Download services

There are lots of things that can be downloaded from the Internet, from entertainment to manuals.  There are becoming more and more things now that can be downloaded via the Internet.  As well as being able to download things straight from the Internet, users can also share files between each other with programs such as BitTorrent and uTorrent, although if you do use them you have to be very careful with what you download because some files could contain virus’ or other malicious software.

Software

Instead of the old fashioned way of going to a computer store and purchasing your software in a big packed box, software creators usually give you an option if you want to have a digital download instead of a CD-ROM.  Lots and lots of company’s out there offer digital download but the most known is usually Microsoft office, which works on both windows and mac. Here is a print screen from the Microsoft office website,  as you can see you it also gives you the additional option to purchase a backup cd. 

There is of course advantages of this, and one of the main ones is allowing people to purchase and download software anywhere in the world simply because its just so much easier. Other advantages are the environmental impact that this has because it is saving packaging and there fore saving the software company money, this is usually why they usually tend to be cheaper online.  While everything has its advantages it must also have disadvantages as well, the only disadvantages that I can think of would be if the user doesn’t have a speedy Internet connection because you could get frustrated with the lengthy downloads some of these programs are because they may be big file sizes. The only other disadvantage that I can think of is that some of these software company’s like Adobe, require you to have a Adobe ID, which you could forget your details to.

In my personal opinion being able to purchase and download software over the Internet is a great feature. When I was look to purchase Microsoft Office Student Suite, I looked at in store prices then I compared them to prices from the Microsoft website, and the prices were at least 20% cheaper than the in store price.

Not only can you get software over the Internet, you can usually download software updates which are a really good feature, a update will usually tend to enhance a users interaction with it, or fix bugs. In the past to get updates you used to have to take your computer to a specialist store or not get them, nowadays your computer will usually tell you when its time for updates, because computers usually automatically check for updates every week, and if there is one a box will pop up and say “do you wish to download this update now?” or something along those lines.  This is an absolutely fantastic advantage because it can improve your experience with the software and you don’t even have to move out of the comfort of your own home. The only disadvantage I can think of for download updates is some of the file updates might be a large file, and it could take a while to download if you have slow Internet. But other than that they are a great feature that manufactures have incorporated into the software. 

My personal experience with software updates have always been a breeze, when ever they pop up I agree to install them and it usually only takes 10 minutes max. It is also quiet satisfying knowing that your computer has been ‘fixed’ of a problem.

PDF (portable document format) files can also be downloaded via the Internet, they allow you transfer document of information between different operating systems etc.  There are millions of different things you can place in a PDF file, although one of the main ones with the best uses I think is User Manuals, there are loads of advantages because instead of getting a massive block of paper from the box of your product with about ten different languages in it, you can download a manual for just your language which is a huge advantage, not only does this save a heck of a lot of paper but it also saves you the time flicking through the manual trying to find your language.  The only disadvantage is that I don’t think all of the companies currently allow you to download PDF versions of the manuals, either because they haven’t got round to it or are just plain silly! Not only can you get manuals from there you can also get also get PDF files for public transport, this is also great because PDF files can also be imported onto iPhones, iPods and lots of other things.  In my personal opinion I think PDF files were a great invention and Adobe really did do a great job. For me they have been great, I downloaded answers for texts books from them to check answers that I did for homework, it really improved my confidence knowing that they were right. As you can see from the print screen below, you can get any type of manuals online. Here is a manual I found via google is a quick search for "camera pdf manual"

Device drivers allows programs to interact with a hardware device, you can get programs which will automatically check all your device drivers for you and will tell you if you need to update them. This is great, because over time new operating systems will come out and a certain device might not work with that particular operating system, but with updates for it you automatically get it to work with your new operating system. Not only will it allow you to do that but some updates will also enable new features for your device. In my personal opinion driver updates are a really good feature, not only does it update your hardware, you also know that the company is still sticking with it and updating their devices to work with all the latest operating systems which is great!