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The Internet is an astounding treasure chest of information. You can read breaking news stories, try out hot new software or listen to sound clips from your favorite recording artists. Even better, if you like what you see or hear, it's a snap to store all of this digital information on your home computer where it's easy to access. With more users hooking up with DSL(digital subscriber line) and broadband internet connections, the rate of people downloading large, bulky files from the internet and email has quadrupled since the days of slow, unreliable dial-up connections. File sharing programs have cropped up bigger than ever. Remember Napster? That was just the beginning. But before you start raiding the jewels of the Internet, you should know about some download issues that could cause trouble for you or your computer system.
Copyright is currently a huge area of concern on the Internet. Even if you see material online that doesn't carry a copyright notice, it still may be protected. Just because you find it online doesn't mean it's yours to use as you please. Frequently a creator will give up certain rights and place software in the "public domain," which means you may alter this material or copy it as many times as you like and distribute it to whomever you wish. This type of download is generally not copyrighted, but can sometimes carry what is call a "copyleft". This simply means that in order for you to use and redistribute the software, you must agree to, in turn, do the same with said software.
Copyrighted software found online generally falls under three main categories: "freeware," "shareware" or "open source."
Freeware is just as stated: free. You can download it, install it, and use it without ever paying a fee. You may find however that if you require support for the product or need an upgrade, you might end up paying a significant fee in order to obtain it.
Shareware , on the other hand, sometimes also referred to as Demoware, is occasionally free, but it is usually available as a "try before you buy" installation. In most cases, the vendor allows you to download, install and use the product for free for X amount of days. After that period of time, the product expires and is rendered unusable until you purchase a key or serial number. Once you have purchased the key, you are usually entitled to upgrades and tech support for low or no expense.
The third type of software is called Open Source. This software is also free to download, install and use with no strings attached, literally. No chance for tech support, or upgrades(unless it's being offered by a reputable company stating they back their product). However, unless you have obtained your open source software from a reliable source, be wary. The concept of open source is what many of our stable and popular web applications started out as, yet the nature of open source allows anyone to use the software, makes changes to the code or 'improve' it, and then redistribute it again under a new name. If you are unlucky, you may find you have just downloaded a very nasty virus, or possibly the best free program ever. 'Nuff said.
Once you've downloaded a file, it's always a good idea to check it for computer viruses before you run it or open it with an application. A virus is a piece of invasive code that copies itself in an attempt to infect as many computer systems and pieces of software as possible. Not all viruses are harmful: Some just cause a message to pop up on your screen. However, many are destructive and can cause all sorts of hassles, from making your computer crash to destroying data on your hard disk.
Fortunately, most viruses won't wake up until you activate -- or "execute" -- the piece of code in which they're buried. This means that as long as you scan a downloaded piece of software before you run it, you should be OK.
There are many types of virus detection software available both "off the shelf" and in freeware/shareware apps on the Internet. Find a virus checker and start using it today. The most important thing about the virus detection program you do choose is making sure it is always up to date with the latest virus definitions, as well as ensuring that you are running a full scan on your system at least once a week or more, depending on how often you download and on what you download.
Another downloading safety concern is Spamware and Spyware. Both of these invasive virus-like tactics put your computer and YOUR personal data stored on YOUR computer at risk. The types of programs used to steal your private data vary, but include keystroke logging, password/identity theft, email phishing, encryption breakers, placement of harmful cookies for marketing purposes, and more. Again, there are several applications designed to eliminate these pesky critters and keep you and your pc safe from harm. Get one, keep it updated, and use it regularly, and be careful what information you choose to store on your computer.
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