Choosing and Using software

• Only install software from sources you trust - Do your homework first to be sure software is legitimate. Many softwares pass themselves off as legitimate, only to install spyware or other malicious software on your system.
  
  
• Make sure you have valid licenses for the software products that you use. Don't install a friend's copy on your system, and don't let your 'computer guy' (or 'computer girl' - but I have not actually heard that term yet) install software for you that you do not have a valid license for. Big brother is watching...
  
  
• Try to avoid using software that must be 'Activated' through the Internet: If you purchase a license for the use of software, and the source company goes into chapter 11, you may never be able to reinstall it because the supporting web service will vanish..
  
  
• If you can't afford the commercial versions of software (like MS Office, which sells for outrageous sums) , look into free or low-cost shareware compatible alternatives like OpenOffice or StarOffice (see the Links/Software page for more information on this).
  
  
• If you download software to install on your system, you may become dependant on it. Make sure you have backup copies stored on CD or other media off your system.
  This is especially important if you buy a license that provides an activation key for the software: The key will usually only work with the particular version that you downloaded. It may not be available for download in the future after the author has issued product updates. Your only recourse might be to purchase a new license, for a product which may or may not have the orginal functionality that you wanted (Yes: sometimes features vanish as well!)
  If you download product updates and patches: Back them up too!