reports.

Q. What are Beta versions?
A. They are programs that are still being developed. The author needs help testing the program and finding any "bugs" so that they can be fixed. Do not confuse "Bugs" with "Viruses"! Read our section on Bug or Virus.

Q. Will I have a problem with a Beta program?
A. Probably not, but you might! Bugs in a program can be very difficult to find. It requires a lot of people to use a program and try out its features to actually find a minor bug. We advise you to think carefully before you use a beta version of a program.

Q. Why do not authors do their own testing?
A. They do. They also get a small number of people to help with the early testing. This is called Alpha testing. Authors do not usually send us Alpha versions because they are very likely to contain significant bugs and the Alpha testing stage is all about finding these and fixing them.

Q. What if I find a bug in a program?
A. You need to submit a "bug report" to the author. Please do not send them to us! Read the program "Read Me" notes to see what the author asks you to do. If possible, you should explain exactly what you did and what happened.

Q. I do not have the time to fill out bug reports/feedback, does it matter?
A. Yes it does! If you cannot send in feedback/bug reports please, do not download a beta version of a program! Ignoring a bug is the equivalent of your car mechanic not telling you about a funny noise, that he hears during a routine tune-up, which he knows ought to be investigated. Failing to tell an author that you have run his program successfully on your system and version of Windows is failing to do your job as a beta tester.

• Bug and virus

Q. Are bugs viruses?
A. NO they are not! A bug is an unintentional error in a program. It may cause the program to do something strange or even crash. It is not normally harmful to your computer or your other programs provided the program is intended for use on the Operating System your computer uses.

Q. What is a Virus?
A. It is a piece of code written into a program that is intended to cause problems or serious harm to your computer. There is a mass of information on the Internet about Computer Security and Protection. It is a good idea to go to a search engine like Google and enter the word Virus. You'll only need about a week to read everything you find!

Q. Are all viruses harmful?
A. Depends on your definition of harmful... but you still do not want one in your computer!
There are viruses that are not damaging but provide others with information about you and your computer. At the very least this is an invasion of privacy and you cannot know how this information will be used.

Q. Why do not you check the programs you list for Viruses?
A. Because you cannot download a program from Freeware Home's server.
We give you a LINK to an authors' download site. We could download the program ourselves, check it and find it clean, the author could replace the clean file with an infected one five minutes later, we would not know! It is much easier and safer for YOU to check every program you download.

Q. How can I protect myself from Viruses?
A. You should NEVER open or install a program you download without using a Virus Checker on it first! We list some free programs in our System Utilities / Security + pages. Regrettably freeware anti virus programs are rapidly disappearing due to the high cost to the author of keeping them up to date. If you want a really sophisticated program that checks for all known viruses you will probably have to buy it.

Q. Will my program protect me from a new virus?
A. NOT NECESSARILY! Programs must be able to recognize the virus to be able to protect you. You should check your virus protection program author's web page, at least once a month, for updates.

Q. What if I find a virus in a program you list?
A. FIRST do not panic!! You may have a "false positive" result. Check out Dee's Virus Detective article for full details of what to do. If you're sure you've detected a virus e-mail the author first and give a description of what you have found. Also tell US we'll check it out too and, if necessary, we can remove the listing and warn others.
Go to our Contact Us page and use the form there.

• Demos, trial versions, shareware

Q. Demos are free, why do not you include them?
A. Applications which work 'for free' for only a limited period of time or repeatedly remind you to register and pay for the product are not Totally Free so they do not fit our definition of Freeware.

Q. Trial versions are free, why do not you include them?
A. Usually these programs work 'for free' but do not provide major functionality. Do you have a use for a 'free' word processor that cannot save or print files? We can show you a link or two... !!

Q. Why do not you include Shareware?
A. We list FREEWARE that you do not have to pay for. A shareware program may be free to download and even continue to work without registering, BUT A free download doesn't mean a free product! If the author states that his product is Shareware, it means Shareware. Period!  If you use it, you pay for it!

• E-mailware and postcardware

Q. What is E-Mailware?
A. Essentially it is the same as postcardware. The author would like to hear from users of the program. It is a form of encouragement. Just write a quick e-mail to the author to say thank you and to tell him what you think of the program. If you wish to criticize the program please be polite, rude or unkind words hurt us all, also the author may be very young.

Q. What is Postcardware?
A. It is a program where the author asks you to send him/her a nice postcard of your area to say "thank you" for the program. Authors do like to hear from people who like and use their work.

Q. Do I have to send a postcard?
A. The author did a lot of work creating the program, with only a tiny bit of effort on your part and the price of a postage stamp you can encourage him/her to develop the program or write others. It is a tangible reminder to the author that people are using the program and appreciate the work that went into it.

Q. Can I send an electronic card?
A. Yes, or you can go to the author's home page and leave a nice message. Authors give you the postcard option of contacting them because it is anonymous. There is no way of tracing who it came from if you do not choose to include any personal information.

• Bad links

Q. I clicked on a link that took me to a page advertising adult stuff! Huh?!?
A. It's a con! The original website has gone and their domain name registration lapsed. You may have noticed some small print on that web page that said the domain name was for sale. It has been bought and an advertising page put up to replace the website. These domain names are usually bought because the original website was popular and therefore the new owner will, at least initially, get good traffic to their advertising page!! Please tell us so that we can remove the listing. Go to our Contact Us page and use the form there.

Q. You list a program that I really want, but the download link doesn't start a download, what's wrong?
A. Broken links are a constant problem for us! Authors move downloads or change their download file name, and do not tell us. Try clicking on the Program Name which will take you to the Author's home page. You might be able to find a working download link there. If you do we would really appreciate it if you would take the time and trouble to tell us about it too :)) Go to our Contact Us page and use the form there.

Q. You list this program but all the links return an error code?
A.  Authors move their web pages, change their Domain name, or just disappear. If you find both the home page and the download links are broken please tell us so that we can ask the author for new links or remove it if it is dead. Go to our Contact Us page and use the form there.

Q. I clicked on a download link and a log in box appeared, why?
A. This is actually a broken link to a file on a FTP server. If the file was still available the link would have automatically logged on to the FTP server. You are being asked to log in because the link isn't valid. Please tell us so that we can try to fix it. Go to our Contact Us page and use the form there.

Q. I clicked on a link but I was told it was forbidden, why?
A. There are two probable reasons for this.
First are the security settings in your browser. If you have your browser set to not accept anything from an insecure site you will frequently get an access denied message. Since the majority of Freeware sites are not "secure" you must decide if you want to change this setting. Second is the link itself. Unfortunately we are human and do make mistakes! We may have used an incorrect link so it is a good idea to tell us so that we can try to fix it. Go to our Contact Us page and use the form there.

• Pot-pourri

Q. Will all of the programs you list work on my computer?
A. NO!  You need to know what OS (Operating System) your computer uses and look at our listing to see if this OS is included. You can easily crash your system and even need to re-install Windows by trying to load a program that was not written for your computer's OS.

Q. There is a license agreement to this program, what is that all about?
A. Freeware products are often subject to license agreements. Please read the appropriate documentation carefully. It will tell you what, if any, restrictions the author places on the use of the program.  It may be just a standard disclaimer that you use the program at your own risk.

Q. If it says I may only use the product for personal use what does it mean?
A. It means you can use it on your own personal computer at home and you can tell your friends about it. You cannot imply that it is your product nor can you use it in your business.

Q. What about graphics?
A. This is a very sensitive area and the rule is... Credit where credit is due,  please! Good graphics take a lot of expertise to produce. It is amazing that so many authors give them away. If you use someone else's graphics do NOT allow others to think that it is your work. Give the Author credit and add a link back to the author's web page.

Q. My e-mail / web page advertises my business. Can I use free stuff there?
A. Read the author's license agreement very carefully. If it says you may only use it for personal use the answer is, NO! Some authors do not like you to use their product on a web page that carries any advertising! If in doubt please e-mail the author and ask!

Q. The author wants me to register the program, why?
A. The author would like to know a little about the kind of people who are using the program. It gives them a better idea of what direction to take for future development of the product. By registering you will usually receive notifications about new versions of the product or other information from the author. As long as there is no request for money, it may be NuisanceWare but it is free!

Q. I downloaded this program but it says it is Shareware, what happened?
A. We check the freeware status of every item before including it in our Collection. If you found an item that is not free it means that it is not free anymore or an author tried to con us. PLEASE TELL US! Go to our Contact Us page and use the form there.

Thank you for reading our FAQ's. If you cannot find the answer to your question here or you think we have missed an important point please go to our Contact Us page and use the form there.