on free software sites (Google Pack, FSF, Freeware Files, Free-soft)
For Google Pack, it is important to stress the need to review all of the information on the ‘learn more about Google Pack’ link near the bottom right of the linked page, as well as to read the terms of use for the software a user would install as part of the Google Pack. Customer support, variable user-driven security, and guaranteed continued operations are limited to paying users; those choosing the non-professional edition (i.e., the free edition), have both (1) limited access and (2) less support from Google. It’s more a point of amusement than anything else that Google is inconsistent within their ‘Learn more about Google Pack’ page: the link to the Adobe Reader page is broken, and the Google Desktop opens a new tab when it is clicked on (rather than opening in the main frame, as all of the other links do). Google also seems to be unafraid of diluting their brand image by including products by other companies, (Adobe, Real, Mozilla), even when they have a competing product (Chrome vs. Firefox). I don’t doubt there is a reason for this, but I’d love to know what it is.
Free Software Foundation – looks to be a useful information source about free software, as well as a source for free software, (linking as it does to any number of sites for Mozilla products, OpenOffice, open-source media players, and operating systems). This site seems to encourage a similar push toward access for all, as with many IA resources, evident in the variety of languages the site is available in, (and the smart design of different flags to represent different languages – with pop-up text indicating each language). It looks to be a good primer about the free software movement, and uses plain language so that less technical audiences could still engage with the material, (and even easily move down the path to replacing commercial software with functional free alternatives).
Freeware Files – is a much more advanced user site than FSF, I think, based on the noise and language on the site. It also is a bit misleading because of the Google-powered banner ads, (since the content of the ads run at cross-purposes to the content of the site, though it is probably necessary to have the ad revenue to run the site). This site reminds me of CNET, a busy site oriented to a repeat, technically and technologically-savvy audience. It could be a great resource for free software (including new, less widely-popular products as linked from FSF), and the category-driven navigation through the menu along the left side of the page does well to help a user ignore the clutter and get to, say, ripping software or (whatever else) with a minimal number of clicks.
Free-soft – is an outdated site that provides a bit of history about the free software movement. It looks like what might have been the first iteration of FSF, about five to ten years ago. The navigation through the menu along the left side of the page is still fairly standard, but clicking through any of the links like ‘Literature’ makes a user lose context for ‘place’ on the site, as the menu disappears and no form of breadcrumb representation remains. The content of the site, though, does a nice job of capturing a moment in time of the free software movement, and would historically inform any look into the movement.