Over the last couple of decades, the software industry has gone from being something reserved for businesses and enthusiasts, to one of the biggest and widest spread throughout the world. In this time, most fields get the chance to mature, developing into something easy for layfolk to navigate. When it comes to software, though, this simply isn’t the case. Instead, this part of tech is one of the most confusing for those who aren’t in the know, leaving loads of people to struggle when it comes to choosing the right options for them. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the common factors which make this field so chaotic.
Naming
From the biggest video games to the smallest specific applications, problems with naming are a consistent theme within the software world. To start, when a company makes a program, they will often name it based on the task which it has to perform, while also using existing companies to inspire them. This results in examples like Freshbooks, Quickbooks, and Clearbooks. They are all piece of accounting software, and all have very similar names, making it impossible for those new to the market to decipher the differences between them without some hard research.
Along with applications sharing similar names, you may also find that some application’s names simply don’t make any sense. In the case of Adobe, all of their offerings used to be labeled with a CS identifier, like CS6. Since launching their Creative Cloud service, though, they’ve changed all of their names to simply have CC attached to them, making options like Photoshop go through versions CS5, CS6, and onto CC. This can be found throughout the market, making it worth considering whenever you’re choosing an application.
Versions/Service Tiers
With the way that updates are advertised, it’s no wonder that a lot of people don’t realise that it isn’t actually a new product, and will often stick with their older version thinking that it will save them money. Along with this, when it comes to downloading the software, it can be hard to figure out which has come last when you have loads of links to choose from. Help in this area can come from an unusual source; YouTube. Companies will often have content creators working for them to cover their latest updates and changes. By subscribing to users like this, you can get direct access to download links and all of the latest information.
Along with different versions, a lot of modern software companies like to have more than one tier available when you buy your applications. Giving you the chance to save money by cutting features, this can be great, but will also often be confusing. When something is named as the Pro option, this doesn’t mean that it is restricted for those working for money, instead referring to what is included. For example, with a high-tier service, you will often get extended support, and this can be very useful when you’re having issues.
Trials
While a lot of the trouble in this industry comes in the form of the money being taken from you, there are a couple of things which apps can come with. Trials are the most common freebie you’ll find, often giving you the chance to try software completely free for a limited amount of time. It’s worth reading the small print before you disregard something like this, though. Some will give you a trial which lasts forever, with other limitations in place to steer you towards buying them from you. This sort of example can often have all of the features you’re looking for.
Subscriptions
In the past, people would buy their applications for a set fee, and would have a license key to go with it. Things have changed, nowadays, though, and most software comes with subscription systems, instead. Charging you monthly for the tools you’ll be using, this can make it cheaper when you’re only going to be using something for a short time. But, you have to be careful; some of them will want you to make a year-long commitment which will be expensive to get out of. Each company will have its own rules when it comes to the way you pay, and this is well worth figuring out before you put any money down.
Addons/Plugins
A lot of the software options which you have available to you won’t have all of the features which you need. To make up for this, while also making some extra money, a lot of software companies will often addons and plugins for their applications. You will have to install something like this yourself, and this can make it into a trial to get started. Along with this, though, you may have to pay a small fortune to unlock features which you desperately need, when an alternative might already come with it in the base version.
Free Alternatives
Thanks to small groups of dedicated developers still working on software which they want people to use for free, you can often find free alternatives to the expensive software you need to use. For example, Microsoft Office is ubiquitous around the world, and costs a small fortune for people to buy. Google’s version, though, is completely free, and it can be used without having to install anything on the machine your working on. To help you to find free software, there are loads of tools out there which can be used to compare premium offerings with their alternatives.
Finding The Option For You
When it comes to choosing the software which you’re going to use, there are a couple of steps which you will need to take. Below, you can find a short list of these, to give you an idea of where you’ll need to get started, Along with this, though, you will have to be willing to do some learning of your own, using the skills you develop while hunting to improve the decisions you make going into the future.
- Research: Research is very important when you’re choosing any product, even software. Finding the best word schedule maker, for example, will involve a lot of blog reading, along with looking up what other users thing of the tools on offer. A big part of this will be figuring out exactly which features each option includes.
- Comparison: With a handful of options under your belt, you will be ready to start comparing them, building an understanding of which of your options offers the best value for money. At this stage, you can also look at things like ease of use. There isn’t much point in buying software which you can’t use, and this is well worth considering before diving in.
- Testing: Finally, as the last part of this, it will be time to test the best out of the bunch. Using the trials on offer, it should be very easy to figure out which one you like the most. A lot of this will always be down to user preference, and you could find that an option which everyone hates becomes your go-to.
Hopefully, with all of this in mind, you will start to find the world of software a little easier to navigate. When you start to include things like games into this mix, things only get more complicated. For now, though, you have to tools to help you to choose the perfect tools, and it’s time to start finding ways to use them.
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