Saving big money on software

You will need to take decisions on the questions below. The answers you come up with will determine how much you are going to pay.

What type of software you need (to do the tasks you have in mind)?
Do you already have some of the software?
Do you need to have the latest version of the software, or will an older version do?
Can you get some of the software free?
Can you buy some of it second hand?
Do you need to have the software preloaded for you, or can you install it yourself?
Do you need support on the software?

Programs that do tasks like word processing, spreadsheets, databases, accounts, desk top publishing and website designing cost from £0 to several hundred pounds each. Microsoft Office is one of the more popular office "suites". Do you need it? While it is the best selling office package it is also very bloated, has too many features and is very expensive. Consider alternatives like Lotus SmartSuite that do pretty much the same stuff but cost a fraction of the price. There are also several freeware and shareware programs that cost little or nothing and do most of the same work at much faster speeds.

Leisure computing

Many buyers already have some of the software they need. You may already have a copy of Windows 95 or Windows 98, and/or other software. You'll find however that most computer dealers sell Windows bundled with the computer. The price of the operating system is built into the computer! You can't choose not to have it. We say: Why pay for what you don't need?

Quite often older versions of a software package may be a lot cheaper. Make that a lot, lot cheaper. Most people wouldn't know the difference between Microsoft Office 95 and Microsoft Office 97, especially if they don't use Office to design web pages. Buy Office 95 instead of Office 97 if it'll serve the purpose. The same applies to most other software packages. Corel Draw versions 4 and 5 are still to be found even though version 8 was released a long time ago. The possible exceptions to this rule are date dependent programs like encyclopaedias. The contents of these can change a lot from one year to the next.

Can you get some of the software free? Don't believe any claims of free software bundled in with the computer. We've discussed that often enough in the rest of the site. That "free" part of the claim tends to be a con. You can however still get some software for free. Apart from freeware software (discussed at the bottom of our Best Deals page) there are other ways to get free software like the older versions, less popular packages etc. Stores sometimes have software that is just not selling. They'll give it away in the end. Make sure you're the one they give it to.

Do play it smart though. The timing is important. First find out what software they have that is not selling. Ask them to throw the software in for free only after you've agreed on a computer and price. Throw it in as an afterthought. Use it to close the deal. Tell the salesman that you'll make your purchase today if he'll go that extra mile. But make sure you do it after the deal is closed so he's not mentally adding the price of the software into the price of the quote and making you pay for it.

Other free software: There are several sites on the internet where you can download genuinely free software (called freeware) and low cost software (shareware). The below are just a few of the thousands of sites for great free software packages:

Tucows: Probably the best known download site

CNET's massive collection

And for other internet related free stuff

Second hand software is legal. Yes, providing you get the licence and the original disks it is upto the seller of the software to make sure he stops using any copies he may have. Some firms specialise in second hand software. You can also find second hand software in local papers and in 'freead' papers like Loot, Buy and Sell, Friday-Ad, Nottingham Free Ads, Diamond Free Ads etc. These papers are also good places to find pirated software but since it isn't pirated software you're after you want to make sure you get the original disks and the paperwork. Don't forget to take a receipt.

Installation of software: Providing you have some experience with installing software you should find that most packages are fairly easy to install. Installing the operating system (like Windows) may be a bit trickier. Getting a store to install it for you is expensive. Why not try a computer literate friend? Or your IT advisor at work? When you don't have these options your hands are tied. You'll have to let the store do it for you and then you'll probably have to buy the software from them as well (at a slightly higher price).

Support on the software. If you are relatively new to computers it may be handy to have someone at the end of a phone to answer the numerous questions you'll have when it comes to actually using the software. Purchases from the big established outlets will often include some level of software support. Please be very careful here. Very few firms live upto their promises when it comes to software support. You may be left holding on a phone for hours on end. That's without a word of exaggeration. Or you may find later that the number you need to call is a premium rate number and you are being charged at 60 pence a minute. On a one hour call (which is quite common for support calls) you end up spending £36... and there's no guarantee your problem will be solved. Be also careful of the firms that have a small window for support calls. Some of them have sales lines open till 8 PM but the support line closes at 3.00.