When you are about to purchase a software program, what do you look for? Are there specific things you look for in the program that are a must in order for you to be interested? These could be things like... * Direct competition with other similar products * Reviews given by other users These are just some of the things.
With software, I always go to my brother first. Even if we are in different countries, I will phone him and get him to investigate as he is so clued up about these things. I am not. At all. So, I will ask him and he always comes through for me. Otherwise, I would read testimonials etc...but I go to my brother for assistance as he knows more about it than me. It is not a very sophisticated way to do it, but it has worked out very well for me, thus far.
I tend to look for extra features that might come in handy. I'll also always try to find a cheap alternative, to make sure I'm not getting cheated, while sending an email to my uncle who knows a lot more than I do about computers in general. The cool thing is, my uncle normally has a lot of software serial keys lying around as he is a distributor and does personal setups for servers and PCs, so there might be a good chance that whatever software I'm looking for might have made it's way into his hands. Pretty sweet!
It's been awhile since I have purchased any software. There are a lot of open source programs on the Net that will duplicate or even exceed many paid software versions. Also, there are a lot of free utilities that will duplicate some aspects of many software programs.
I haven't purchased any software for a while either. I also try to look for open source software or go on *cough* TPB *cough*. Reviews/comments are the first thing I look for the latter.
When I'm looking at software (which is typically free because I'm cheap) I look for how many resources it'll take up on my computer, the pricing if it has any, and user-reivews.
I always read reviews and watch YouTube videos. Software can be a tricky item to buy because you never know if it's what you're looking for until you get home. That's why I do my research, and I don't think most stores allow you to return electronics and software. You have to be sure that you want to buy it, and it's compatible with your PC or Mac.
If I do need software, which is quite rare, I first look to the Internet where free products are offered by the companies providing their products. Afterwards, if that fails, I will look for the cheapest product possible to do the basic tasks. I think my Dell laptop has everything I need so I don't need to go overboard in terms of software products.
I just go with whatever is popular or whatever it is I am used to, or what I think I can get used to. Usually softwares will give trial periods to those who are interested and I usually just base my decision on that, as for the most. Part I can tell with the thirty days free if I'm going to like the software or not and if I'd be willing to pay for it. As for features I look for, I can't pinpoint anything specific but the software just has to feel right and I guess the most important part for me is that it doesn't slow down my computer.
Well, I have very specific hobbies that operate only through the use of a computer or a laptop, so when I am looking for a laptop or a desktop computer they have to have certain features, for sure. They have to have an up to date sound card, because I make music with my computer, and need the best quality. I have also began to make movies recently, so I need a top notch graphics card in order to render the best quality. The other feature is that the computer has to be sold at a decent price.
I look for FREE when I go looking for any software. All this fuss about software, if you go to OSALT, you can always find a free open-source version that works just as well. But, there are certain services that you can't get for free. In those cases, I look at: Ease of Use: Whether it works well out of the box without a big learning curve.User Reviews: Whether other people who have used the software recommend it.Compatibility: Whether the software can fly on my system(s).Connectivity: Whether it offers different options for connectivity.Sync: Whether I can sync my data across devices and have the "Continuity" that I expect from a paid software.Great Tech Support: Will I get non-head banging support when I need help.
