Free Software
Categories: Information
“Sign upon the dotted line … nothing’s free. Eventually, nothing’s free.”
–Alice Cooper
Free software is a cool thing. It’s nice when you identify something you need to do (convert a file type, etc.) and then find a good, free tool for doing it. And, of course, a great deal of what we do with computers relies on free software, from Adobe’s PDF reader to Java, from Microsoft Security Essentials to Firefox or Chrome.
There are a couple of problems with free software, though. One is that malware profiteers know that people who are looking for free software can be tricked into downloading malware, so they create sites to take advantage of people who are Googling terms like “free Acrobat” (or other software names). Since you’re expecting to download and run an installer, all they have to do is lie about what you’re getting. One of the tip-offs that you may be getting tricked is the download link. Is it actually from the manufacturer of the software? For example, is your Acrobat download from adobe.com or adobe-pro.softonic.com? There’s a difference (see this article if you want more information), and you want to make sure you’re on the right site. I’ve seen about five different people in the last month who have infected their machines by trying to find free software; in every case, the software was something that our regular NiNite installer would have installed for them.
Another issue is that a lot of free software is now getting bundled with adware and other unwanted programs, even if you download it directly from the maker. So you download your free software and run the installer, and it installs the thing you were trying to get – and also some adware, some fake anti-malware and some system tools that only slow your computer down. Now you’ve got pop-ups and fake anti-malware giving you warnings and asking for your credit card number, and all you wanted to do was to read a PDF.
This is another thing that NiNite was designed to do: Install software without the add-ons. Some of you have probably used our NiNite installer for the free tools we use in OCES. It’s a convenient way to install or update these items. You can also build your own at Ninite.com, if the one on our site doesn’t have what you’re looking for.
If you need something that NiNite doesn’t offer, contact us; we often know about tools that may help you out. We can also check out tools that you’ve found and make sure they don’t install anything bad. Free software is something we all need to use, but it’s not worth messing up your computer.