Free software downloads

[MikeSA]

There are several sites on the internet offering free software downloads - even proprietory. How reliable, legal and credible are such downloads?
Surely, there must be a catch somewhere?

I even came across a site offering a free download of Microsoft Office 2010 and to crown it all one site has a free download of Windows 8 Pro with Product Key Generator (sic). Surely that can't all be legal and why Microsoft allow such sites to operate? Has anyone out there ever downloaded such free software and what was the outcome? I am curious to know. Meanwhile, I am advised not to fall prey to such sites.

[Force Flow]

Originally Posted by MikeSA There are several sites on the internet offering free software downloads - even proprietory. How reliable, legal and credible are such downloads? Surely, there must be a catch somewhere?

It's safe to assume that any software that you have to pay for will not be legally offered for free.

If you do find a "free" source, the catch is that it might have a virus in it, it might not work properly, and/or you might get sued for downloading it.

Surely that can't all be legal and why Microsoft allow such sites to operate?

Microsoft (and other companies suffering from this fate) do go after these websites by issuing DMCA take-down notices. If the take-down notices aren't followed, then the company has the right to sue the owners of the site.

The problem is that there are so many of these sites coming and going, so as soon as one site goes down, another one takes its place. It's basically a big whack-a-mole game.

[David M]

Good choice in not downloading from the warez sites Mike. Eventually you will get burned in a number of possible ways.

Warez - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Freeware is different from warez. Freeware is software that is free and legal to to download that the creators intend to be free or temporarily free on a trial basis.

FileHippo, http://www.filehippo.com/, has a huge selection of safe freeware to download. Much of the software is quite good. FileHippo is my go to place for freeware that I know does not have malware or has not had other junk added to it, or wants me to create an account or jump through hoops before I can download it.

[strollin]

Another term to look for when looking for "free" software is "open source". Open source software is generally free for non-commercial use. Linux is an example of open-source software as is LibreOffice.