The Freeware Hall Of Fame
Presents:

Press Release:
The GUIDE To Free Software

Charlottesville, VA - Owning a computer doesn't require spending a fortune for programs. Software that doesn't cost a dime is available to do most any job, according to Rey Barry who founded the "Freeware Hall of Fame" in 1989.

With so many good free programs for DOS, Windows, and OS/2 you can do practically anything when you know what to look for. Getting them can be free also, taking a few minutes with a modem. See a program you want to try? You can be running it 5 minutes later.

Rey's been a real estate broker for 22 years and spent 5 years chairing the computer committee of his real estate board. He's been evaluating software since 1984, and found software from Bulletin Boards and the Internet that can equal anything found in stores, and is far less expensive. Free, as his fellow Realtors can attest.

When a virus expert told him he was less likely to get a virus from a BBS than from store-bought software, he was skeptical. So he asked the cream of the virus experts and 100% of them said yes, it's true.

When he retired, Rey published "The Guide to Free Software." It names and describes 1,743 free programs and tells how to find them -- and a lot more -- on the Internet and on your neighborhood Bulletin Board. It also explains what the virus experts told him.

HOMEPC Magazine (10/95):

  • termed the Guide "worth its weight in gold"
  • featured the book at the top of its BEST BUYS column...
  • said: "sometimes you DO get what you pay for."

COMPUTER SHOPPER (11/95) called Rey's Freeware "a treasure trove."

BBS Magazine (5/95) said Rey has "...the finest utilities and applications available. Many are tools you couldn't find elsewhere at any price."

From A to Z Freeware ranges from anti-virus programs (a top-rated free one is updated monthly) to ZipCode bulk mailing tools.

  • Editors to create your own Web graphics (a FreeHOF specialty,)
  • network utilities (some great management tools)
  • PC diagnostics (our other specialty)
  • loan and investment analyzers
  • spell checkers (the best one is free)
  • professional legal forms (wills, incorporation, you-name-it)
  • 800 number directories including non-published numbers
  • personal phone books
  • multi-media presentation creators
  • simple or sophisticated modem controllers
  • conversion programs galore
  • FCC channel allocations, from police to fast-food order boxes
...and hundreds of programs to master the Internet.

Databases include the entire world's telephone area codes; US songs and composers; up-to-the-minute tour guides to assist in travel and possible retirement; the U.S. Census from today back to 1630. Even a breathtakingly detailed CIA Atlas analyzing every country in the world -- and much more.

Who publishes free software? The US government, companies and individuals. Microsoft and IBM have a ton of it. PCMagazine has two tons. There are thousands of publishers around the world. Programmers are often at the top of the profession. Freeware can reflect the highest level of concept, execution, and documentation, but it may not. A guide saves you hours of research and testing.

Our unique Guide has three parts. One lists specific programs in 105 categories. The second lists more than 1,000 Freeware authors. And don't skip the important Introduction. It tells how to -find- the programs on neighborhood Bulletin Boards and on the Internet.

Added bonus: expert advice on viruses and trojans. How to avoid them. We followed it and safely tested more than 10,000 programs imported from Bulletin Boards and the Internet.

To return to the FreeHOF Home Page click here.

The name Freeware Hall of Fame is Service Marked by Rey Barry (rey at cstone.net)
All rights reserved
Page last updated Nov. 25, 2001