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Just a Rant

(9 posts) (3 voices)

Started 17 years ago by F4vrefly
Latest reply from comicfan2000

F4vrefly
Member

I posted this in the comments for TrueLaunchBar today, but then thought it would be better as a 'General Discussion' topic than hidden there. Just letting out a little steam. =)

I want to take this opportunity to not only throw my support behind the GotD team and the business concept they've employed here, but also to tell those who care to do the same NOT to be discouraged by the frequent negative posts in the comments section every day. I'm guessing (or at least hoping) that the majority of the supporters out there are like me -- they don't "look a gift horse in the mouth," but instead quietly appreciate the daily offerings and do their best to ignore the naysayers. We really are out here, GotD team, and we thank you!

For the rest, though, here you go:
* If you can't download from the main link, try the mirror instead. Still doesn't work? Patiently wait 5-10 minutes and try again.
* Read the instructions. Most d/ls either have a complete and integrated 'setup.exe' that will both install and activate the software (or display a popup that tells you how to do so, gives you a key, etc.) OR an 'activate.exe' file that you need to run separately. ALL d/ls have a README text file. Read it first and follow its instructions.
* Many users have suggested running the 'activate.exe' file first, when available. That seems to be an easy solution to the next issue.
*If, after you think you've done everything right, it still looks like the program in question is running in 'demo' mode or isn't the full, unlocked version, it's user error, not a sudden change in GotD's policy for the day. COMPLETELY shut the program down (or, at the end of the install routine, choose NOT to run the program), and then activate it. If it's still within the giveaway-day window, I promise it will work!
* If you are especially distrustful and run anti-spyware or anti-virus programs that you have set to lock things down tightly, expect to run into difficulties every once in a while. (Pay particular attention to this if you can successfully install a program on one machine but not another.) Again, this is a user issue, not GotD's problem. Figure out what's causing the blockage and temporarily disable it on your computer.
* This site offers one program -- one that normally costs money -- for FREE... for ONE DAY and ONE DAY ONLY. If you d/l a program from this site, you are not somehow granted immunity with regards to paying for that program for life. "What happens" if your hard drive dies and you need to reinstall everything from scratch (and don't have a ghost/snapshot you update frequently)? If you like the software enough to want it on your new hard drive, you will need to go to the software developer's website (follow the link from GotD's site!) and BUY IT. Same goes for if you want to upgrade to a new version or need full support for the software for some reason. That's the idea. The developer gets to get the word out on the street and earn greater consumer loyalty, and you get free software, at least for a limited amount of time.

Enjoy today's download, and future ones as well. If you like 'em, let people know. If you don't, AND you have something constructive to say, feel free to post those constructive thoughts. Otherwise, while you might enjoy the momentary thrill of seeing your username posted on a website, don't get too excited; most other people seeing it are most likely just rolling their eyes and ignoring you.

Posted 17 years ago #
cpedley
Member

Well that sounds good. But the readme file basically talks about NO SUPPORT, NO WARRANTY ETC. I have not ever found an instruction as to what should happen first. As a result I have all this TRIAL STUFF which was supposed to GIVEAWAY. Yes we all appreciate the offer of FREE software but if we DO NOT KNOW how to make it free, then it is NOT FREE. It is still TRial. I had the link posted on a separate page on my website that gets thousands of hits every month [over 10000 being conservative]and downloaded myself from the link.

I tried reading the readme file.Here is the README FILE for HDDLIFEPRO which I could not activate. "Installation

Unzip the package you`ve downloaded and run the activation program
Activate.exe which is included in the package, then run Setup.exe to
install the software.

You have to install it before the Giveaway offer for the software is over.

Terms and conditions

Please note that the software you download and install during
the Giveaway period comes with the following important limitations:
1) No free technical support
2) No free upgrades to future versions
3) Strictly non-commercial usage"

DO YOU SEE ANY INSTRUCTIONS HERE? I TOOK THAT LINK OFF BECAUSE I EVEN SENT AN EMAIL TO THE TEAM AND THEY ASSURED ME IT WAS NOT TRIAL. But until YOU told me to activate first, I HAD NO IDEA that was what you did, because NOWHERE DID IT TELL ME THAT. I have been at computers for about 30 years now and always when you see a setup file, you RUN IT. One would automatically think that AFTER RUNNING SETUP THEN YOU REGISTER AND ACTIVATE, not the other way around. SO I HAVE LOST ALL KINDS OF FREE SOFTWARE BECAUSE OF NO INSTRUCTIONS. What would a poor newbie do?

SO THE link is gone. Perhaps if I can follow your rather late instructions the next giveaway, then I may put it back and GIVE ME OWN INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE THINGS CLEAR. It makes me a little angry to be teased that the software is free when it is really TRIAL. Just like the fraudulent sites that say " FREE DOWNLOADS" trying to hint that the software is free.

There were several pieces of so-called GIVEAWAY software which I could have had and wanted to use but THE TRIAL would never go away. NO INSTRUCTIONS = NO GOOD.

The idea of this site is very good but UNCLEAR OR NO INSTRUCTIONS INSTEAD MAKE IT MADDENING AND MAKE A LOT OF FRUSTRATED PEOPLE.

-cpedley

Posted 17 years ago #
F4vrefly
Member

LOL! Amazing. Simply amazing. Thank you for justifying my rant.

In answer to your question, "DO YOU SEE ANY INSTRUCTIONS HERE?" Yes. They are as follows:
"Unzip the package you've downloaded and run the activation program
Activate.exe which is included in the package, then run Setup.exe to
install the software."

I fail to see how those instructions are either "UNCLEAR" or non-existent. Had you read and followed them, you would have "run the activation program Activate.exe" and "then run Setup.exe," and you wouldn't have had to waste all of that time editing your site or posting the reply above.

In answer to your question, "What would a poor newbie do?" I refer back to my suggestion above, "Read the instructions."

It's maddening and frustrating to me that people are so quick to be maddened and frustrated about this site or its business model simply due to their failure to read.

Luckily for me, none of them will be offended by this because none of them will bother to read it, either.

Posted 17 years ago #
comicfan2000
Member

Just a note, failure to read is something i'm sure happens, however, as in my case, I didn't get the complete files, no key , no read, no software. Others have followed the instructions as well and some didn't work correctly. Some files didn't install. A note of anyone's frustration with freeware should be taken seriously and not told to quit throwing a fit unless it's extreme and WAY off the plate. It IS frustrating to see this Freeware and not be able to activate it, use it or anything else. FREE doesn't mean "waste my time" which is more important and valuable than any freeware. I am not saying this site wastes anyone's time, I don't mean it that way, it's great here but as I said above, when freeware keeps giving you grief, even Free isn't enough to keep people coming back. I may rant a bit myself but I do understand things take time and not everything works just so but I admittingly have been frustrated with the activation, the temporary use of what is supposed to be free, and non working software. I am sticking around though, haven't downloaded much but I think this place is going to grow and things will change and get better. Remember, if not for complaints, nothing would improve.

Paul

Posted 17 years ago #
F4vrefly
Member

{Note to self: Make a resolution for 2008 to leave well enough alone.}

Now, since it's still 2007, I'll continue.

Again, I think we have a case here where there is a basic misunderstanding of what Giveaway of the Day is all about. Pardon me for shouting, but THIS IS NOT FREEWARE! The daily software offerings available on GotD are FULL-FEATURED, LICENSED SOFTWARE PROGRAMS. They're not shareware, postcardware, careware, donateware, greenware, or beerware. [NOTE, however, that several excellent -- and not-so-excellent -- freeware titles ARE available at GotD's freeware library, which has the helpful and distinguishing URL http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/

I concur that users' frustration with freeware utilities and any resulting feedback they wish to offer should be taken seriously by the software's authors. However, GotD is not a software developer. They offer a service. They contract with software developers who allow GotD to offer their full-featured, licensed, for-pay software for free for one day only. They provide an activation routine that licenses the software while also ensuring that the software will only be allowed to be activated during that 24-hour period. That's it. They don't write the software, and they don't support it. They find it, they present it to you, and they encourage you to strike up a relationship with the software developers themselves. In return, the developers have the opportunity to reach a wider audience with their software.

Think of it this way: If you do a search on Yahoo! and you notice a misspelling in the results, do you contact Yahoo!? No; if you really care, you contact the owner of the site and inform them of the misspelling. Yahoo! just offers the service that allows you to find something you might be looking for. GotD does the same kind of thing, but for software instead of web pages.

Let's extend that analogy a bit further, though. If you don't like the WAY the results display on Yahoo!'s results page -- say you're color blind and it's hard for you to read the links -- then that's an example of an issue that you would want to take up with Yahoo! directly. Paul states above that he "didn't get the complete files" for a recent download. The time I've spent on this site has taught me that, if a title is popular and you're attempting to download it at the same time that a lot of other GotD visitors are, you might need to use the mirror link or wait a few minutes and try again. Hence my first suggestion. If this is a consistent issue and you are rarely able to d/l the complete file, regardless of which link you use or how long you wait, then certainly contact GotD directly about that. How should you do that, though? Does it make sense to post that issue in the comments below a daily download? While it appears as though at least one member of the project team does read those, it's not where I would go to register such a complaint. There's a 'CONTACT FORM' link that takes you to http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/about/contact/ -- that's what I'd use.

My main point is that, if you read and you understand the steps involved in downloading and activating one of the daily programs offered here, then you will succeed in installing and activating it -- I'd say "I guarantee it," but I'm just another user like all of you, so my guarantee probably wouldn't mean much. If you don't understand the steps involved AND you HAVE read the information presented on the d/l page, then yes, you probably have a legitimate beef, and you should use the CONTACT FORM to let the team know about it. If you simply use the comments area instead, expect that complaint to receive about as much attention from the team as "Allhamdullilah! Yay super neat softwares!!!1!" -- okay, maybe a LITTLE more attention than that.

Posted 17 years ago #
comicfan2000
Member

<note to self -make sure those who tell you you misunderstand, read more carefully>

Your quote {Pardon me for shouting, but THIS IS NOT FREEWARE!)

Now, please read what the blog itself describes....>>

***< and that software will be absolutely free. That means - not a trial, not a limited version - but a registered and legal version of the software will be free for our visitors>***

The above is a very STRANGE comment, so excuse ME for yelling but , "IT SAYS IT'S FREE!!*

Your quote:(My main point is that, if you read and you understand the steps involved in downloading and activating one of the daily programs offered here, then you will succeed in installing and activating it -- I'd say "I guarantee it," but I'm just another user like all of you, so my guarantee probably wouldn't mean much.)

Then let's all be the overly happy knight in shining armor coming to the rescue of GAOTD and telling people, especially those who have years of computer experience, that "if they read, it will install" . lol. I see your point but I live in a place where , yes,brace yourself, things don't always work right. I think EARTH is a good term for it.

Your quote: There's a 'CONTACT FORM' link that takes you to http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/about/contact/ -- that's what I'd use.

Well I suppose when it states you are welcome to discuss this in the forum, be it softwares etc...we should ignore GAOTD and listen to your advice. I think they would rather have things of this nature worked out in the forum instead of being bombarded by needless e-mail, but that's just my take on it.

Lastly, I am not going to pull the wool over my own eyes just to please users as yourself or GAOTD. If something isn't working, then it's not, I am not going to be a cheerleader just because I like the site and pretend all has went well,or be forced to believe otherwise by those who try to convince others that it's all in their head and that they are just complaining, not reading, whatever. And I have news for you, I am a moderator on another security forum and the admins and mods always answer people the best they can and would rather do this through a forum than e-mail bombarding. I like this place as well but I will not pretend everything is perfect.

Paul

EDIT: One other thing. If GAOTD was left with only those who have had NO issues and all is in a "peachy keen wonderland", I don't think GAOTD would be around long. My guess is that they want feedback of all sorts to improve and grow, not stunt growth by pretending and ignoring the thoughts and ideas of others.

Posted 17 years ago #
F4vrefly
Member

Sorry, Paul. My latest response was not directed at you. I merely quoted something you said as I continued to clarify my points. I don't feel I took your statement out of context, but if I did, I apologize for the misrepresentation.

I started this thread in an effort to vent my frustrations with regard to the slew of what I consider to be unnecessary comments being posted every day. Most appear to fall into one of a few categories, and my bulleted list above was an attempt at informing users (mostly earthlings, I expect) how to avoid the most common 'pitfalls' that I identified via those comments. I certainly stand by what I've posted here and still expect that some people will find it to be helpful!

Posted 17 years ago #
cpedley
Member

F4vrefly
I am awake today. You are correct! It does say ACTIVATE FIRST. In my bleary-eyed daze I did NOT see it. Read right past it!

Thanks for not being TOO hard on me.
cpedley

Posted 17 years ago #
comicfan2000
Member

F4vrefly, not a problem. In any forum, it's hard to express what we mean without sounding , well pushy or hatefull. I stand accused of doing this more times than I can count. I do know what you mean about unnecessary comments. It makes it hard for those who have the real issues as I did, to get a point accross without being thrown into the whining catagory which is why I became a bit defensive as I had some issues that were real and unsolvable, about 8 hours worth, lol.

I completely understand. You should stand by what you believe, if I or anyone else disagrees or not and vise versa. It seems all this is a bit new for many and myself included, need some time to adjust. I will say this, never in a forum have I saw at least a handful of people so tolerant and not take "my rant" for instance, as a yelling fest or fit throwing. It wasn't my intention and wasn't taken as such.<different post<
Where else do you find people who disagree come to a medium so quickly? I think it's great here. Anyway, restart> Nice to meet you.

Paul

Posted 17 years ago #

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