The Web & The Wire

Technology Column with Joe Granese

February 06, 2008

Where to find old program versions, legal music downloads

How much do you hate this? Let’s speak hypothetically for a moment, even though I have personally endured several situations similar to the one I am about to describe. Let us say that the user in point has just made some upgrades or changes to a computer system and is now preparing to relax and enjoy the benefits of his or her efforts.
As in life itself, no good deed goes unpunished when dealing with computers. The user almost always turns on the newly-updated system to find that at least one program or feature, usually one that is theoretically not impacted by the upgrade, fails to work.
The urge to take a hammer to the box is at least temporarily resisted as the aggrieved user starts the wheel-spinning process known as troubleshooting. Ten minutes or two hours later, they realize that the problem should not be happening; they did everything right and followed directions carefully.
This happened to me when I attempted to install a new version of Yahoo Instant Messenger on one of my systems. It had been using an older version of the utility, somewhere around version 7.0, and had taken to warning me about the imminent need to update to the newer, more secure and, coincidentally, advertiser-friendly version, 8.0.
I put up with the constant reminders for a while before I finally succumbed and downloaded version 8.0. The installation took seconds, and of course the messenger system, which had operated flawlessly for years prior, was no longer operational. For the story of how I found my solution, take a look at the first website in this Untangled Web survey of legal downloading.

www.oldversion.com 

By now in high dudgeon, I began to search the web for a solution to my problem. Yahoo tech support does not really exist, and the page or two it dedicated to the subject was no help at all. I pointed my browser at Google and started to search. In a few hits, I was heading to oldversion.com, a true lifesaver on the World Wide Web.
I could be the poster boy for its motto, “Because newer is not always better.” Quick as a bunny I found a copy of my tried-and-true version 7.0 Yahoo Instant Messenger and downloaded it. I uninstalled the offending version, fired up the new one, and lived happily ever after. It has even stopped warning me about new versions. Life is good.
Oldversion.com is an archive of older versions of popular downloadable programs that sometimes get lost in the rush to stay current. I did not think I was the only one with the Yahoo problem, and a quick look at its archive, which featured 14 different versions going back to version 3.0, seemed to put a point on that thought.
At the time I wrote this column, oldversion.com boasted a library of 2,412 versions of 179 programs, including titles like Eudora, GAIM, mIRC, and iTunes, including early builds from the good old days before oppressive DRM became the norm. For giving users a chance to turn back the hands of time, www.oldversion.com truly deserves five spiders, version 1.0.

www.goingware.com 

One of the sad facts about being in this industry is that sooner or later you get to look at the computers of nearly everyone you know. Aside from the potential for .jpg shock, the inspections, usually triggered by spyware slowdowns, invariably lead to a substantial library of digitized music.
While I know that many of these users are either ripping or downloading their tunes legally, I am equally sure that many of them have at least one file of questionable origin on their system. Further, I am sure that they do not realize how much trouble that single file could cause them. In these cases, I usually recommend a visit to the goingware.com website.
Many of us have heard the stories about Recording Industry Association of America attack dogs circling single mothers and elderly grandmas and suing them for thousands of dollars over illegally downloaded tunes. Those stories tend to roll off the back like the Hook Man legend that comes with every roadside lover’s lane. Webmaster Michael Crawford does his level best here in presenting a true picture of the possible repercussions of file swapping, along with a list of links for thousands of legal music downloads.
The music sources on the site are diverse, covering artists from free rock band The Ascendents to comic legend Weird Al Yankovic. Users can download songs and videos to their hearts’ content without running the risk of legal problems while getting a chance to enjoy the newest artists on the music scene.
Crawford’s essay “Why You Should Download Legal Music Instead” is a must-read for all tune traders who think that the RIAA demons will never darken their door. An hour or two browsing this intelligent site is time well spent for music lovers anywhere in the global village. For cutting through the smoke and mirrors, www.goingware.com downloads five legally obtained spiders.

www.freewarefiles.com 

Anyone who has been spending time online for a while has probably already learned that the word ‘free’ does not always mean free – for instance, the many free software download sites that, while they do not charge you for the actual act of downloading, do manage to set up situations that require you to take out the plastic. This website does not fall into that category.
Freeware is software that is freely licensed to user without cost and with minimal conditions, if any. It can be downloaded for free and used for free, as opposed to shareware, which generally requires some form of payment for continued use. The Freeware Files website offers one of the largest selections of freeware found online.
Be sure to have some free hard disk space before visiting. On my first trip, I never made it past the frequently updated top 20 downloads listing. I downloaded TV v2.1, a free program that allows you to view Internet television broadcasts from all over the world, and spent the rest of the day fiddling with it.
There is free software to perform nearly any computerized task here, including games, computer security applications, word processing and office suite software, even drivers and diagnostic programs. It is a virtual smorgasbord of software, more than anyone could possibly need, and it probably contains a program to perform a task that is currently puzzling you. Check it out today, and subscribe to the free RSS feed via one of the free news aggregators that can be downloaded for free. For keeping things affordable, www.freewarefiles.com picks up five freeware spiders.
I hope this week’s column yields some useful downloads. While these sites are well known and thought to be safe, it is folly to spend time transferring files online without secure virus and spyware protection on your computer. If you do not have any, consider downloading one of the free programs available at freewarefiles.com. Keep it safe, and keep it clean. Let me know all about your legal downloading adventures by email to granese@juno.com.