Freeware
that is available for download from the Internet presents a potential
risk to users because it may be accompanied by malware. When a user
installs freeware, he or she must typically agree to accept an
“end-user license agreement” (EULA), which gives the software
vendor the right to install third-party malware along with the
freeware.
For
a student like myself with limited financial resources, I sometimes
do not have much of a choice regarding the potential purchasing of
expensive software. Recently, I had a need for screen-capturing
software and was overwhelmed by the vast array of free
options for such software via the Internet. How could I most
accurately determine which option offered the best tool to meet my
needs while providing me with the peace of mind of being spam and
virus-free? I could not place my trust in any third-party review
websites, since not only could the information these sites provide be
outdated, but they could also merely be interested in promoting their
own freeware packed with troubled spyware.
Below
is a list of the top five available freeware options with
screen-capturing capability from the websites top5freeware.com and
about.com:
1)
Screen Hunter (trending down)
2)
Gadwin Printscreen (flat)
3)
Techsmith Jing
4)
MW Snap
5)
Greenshot
I
used Google Trends to analyze the freeware listed above. I entered
the names of the programs as search terms limited to the United
States and from 2004 until the present:
“Screen Hunter,” “Gadwin Printscreen,” “Techsmith Jing,”
“MW Snap,” and “Greenshot”.
 |
| Evaluating Screen Capture Software |
As
seen in the graph above, the rankings from top5freeware.com are
reliable, with Screen Hunter and Gadwin garnering the top volume of
searches. Interest in Greenshot was nonexistent before 2009 but has
since picked up in a steep uptrend. Currently, it remains the top
freeware upon which people are conducting their searches.
Ultimately,
I chose to download Greenshot to my computer, and I am very happy
with this choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment