What's this site about?
It's about a special kind of software: PowerWare. It's not Freeware, and neither is it Bloatware from the Big Companies. It's about some very useful commercial shareware applications, that fill the gap between these two categories. They perform valuable functions for Power Users, without burdening their systems with unneeded options.
The main advantages of these PowerWare programs are:
- They're small (< 2MB) and have an uncrippled tryout period. If you decide to buy them, they're cheap (< $ 40).
- They're versatile, suited for all kinds of specialized use.
- They're made by small companies that have to listen to customers.
- They're easy to download and to install, and can be removed from your system without causing harm to other applications.
- There's a dedicated userbase to help out new users with their problems - for free!
- They're normal Windows programs and do not require special knowledge or training.
- They're made for power users, so there aren't any infantile gimmicks like talking paperclips. Instead, the authors have thought really hard about things like key shortcuts to increase the productivity of experienced users.
There are some drawbacks also:
- You have to pay for them.
- They don't always look as good as the Big Ones.
- It takes some time to learn to profit from all the features.
- Your neighbor might not use the same program.
- They don't do dishes.
What's next:
In the next pages, I'll explain what's the problem with Freeware and Bloatware. After that, I'll discuss some really cool PowerWare applications, and how these programs can help out the Power User.
- Opera - the fastest browser on earth
- NoteTab Pro - the user-friendly and feature rich text and HTML editor
- The Bat! - the natural email system
I'm still looking for...
... some more PowerWare tools. If you know of any, please mail me! These are the things I'm looking for:
- A PowerWare newsreader. I've tried Xnews and registered Agent, but I'm not completely satisfied with either. Xnews is not an offline reader, and the interface is too complicated for me. Agent isn't as user-friendly as it could be, and hasn't got the right spirit ;-).
- A PowerWare Office Suite. StarOffice is a big monster, and it tries too hard to be like MS Office. It partly succeeds in this: it's big and it's unstable. There's nothing really wrong with another Big Office Suite, but
It's not Microsoft
isn't enough reason for me switch from MS Office to StarOffice or WordPerfect. I'm looking for something that's smaller and less complicated. Modularity would be appreciated! - A PowerWare Operating System - although that may be too much to ask for, given the first few characteristics of PowerWare I mentioned. I want an OS that is small, fast, and can run my other favorite PowerWare programs. I shall try Linux and BeOS when I can afford a new computer (one with sufficient hard disk space to set up a multiboot system).
