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About this site

The primary function of this community-based site is to help you select the best freeware product for your particular needs.

The best freeware programs are as good as or better than their commercial counterparts but finding the most appropriate program can be challenging.

Sure, there are dozens of freeware download sites on the web, but few of these actually help you select the best program for your needs.

That's what we do here. No downloads, just honest advice and useful guidance.

It's honest because this is a community-based site staffed by volunteers and we have no commercial affiliations.

How to use this site

Let's say you want a free firewall.  That's not a problem as there are over thirty available

The real problem is which one you should choose to meet your needs.

At this site it's easy; just go to our review of free firewalls. There you will find recommendations for average users and advanced users as well. And although there are no downloads on this site we provide links where you can safely and securely download the product you want.

To find our firewall reviews and recommendations just type in "firewall" into the search box that appears at the top right of every page. Alternatively select the "Security" category from the home page and then select "Firewalls" from the list of security products presented to you.

Once you've found the firewalls review page you'll be quickly able to find the product you want.  Furthermore you will know that what you have selected is the best available.
Site History and Origin:  "The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities"

This community-based site is operated by Ian "Gizmo" Richards with the able assistance of over 60 volunteer site editors.

Until July 2008 Gizmo was the editor of "Support Alert", a  highly regarded monthly technical newsletter that was distributed to over 150,000 subscribers. This site is an evolutionary development of an earlier site associated with the newsletter that was started in October 2000.  This site was the home of Gizmo's highly popular list of the "46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities."   Over time that list grew well beyond 46 and reached the point where it could not be maintained by one person. 

The current wiki-style site started operation in May 2008.  It utilizes the contribution of dozens of volunteer editors who edit and moderate suggestions from thousands of site visitors.  As a result the range of free software covered by this site is ever increasing and quality of the reviews ever improving.

In a real sense this site has become the Wikipedia® for Freeware.

FAQ

Do I have to register?

Site registration is only necessary if you wish to post to our forum, write an article for the site or want to make a wiki-style edit of an article on the site. Apart from that, there is no need to register as all the freeware information on this site is publicly accessible.

Where can I find back issues of Gizmo's newsletter?

The newsletter ceased publication in June 2008 but all back issues, including the premium paid edition, are freely available on this site here. This includes a search facility.  From the same location you can also download a searchable archive of all back issues.

Do you have premium content?

No, this is a free site and will remain that way.

Is this site related to Windows Secrets?

No, Gizmo and this website have no ownership in Windows Secrets newsletter or their website and have no say in their editorial policy and management.  And vice versa.

People get confused on this as the Windows Sectets website does contain many freeware articles and recommendations that were originally published in Gizmo's old Support Alert newsletter. Windows Secrets obtained this material as a result of the merger of Support Alert with Windows Secrets newsletter in July 2008.  Please note that some of this material has not been updated and may no longer reflect the view and opinions of Gizmo or this website.

Additionally, as part of the newsletter merger, Gizmo agreed to write two new articles per month for Windows Secrets newsletter for a period of two years until July 2010.  Despite being given the impressive title "Senior Editor", Gizmo's role at Windows Secrets is simply that of a writer.

How is this site funded?

This is a community based site and our aspiration is to keep the site non-commercial and ad free.

The plan is to try to fund this site by donations from site visitors. However if this is unsuccessful we may have to try some other ways of raising funds such as low key ads.

Where can I find your old forum?

Our new vBulletin based forum was introduced in February 2009 but the content of the old forum can still be accessed here.  The old forum is no longer active and posts will not be answered.
Contact

Gizmo can be contacted using the site contact form.

Individual editors may be contacted by clicking on their names that appear on their review pages. Note that only registered site users can contact individual editors. Anyone can register by creating an account from the left sidebar. It is quick and immediate.
Press

Gizmo Richards is available for press, radio and TV interview by phone or in-person.

A backgound article about Gizmo and techsupportalert.com was recently featured on Ziff-Davis

Gizmo can be contacted using the site contact form.

Press  releases
How can I help?

You can help this site in two ways:

  1. Help spread the word by telling your friends and colleagues about the site. Better still include a link to our site in your blog, website, forum or newsgroup using these instructions.
     
  2. Become a volunteer software reviewer and help make the site even better.