Re: software packages from Serif

Hi Lady --

Well I say form perosnal experience that things that are free are seldomg what they are cracked up to be (as you do know <g>.

I have never heard of this company myself -- but I make it habit to only work with products that are fairly well known and advertised or at the very least recommended or reviewed in Pulbications like  MacWorld, PC, Publish, Graphis or on the net in forums like ZDNet, Wired, etc.

I get innundated by offers like that (even offers which require payment) and quite frankly -- I have Quark, Illustrator, Photoshop, Kais Power Tools (Photoshop plug-in, Extensis Photo Tools (Photoshop plug-in), Dreamweaver and Director amongst other things.For me personally -- there arent many other products on the market that can match these -- especially for a professional.

The thing that I am wondering is why would this company be offering $300 of software for free? Ive found their web site --

http://www.serif.com/

Their ultimate incentive seems to be to get people to sign up for other services including VisualCities.com (which is supposed to be like Geocities from the looks of it)-- which includes free web space (which considering the TOS agreements by most of those offering "free" web space" means that by agreement with their poilicies you give them the  perpetual rights to license anything you have hosted without your perssion and with no renumeration). 

The tools on the Serif site are hand-in-hand with their new web space promotion. On the site they are charging for these tools.Its no different it seems for an AOL member or Geocities member who gets free space and the offer of such "great" tools to help them develope a site. The free "design" software is only free if you sign up to become a member of VisualCities.com -- which is still in Beta so watch out.

My advice? Dont bother. 

Lisa

--- lady wistfulee <wistfulee(at)shaka.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> Let me please preface this question by saying "Yes I
> know you get what =
> you pay for", but I received a flyer offering 5
> software packages =
> (supposedly worth $300) for free ($6.95 shipping
> charge) from a company =
> called Serif.  The programs are: GraphicsPlus,
> MailPlus, 3DPlus, =
> PagePlus4 & DrawPlus2.  Has anyone heard of this
> company & its software? =
>  I have a very fussy computer which is still under
> warranty & I don't =
> want to *upset* ;-) this machine...on the other
> hand, if it is decent I =
> should check it out.  I apologize for crossposting,
> but since most were =
> graphics programs I am sending both to "software" &
> "graphics".
> much alohas from Maui...
> Lady Wistfulee
> --I am creating a place where the future
>  flows into the past via the realm of now.
> 
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