the installation is pain in the neck. It demands that we install NET.frame work 3.5 and when we proceed to do so it stall after some time and says error. and refuses to instal.. Tried 2 times . same error. not installing NET.framework and refusing to install further files.

Hello... I guess that I am one of the few that actually find this program very useful, but unfortunately I am also getting the "MS Word not installed" error message - and without it I cannot edit anything I think. I've installed TextMaker 2012 which works the same as MS-Word (If not better IMHO.) Maybe future versions of Vole Media will have an option to use our MSword replacements... Thanks all the same !

Checked their Web site, read reviews here and elsewhere, looked at example images and I will not be installing or testing this software. Everything about it seems bogus, especially the ratings. I've never seen a piece of software here that has no positive reviews yet has a preponderance of positive ratings and is a type of software that most would find little use for. Just guessing that it would be possible for someone to "stuff the ballot box" and have friends, neighbors and relatives all log on and vote. I don't believe this one could have been vetted beforehand.

I applaud the fact that we have something totally different to test today. The software behaves well for me. On Win7 Ultimate I have not experienced and crashes. So from that point of view, I would give this a thumbs up.

That being said, the total lack of inspiration (aka information) from the developer, here and on their web site, doesn't make me see any reason to dig any deeper ... nor to earn its disk space (let alone my $60... why?)

I really can't figure who the intended target user is. Perhaps software developers only, because I have never come across any need for this in my PC career which started with the Radio Shack TRS-80 in 19880/81. To be quite honest, I feel that anything this can do, Adobe Acrobat can do in spades and be universally compatible.

In short, this software suffers from under-promotion.

#22 - CHM file is professional help files, widely used in Windows systems. Although we have regular contact with CHM help files, but because CHM file must be created and edited using a dedicated tool, so very far from ordinary users. What's more, CHM files cannot provide multimedia features. VMC file is a multimedia library file created by Vole Media CHM. Vole Media CHM compatibles with the CHM standard. You can import any CHM files to create VMC library and add multimedia to the CHM file. Even if you do don't have CHM files, you can also create your own VMC media library. Vole Media CHM allows create VMC media library by importing Microsoft Word file. And when you modify the Word file, Vole Media CHM will automatically update the VMC media library for you. As the VMC media library can be edited with easy and has more features than CHM such as multimedia function, so it can be used in various fields, not just for the help file. Please refer to the website product introduction for more. (Norman www.sanwhole.com)

Hmm...

So what's the deal with the comments and the votes - they do nit jibe.

There are an above average number of favorable votes for this software, but the comments indicate the software is not an above average value. In most cases, opinions seem to point to a below average software & user experience.

Is someone manipulating the thumbs up/thumbs down poll? (presumably to make the software more appealing).

Also noticed a very high number of negative votes on comments from users who leave reviews on a daily basis & who normally get a decent number of positive votes... Those same member comments display an unfavorable review of the software...

Al-In-All, it seems kind of fishy. I see this as a red flag and have taken a pass on today's giveaway.

For starters, it would be helpful, and smart, if Vole Media and/or GOTD would explain what CHM and VMC are. We live in a world full of acronyms and jargon that people not in the know tend to quietly turn away from.

"Not obvious how to do anything."

I'm not even sure what it is designed to do! I recognize .chm as the standard windows help file extension, does this create help files? Or does it just use that format for something else? Or is it a completely different, proprietary, format?

And, in my opinion anyway, a one year license is just time-limited shareware, not a "free" version.

I have nothing against today's GOTD but clearly see somebody manipulates the voting very aggressively in favor of the program: high rating with no serious positive comments, very low rating for almost all negative comments and for all comments with links to freeware. Looks like professional PR attack.

Personally I cannot imagine how to use the "center of the information space" (very pathetic) with no indexing and search engine. I can get the same as this GOTD in Power Point presentation, which is just a presentation but never pretended to be a "center of the information space".

And the annual subscription policy for the program with no huge daily information support from developer (like antivirus programs) is a very suspicious IMHO. No one reason from developer for $60 EVERY YEAR.

Good day to all. Might be a great program and I really was close to install it on my pc, but when I read that it´s only working for on year I had to pass. I really can not afford paying 60 dollars. It´s like the half of my rent where I live. Not sure why it´s a "GIVEAWAYoftheday" when it´s a trial for the timeperiod of 365 days only. Sorry, but I have to pass this offer from today. Greetings from Mexico.

What Duane (#13) said. Even regular software is voted down by a high percentage of people on GotD, even if many express their satisfaction with the product. But there is not one enthusiastic comment here (one barely positive), so the voting percentage seems extremely odd - especially for a program that not many people would find use for and that comes with a one year license on top of it...very suspicious.

I can hardly believe that anyone even uses MS Office anymore with the free alternatives that are out there. This is a real 2000 or so program.

@Vetfor has it right... Check out the publishers of the software you install before you install it. Just because GAOTD offers something, doesn't mean it's safe! Sorry GAOTD, luv ya, but you often times offer software from very sketchy sources... Still, GAOTD is one of the greatest resources on the internet to learn about/find new software - especially in the comments! =)

$60 per year?

About nine years ago I bought version 2 of TreeDBNOtes, which I use for storing all sorts of useful (and useless) information, for $28.95. A couple of years later I was offered an upgrade to Version 3 for $6.00, the difference in price between the old and new versions. The next major upgrade to version 4 was free, presumably as the price is still $34.95, and I'm still getting free minor upgrades. TreeDBNotes allows you to create standalone .exe 'e-book' databases, although I've never used the feature. And from the convoluted description, that is what this giveaway does as well.

In the same number of years that I spent $34.95 on TreeDBNotes, I would have had to have spent $540 on Vole Media CHM Pro. Can you see why I'm not impressed?

I couldn't figure out, from the developers' description, just what this software would do for me. So I thought I'd try it. I downloaded and installed it only to get the stupid message saying that I didn't have MS Word installed. I DO: Word XP (2002)! Why didn't they say that up front??? Besides, which versions DO they support? So I spent about 1/2 hour downloading, installing, uninstalling this useless "entity" and leaving me with a bad taste about GotD software choices.

Nearly twice as many "thumbs up" than "thumbs down", yet there is only one positive written review in 14 current reviews. I'll pass.

Installed on Vista Home Premium with no problem.
Started a little slow with fading windows coming into view, then fading, then coming back into view as if my computer didn't have enough memory.
Followed directions to register.
Clicked on the help icon, then clicked on "ABOUT" link.
No dice. Can't input into registration fields.
Time to fire up Revo.

I stay away from any software that uses the internet in the background to retrieve or send info without me knowing what is that info. It could be used for future ID theft and or banking info stolen.
When I disconnected the DSL line, this software produced over 30 error messages. To me it is a no go. Uninstalled.

Seems really odd that the percentage approval is so high and yet the comments don't support that.

I research information for my son's company and keeping track of the information and its references can be quite difficult.
I hoped today's download would achieve this, but as stated in my previous comment found that the program was barely usable, a shame as the CHM format is good at compacting information.
The first program I wrote in Delphi was something similar in that it referenced files and links, unfortunately it is difficult to index this information in a usable manner.
Today I found the program I need and it's all thanks to:-
#10 Andrea
Thank you so much for the link to Zotero (http://www.zotero.org) which is a FREE program, it is also a highly developed program which integrates into other software.
I particularly like the way information can be indexed and searched, a first rate tool that is easy to use, thanks again for the link.

re: "a company without address, names, only an eMail address and a picture of a rural landscape."

Many EU countries and the USA require contact information as a matter of law. Regardless of the contents or offering(s), web sites without contact information should not be utilized. (This has nothing to do with the quality of the software offered today.) Country of origin is also required in USSA [sic] for commerce items of all types, even free items.

re: "Why think they all, they should hide their identity?" With all the crackers, hackers, criminals and mentally unstable "out there" one can hardly fault a law abiding individual for not publishing personal information. Anonymity is one of top features of the www. However, businesses and companies are always a matter of public record, so company information should be published in all cases as required.

Lack of transparency is a tell tale sign. ©2014 All rights reserved.

If you want to organize a great amount of information, then try this freeware:

http://www.zotero.org

Interesting software, but I need to read more about it how to use it first. From what I gather what it can do seems a good giveaway today.

I have tried this when it was once given at bitsdujour. It does what it says, and am impressed with the amount of information that one can organized in a nutshell -- websites, youtube movies, links to local files, link of local pictures, etc, and still have more capabilities that I have not tested yet. I really do not need such organization, but just tested it out of curiosity, and can say that it is a helpful piece of software for anyone needing to organize a presentation or notes for various purposes. What I find lacking though is the ability to link more than one youtube movie to a topic, and the capability to organize topics and subtopics over the left column hierarchically.

Downloaded, installed and ran ok on Windows Vista. Couldn't find anywhere to put in the key. Very unintuitive program with annoying flashing buttons at the top. Not obvious how to do anything. Sort of understand what the program is trying to do, but I wonder why you would want to do it. Awful intro video on their website which includes adverts for other companies!!! Uninstalled!

I could hardly understand the description and details. This gives me no confidence in the product.

This is only commenting the identity.

What I normally do, notwithstanding any previous measures performed by GOTD is that I first test the identity on

http://network-tools.com/

then use

http://safeweb.norton.com/

and lastly

http://www.dnsbl.info/

If any of the three does not return satisfactory results, I will avoid downloading the software. I use this procedure in other circumstances too.

Vetfor

Yet another program that you rent, in this case for one year.
On installing, in which I gave a totally fictitious e-mail address, it claimed that my system needed updating because of some file and that it may not run correctly because of this, as far as I'm aware my system is up-to-date!
It opened up to a very confusing interface, I decided to view the video which was supposed to help me, unfortunately the quality was not particularly good and this combined with my old eyes rendered it useless.
It may be very good at what it does but there is no way I am going to find out; I cannot work with such an appalling interface.
Possibly my age, 71, makes working with it difficult and younger people may find it easier to use, but I doubt it.

Seen the Sanwhole website about this product, seen the tutorials (was not easy because tutorial video´s came with no audial explanation what was happening), seen the examples. After understanding what this program was about: one question remains: why would you want to create a VMC library to make a slide show that looks as unprofessional as brochures made With Word? Their examples gave me goose bumps.

Installed and on a Win 8.1 Pro 64 bit system. A one year license?

Again a company without address, names, only an eMail address and a picture of a rural landscape. Why think they all, they should hide their identity?

I must admit, that I never used the .chm format except some Microsoft help files, which usually didn't give me real help.

Argh, we have had already software from this company, end of December last year. The same stupid interface, (I wrote in Decembee :)

And hmmmm…

Looked at the VMC example. A at least for me cluttered interface. I think I understood the basic rules.

8 symbols try to tell me how many videos, web links or you tube videos are in my current note. Why that? 12 videos, 15 you tube videos, 36 web links, 78 pictures, 5 Audio files, 10 file path, 5 internet audio files…

If I want to see statistics, I’ll click on a statistic button, not permanently cluttering the interface in the top line!

A separate button shows permanently, that the software is running in 64 Bit mode. Why that? But it is missing the standard “exit” button in the first left choice button. Who tries to invent new user interface rules?

And then…


I was really willing to test this software, but

Error 304201801(*)
Microsoft Word not installed

I still use OpenOffice & Symphony...


(*) uuuh, so many error codes! Do they need 9 digits error codes for their software?

Then again a pop up window : “selftest okay”. Stupid System.

Could not test, uninstalled, the same crap as in december.

Good morning to all giveaway community members. Just a short message to let anyone who managed to download yesterdays game giveaway 'Natalie Brooks: The Treasures of the Lost Kingdom' but had problems getting past the phone issue that there is a work around to get past the bug with the mobile phone. It's only present in the game giveaway version. Please follow the link below for the fix. I'm sorry for not bringing this to the communities attention earlier. (I've explained why in the thread linked to below:


http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/113250#post-216625