@ Changling
You wrote:

It's not mentioned on the website (at least not easily) that you must download AND install in the same day. And many of the downloads were just setup.exe files. So it looked like a normal installation file.

Secondly: All of my latest 24 downloads from GOTD/GGOTD are .zip files, not one is a setup.exe.

Thirdly: It is mentioned on the website, the download site, and it is easily to find out. Have a look:

Welcome to the forums.

graylox

Paragon Total Defrag 2010 Special Edition (English Version) is available as a Giveaway of the day! You have 16 hours 2 minutes to download and INSTALL it.

This was taken from the download page. This is in bold black letters on every download page. The problem with your proposed idea is that it does in fact change the wrapper. The wrapper usually includes the registration information. Rarely do you need to input registration values yourself. The wrapper automatically does this on 98% of the software offered. The registration information is only valid during that 24 hour window. If that weren't the case, we would have rapid piracy going on with exchanging registration codes all over the place.

Just curious here, how did you find out about the site Changling? I'm certain that if it were an article featuring the site, they would have cited the limit on installation as well. If it were word of mouth, maybe you need slap your friend around a bit for not telling you that vital piece of information lol. In any case, welcome to the site and our forums here and we encourage you to participate as much as you want.

AH

On the main page? Perhaps you have a different main page that I do. Mine has a button that says proceed to download area, and then under that says "Active Giveaway time left: 16 hours 24 minutes"

So again, nothing about installing it within 24hours. Anyways... hopefully a mod will pick this up and pass this along to the giveaway team.

This from front page Giveaway of the day! You have 23 hours 51 minutes to download and install it.
some you can refit like firewall and a-squared but most is no to refit still need to fit on the day.

Perhaps it will change the agreement slightly (just to allow a slightly larger window to install), but it still enforces that you have to be there in the 24 hours to get the software for that particular day. The software companies will then still have their lock on that software that it can't turn into freeware or shareware since it's still time limited.

And I'm unclear on how it would change their wrapper? Looking throughout their website, nothing else would change. In fact just looking at the 'about page'. It doesn't indicate anything that you have to install it same day, just that you have that one day to download it.

Changling, the idea makes sense, as in, even if it takes you the entire day, you can install it the next day. The biggest problem though with that idea is that it goes against their license with the companies. Sometimes, however a company will put their software up for multiple days, which does that same purpose, but giveaway isn't going to go to all of that work establishing new agreements with companies AND changing their wrapper just so you can download one day, and install the next.

I'm somewhat new to GOTD. Almost 3 weeks now that I receive the daily email and check what's out there. From what I originally read, I can go to the website and I have (1) day to download the software that is being offered.

Now I'm ok with that. 24hours to grab the free software makes sense to me. It gets it out there, and people can try it out. Miss that time, and you'll have to wait till something like it shows up again.

What I was doing was downloading the ones I wanted, and then when I had the chance to get them on the weekend I could install and test them out. What I've finally realized is that this 24hours window is not to just download the software but to 'also' install the software. This was something I had not realized right away. It's not mentioned on the website (at least not easily) that you must download AND install in the same day. And many of the downloads were just setup.exe files. So it looked like a normal installation file.

OK, before you blast me on it, yes I have read the info.txt files a little further and I do understand it now. Again that part is not exactly as clear as I think it should be. But why is it this way? Does it have to be that you must install it within 24hours? Couldn't that timeline be extended to say you must download this in 24hours, but must install it within 72hours? A week at most?

I know that others have said that they would rather you download and it's re-installable for life. Well.... as much as I would like that myself, I would have to say I understand the reason why these software companies have that in place. It would turn it into freeware, but extending the install time seems acceptable to me. Why couldn't we do that? It's still locked down so that the install time will expire, but at least gives those with a busy life the time to at least sit down and test it out.